SpLD/Dyslexia and approaches to
learning
Round pegs in a square world
Dr Tilly Mortimore
t.mortimore@bathspa.ac.uk
What do you bring to the party?
What do I know?
Name:
First language
Role:
Current knowledge of Dyslexia 1(none) – 5
Source of your knowledge
Characteristics of SpLD/Dyslexia
Is it the same across Europe?
In your away groups consider:
 Similarities?
 Differences?
 Can
WHY?
you devise a definition?
Round pegs in a square world
Let’s start with something easy……
How did that make you feel?
What is dyslexia?
How did you define dyslexia?
Describing the syndrome
 A group of identifying signs or symptoms
 Things that form a pattern
 Observable behaviours?
 Deficit , medical models?
What is dyslexia?
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The consensus is emerging that dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a biological origin which
impacts on speech processing with a range of clinical
manifestations. There is evidence for a genetic basis and
there is evidence for a brain basis, and it is clear that the
behavioral signs extend well beyond written language.
There may be many different kinds of genes and
different kinds of brain conditions that are ultimately
responsible for the dyslexia syndrome, but, in each case
the symptoms have to be understood within the relevant
cultural context.
Frith (2002) Neuro-cognitive framework
(Rose Review, 2009, p.11)
A learning difficult primarily affecting skills involved in accurate
and fluent word reading and spelling. The main characteristics
are difficulties in phonological processing, verbal memory and
verbal processing speed. Dyslexia occurs across the range of
intellectual abilities. It is best thought of as a continuum not a
distinct category and there are no clear cut-off points. Cooccurring difficulties may be seen in:
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Aspects of language
Motor co-ordination
Mental calculation
Concentration and attention
Personal organisation
But these are not by themselves markers of dyslexia
A good indicator of the severity and persistence of dyslexic
difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual
responds or has responded to well founded intervention.
Models of SpLD/Dyslexia
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The need for a definition
Difficulties of definition
Models of disability – what sort is this?
Observable behaviors or cognitive
underpinning
Access
Empowering the vulnerable
Causal theories
1.
Language/ linguistic/phonological deficit
(Snowling, 2000)
2.
3.
Cerebellar deficit (Nicolson & Fawcett, 1995)
Magnocellular deficit: visual and auditory
(Stein,
2001)
4.
5.
Double deficit (Wolf & Bowers, 1999)
Different brain architecture? (Eide & Eide,2011;
Casanova, 2010,2012)
Brains, genes and family studies
Dyslexia exists!
The role of language?
“The words or the language as they
are written or spoken do not seem
to play any role in my mechanism
of thought”
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Einstein, quoted by West, 1997
Language as a high risk factor
for dyslexia
Compensatory factors?
Family risk study from pre-school to adolescence
(Snowling, 2008)
Two ‘sorts’ of phonological deficit in preschool
– Poor phonology + delayed language (P-/L-)
– Poor phonology + normal language (P-/L+)
• Developmental consequences vary:
– P-/L- fulfil criteria for dyslexia at 8 years
– P-/L+ do not fulfil criteria for dyslexia
Strong language skills reduce the risk
Risk factors and the role of
language
Dyslexia is not a ‘category’ but a
dimensional disorder which is more or less
handicapping depending on co-occurring
conditions such as SLI, ADHD
Theoretically and practically, is it more fruitful
tothink of risk factors rather than causes
of dyslexia?
Snowling 2008, 2010
So what is dyslexia?
Is it all about ‘problems within the
learner’?
 ‘Cracking
the code’
 Phonological deficits
 Short
term memory
 Processing speed
Kiera Knightley
Phonological Skills
 Linking
symbol to sound
 Hearing the differences between letter
sounds
 Putting 2 or more sounds together
 Separating out the initial sound from the
rest of the word.
 Hearing the common initial sound, final
sound and middle sound (CVC words).
But also sometimes…….
Visual stress
Dyslexic strengths
The dyslexic advantage?
Strengths
(often)
 Creative thinkers
 Problem solvers
 Drive and determination
(sometimes)
 Highly articulate
 Individual striking talent
Compensatory Learning Strengths
 Auditory
memory
 Visual memory
 Tactile & Motor
memories
 Big picture
thinking
 Casanova’s work
 3D
thinking
 Video memory
 Creative ability
 Other: taste,
smell, locus,
humour,
stories, logic
However in a world where literacy
brings power………….
