Dyslexia...
A new report released by the Australian Education Union reports 70% of new teachers say they weren't shown how to teach students with disabilities or those from non-English speaking backgrounds.*
Within the past month, I've spoken with a couple of new teachers (one working less than 5 years, the other working for less than 2 years), and both said they hadn't been taught about learning difficulties.
Yet up to 20% of kids are dyslexic.
The biggest mistake I made with identifying my own son's reading difficulty was not trusting my gut. And I hear the same thing from other parents over and over.
Parents, if you think your child has a problem with reading, trust your gut and get it checked out!
*More than 1500 teachers took part in the national survey which tracked the concerns of those entering the profession.
Source: The Sunday Telegraph, March 8, 2009
Treasure reading and the gift of dyslexia
Showing posts with label reluctant reader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reluctant reader. Show all posts
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Why are so many kids with reading problems and dyslexia going undetected?
Dyslexia.
I always thought it just meant that someone flipped their letters around and that was it.
Did you know it means "impaired ability to learn to read"?
And that up to 20% of people are dyslexic?
I found that percentage hard to believe until I stopped to think about what I'd experienced in my children's reading groups at school over the years. Invariably, between 3-5 students in a class of 20-25 would be struggling with their reading.
I was at my son's sporting event this morning and spoke with yet another parent whose child had a learning difficulty that went undetected for years. This mum said she'd suspected all through primary school (k-6) that her child's reading wasn't right but was reassured repeatedly that her child was fine. It wasn't until high school that they got the assessments they needed to source a learning difficulty. This mum felt a lot of guilt about not pushing harder to find out what was happening with her child and frustration at having not known what her options were to get help. I've spoken to scores of parents who've had this same experience.
Parents, I'm determined to shout from my soap box about this issue!
The number one mistake I hear that parents have made over and over again is that they didn't trust their gut - they thought something wasn't right, asked questions, but were told things were fine and accepted it. And they say over and over again that they didn't know what else to do outside of talking to the school. Parents, if you think your child has a reading problem, trust your gut. Don't let it go.
In my next post, I'll talk about the clues I suggest parents look for and steps to take if they suspect their child has a problem with reading.
Treasure reading and the gift of dyslexia!
I always thought it just meant that someone flipped their letters around and that was it.
Did you know it means "impaired ability to learn to read"?
And that up to 20% of people are dyslexic?
I found that percentage hard to believe until I stopped to think about what I'd experienced in my children's reading groups at school over the years. Invariably, between 3-5 students in a class of 20-25 would be struggling with their reading.
I was at my son's sporting event this morning and spoke with yet another parent whose child had a learning difficulty that went undetected for years. This mum said she'd suspected all through primary school (k-6) that her child's reading wasn't right but was reassured repeatedly that her child was fine. It wasn't until high school that they got the assessments they needed to source a learning difficulty. This mum felt a lot of guilt about not pushing harder to find out what was happening with her child and frustration at having not known what her options were to get help. I've spoken to scores of parents who've had this same experience.
Parents, I'm determined to shout from my soap box about this issue!
The number one mistake I hear that parents have made over and over again is that they didn't trust their gut - they thought something wasn't right, asked questions, but were told things were fine and accepted it. And they say over and over again that they didn't know what else to do outside of talking to the school. Parents, if you think your child has a reading problem, trust your gut. Don't let it go.
In my next post, I'll talk about the clues I suggest parents look for and steps to take if they suspect their child has a problem with reading.
Treasure reading and the gift of dyslexia!
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