DEALING WITH DYSLEXIA August/September 2015 59 SHUTTERSTOCK ONE BENEFIT OF expecting kids to read at a younger age is that problems may be diagnosed sooner as well. “The earlier that you identify that a student is struggling, the sooner you can put the appropriate intervention and supports in place,” says Heather Whitlock, assistant head of Sand Hill School in Palo Alto. Opened in 2011, Sand Hill is part of Children’s Health Council and teaches children with language-based learning differences as well as those with attention or social challenges. “Inherently, all of our students fall in the category of having reading difficulties,” says Whitlock. According to Whitlock, approximately 15 percent of the general population has dyslexia, an umbrella term for difficulty in learning to read, spell and write. “Dyslexia is a neurological difference in how an individual processes language, therefore there is no ‘cure,’” she says. “However, there are many strategies an individual with dyslexia can learn to help overcome the challenges.” Children do have different learning curves, and it’s common for them to make early mistakes, such as flipping letters backwards. But Whitlock provides clues that something more serious may be afoot: “In kindergarten, this includes difficulty remembering names of letters, numbers or days of the week and trouble writing one’s own name,” she explains. “Students may also have difficulty in connecting letters to their sounds. For older students, red flags include reading that is slow, laborious and effortful. Students may omit letters and vowels when spelling. Another sign is frequently mispronouncing words or mixing up similarly sounding words. Comprehension is often poor.” Seek a professional evaluation for your child if you suspect an underlying disorder. There may be no cure, but there have been significant advancements. “Assistive technology is hugely important for students with dyslexia. We use programs that actually read textbooks and literature to students, as well as programs that record information that a student orally dictates,” Whitlock says. “The art is to engage the learner to make learning to read an enjoyable experience,” she adds. “For example, if the students have a fascination with ‘Star Wars,’ a teacher will tap into that to create a rich experience that engages them. Instead of pointing to vowels and digraphs with a ruler, we will use our ‘light saber’ to sky-write them in the air. Our young Jedi Masters will race the clock to defeat Darth Vader’s fluency drill challenge.” As educators learn more about different learning styles, new reading strategies are being put in place that may be quite different from when you were a child. Still, in looking at reading programs at some leading Silicon Valley private schools, what stands out is that there is no one uniform approach. While there are some similarities—independent silent reading time and students keeping journals seem particularly popular—there are also noticeable differences such as which (and even whether) textbooks and scripted curriculums are used. Simply put, perhaps the biggest discovery after years of studying how to teach reading could turn out to be that there is no one-sizefits all method for unlocking the magic of written words. And, as you might suspect, electronic technology is the brave new frontier, both complicating matters and opening up exciting new options. Great Expectations Wong’s experience is common in that parents and schools— particularly here in the South Bay—now assume that children must read at younger ages. “What was expected in first grade is now expected in kindergarten,” says Carolyn Grundt, director of Sierra School, a K-12 school in Santa Clara. As a result, students are arriving in kindergarten with more reading under their belts. “Yes, we’re seeing it earlier,” she says. “There’s no denying we’re in the heart of Silicon Valley so we adjust accordingly.” “Do I think living in Silicon Valley there is more encouragement and more urgency?” asks Karen Cooper, principal of San Jose’s Merryhill Elementary School. “Yes. We want to get our children to the place where they can compete, even more so since we’re at the epicenter of design and innovation.” She adds: “Was it this way when I was in school? No. In kindergarten, I was taught A, B, C, and now our children are given spelling lists.” Also located in San Jose, Action Day Primary Plus Elementary School educates students from junior kindergarten through fourth grade. Principal Michelle O’Hara has three children and is a former third grade teacher, well versed in teaching reading. Her youngest child is in kindergarten. “Expectations for kids are even earlier today than they were when my oldest was learning to read. And she’s only 11,” says O’Hara. While heightened parental stress and pervasive standardized testing are factors in making kids read younger, a big gamechanger is electronics. “Children are being taught reading earlier, but that begs the question of why,” remarks O’Hara. “Is it to keep up with other countries? I’d say it’s because technology now plays such a huge part.” Computers and handheld devices expose today’s children to countless words and text at a very early age, creating a thirst for reading. Still, our educational system shows little sign of returning to the days when kindergarten was a time for play. Many
South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2015
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