 Phonology
 Working
memory
 Processing speed
 Memory
 Visual stress
 Decoding
 Sequencing
 Use of context
Impact on literacy
The impact on life long
learning…………
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Adults mentioned (e.g Klein, 1993,
Mortimore &Crozier, 2006)
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impact on self-esteem
Memorising names and
facts
 anxiety
Remembering sequences
Slow processing
Rote memory tasks
 both academic and
Written expression
affective
Copying
McLoughlin et al (1994) Gilroy & Miles
Word-retrieval
(1996)
Note taking
Riddick, et al (1997)
Time keeping
Concentration
If they cannot learn from the
ways in which we teach, we
must teach them in the
ways in which they learn.
Harry Chasty
If you are not learning, am I a teacher?
Working with different languages
 What
do we know about
dyslexia in bilingual learners
and across languages?
 What
languages do you have to
deal with in your classrooms?
Are all bilingual learners
the same?
No…….
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Linguistic diversity
Social and cultural context
Orthographies
Tensions surrounding
identification and support
of bilingual children with dyslexia
Linguistic
Diversity
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Learning profiles
Cognitive
 Case history
 Behavioural and
social
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Difficulties in both phonology and
orthography, experienced in first
language, will impact upon second
language learning
(Ziegler et al , 2005)
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Use of less flexible strategies by
Dyslexic learners
(Wahn & Gregg, 2005; Wahn & Romonath, 2005)
(
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Levels of language
competence
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Levels of
understanding and
literacy in L1
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Introducing children to
L2 – simultaneously or
consecutively?
What do we know about
developing literacy across
languages?
Orthographic differences?
Differences
 Types
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of system
Logographic
Syllabic
alphabetic
 Levels
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of complexity
Shallow to deep
Transparent to opaque
Three types of language
system
Logographic
Kanji
Chinese
Adapted from
Joshi (2005)
Syllabic
No phonological
representation
Kana
(Japanese)
Potential
phonological
Alphabetic
Roman
Representation
Cyrillic
Indo-Iranian
Slavic
Turkic
Asian
Mixture of
alphabetic and
syllabic
Transparent
‘shallow’
simple
Opaque
‘deep’
complex
Devanagar
Kannutaka
Finnish
Spanish
Greek
Hungarian
Italian
Swedish Turkish
French
Portugese
English
Levels of complexity
syllabic/alphabetic orthographies
Increased
Orth.
depth
Shallow
Shallow
Deeper
Simple
Finnish
Turkish
Greek
Italian
Spanish
Portuguese
French
German
Dutch
Swedish
Portuguese
Hungarian
Complex
Adapted
from
Seymour,
2005
Hebrew
Czech
Serbian
Croatian
Vowelled
Persian
Norwegian
Icelandic
difficulty
Danish
Deepest
opaque
English
Developing literacy
across languages
 Transparent
orthographies and
‘pathways in the brain’
 Deep orthographies and complex
processing
 A slower decoding process
 More ‘catch-up’ time in complex
orthorgaphies (Hutzler et al, 2005)
 May result in dyslexia manifesting in
different ways. (Everatt, 2010)
How might dyslexia and
bilingualism connect?
 Each
type of orthography makes different
cognitive demands
 Impact of early literacy in L1
 Impact of acquiring literacy in a more
transparent language
 Role of phonological processing in
identifying dyslexia?
Caution advised
 Role
of knowledge of L1?
Introductory Reading
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Blakemore, S. & Frith, U. (2005) The Learning Brain: Lessons for Education. London: Blackwell
Brunswick,N. (2009) Dyslexia: A Beginner’s Guide. Oxford: One World
Everatt, J. & Reid, G. (2009) Dyslexia an overview of recent research. In Reid, G. (2009) The
Routledge Companion to Dyslexia. London: Routledge
Mortimore, T (2008) Dyslexia and Learning Style. Second Edition. Chichester: Wiley
Reid, G (2009) Chapter One: Introduction in Dyslexia: A Practitioner’s Handbook, 4th Edition
Chichester, John Wiley (electronic book)
Reid, G. & Wearmouth, J. (2002) Dyslexia and Literacy. Theory and Practice. Chichester: Wiley
Snowling, M. J. (2008) Specific disorders and broader phenotypes; the case of Dyslexia.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61, 142-156
Snowling, M.J. (2010) Dyslexia and Language Impairment: Risk and Protective factors.
BrugesEuropean Dyslexia Association Conference (on Minerva)
Thomson, M. (2009) The Psychology of Dyslexia: Chichester; Wiley
Wolf, M. (2008) Proust and the Squid. The story and science of the reading brain. Cambridge:
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Vellutino, F. R., Fletcher, J. M., Snowling, M. J., & Scanlon, D. M. (2004). Specific reading
disability (dyslexia): What have we learned in the past four decades? Journal of Child Psychology
and Psychiatry, 45, 2-40. (on Minerva)
* available in electronic and hard copy from library