On the Coast – Families Issue 94 I June/July 2018 | Page 9

indirectly, in the treatment of learning
disabilities. Thus, the claim that vision
therapy improves visual efficiency cannot
be substantiated. Diagnostic and treatment
approaches that lack scientific evidence of
efficacy are not endorsed or recommended.”
It is so embedded into our life that
even today, seven years on from that
bedroom, when my eldest tells people she
has dyslexia, the first thing they say to
her is ‘oh do you have coloured glasses?’
But research continues to shows “Dyslexia
is a specific learning disability that is
neuro-biological in origin. It is characterised
by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent
word recognition and by poor spelling and
decoding abilities. These difficulties typically
result from a deficit in the phonological
component of language that is often
unexpected in relation to other cognitive
abilities and the provision of effective
classroom instruction” (Lyon et al. 2003).
Individuals with dyslexia or a related
difference, require explicit, direct and
systematic instruction in both oral
and written language. Multi-sensory
Structured Language (MSL) includes the
principles of scientific reading research
but goes one step further with the
addition of the multi-sensory component.
The multi-sensory element is what
makes MSL differ from other traditional
reading and spelling programs. The MSL
Orton Gillingham approach is considered
the golden standard and assists ALL
children including children who have
been identified with dyslexia or a related
difference.
In a study of children with dyslexia, Shaywitz et al. (2002a) used fMRI to study
144 dyslexic and non-impaired boys and girls as they read pseudo words and
real words. What they found was that non-impaired children demonstrate
significantly greater activation than in the left hemisphere of the brain, while in
the dyslexic child, compensatory systems developed with an increased activation
were noted in the right hemisphere. Still wondering what this all means?
I explain it to my students and parents like this; “say we are both driving to
Sydney, I get in my car and get on the freeway at Tuggerah and drive straight to
Sydney. However, you get in your car and drive to The Entrance, then Swansea,
through Charlestown to Newcastle, where you get on the freeway and drive to
Sydney.” Now while the second route may not necessarily be wrong it is longer,
it is the same for our children. The way this impacts on the dyslexic person
relates to processing, how often have you heard your child slowly read a passage
yet still have no clue what they have just read? Ever wonder why it takes
them so long to read that passage? It is because the brain has developed these
compensatory systems for reading, systems that are still developing. I have lost
count of the number of times I have been told “one day it will just click” or “she
is a 100 child, some students do things ten times and get it, she needs to do it 100
times before it sticks”.
Unf ortunately, popularly employed
reading approaches, such as Guided
Reading or Balanced Literacy, are not
adequate for struggling readers. These
approaches are especially ineffective for
students with dyslexia because they do not
focus on the decoding skills these students
need to succeed in reading. Structured
literacy is an approach that does not only
benefit dyslexic children but all children.
As for that little girl crying in her
bedroom and the mother feeling lost.
They have come a long way. That little
girl, while she still has her day to day
struggles has come a long way, she
is the most resilient, hard working,
determined person I know. I am so
proud of the human she is today. She
knows her strengths and never lets her
weakness get to her. She is an artist, a
creator, a dancer and most importantly
an inspiration. That mother, well she
went on to study and advocate. My voice
has grown as I continue to fight for those
who cannot fight for themselves. In
the words of Horton from the amazing
world of Dr Seuss ‘a persons a person, no
matter how small.’
Alison Flood is part of the team at KidsPoint, where she provides education support and literacy
support for children. KidsPoint is a comprehensive paediatric practice providing care from conception
through to adolescence. www.kidspointmingara.com.au
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JUNE/JULY – ISSUE 94
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