Dyslexia Solved by Multi-sensory Decoding

Recent research from brain scanning has discovered that rather than memorizing words, skillful readers actually process each individual letter of every word they read from left to right with extreme speed. This is why the children who are taught the sounds directly and blend them into words (explicit phonics) fare better than those who are expected to induce the sounds from spelling patterns (implicit phonics).

TOTAL READING’s multi-sensory methodology is built on the original Orton/Gillingham research that found that most if not all reading problems stem from a reversal movement of the eyes directed by the brain. This specific reading disability (sometimes referred to as developmental dyslexia), probably inherited, does not allow the child, usually a boy, to visualize the written word on only one side of the brain. This lack of brain dominance causes him to see the word reversed or more often simply confused.

This child needs to be taught from the beginning the letters and their sounds in isolation and then combine them in words always going from left to right. Because of its progression from the isolated sound to the individual word, simple sentences, and finally the more complex story, TOTAL READING solves this problem for the larger number of children with some reading disability, while allowing the unafflicted to quickly master the complexities of reading and writing the English language. Since most children can in a short time work independently through this method, the teacher has time to give the child with a severe disability considerable individual attention.

Multi-sensory means using the three senses – aural, visual, and kinesthetic (touch) – to address all the learning modalities together. And with the unique Total Reading Vowel Code, this program has gone a step further to make decoding quick and effortless for all students. Also, the combination of multi-sensory decoding with the Vowel Code, and the extended vocabulary sentences (Super Sentences) in the dictation lessons, make it easier for English Language Learners to read and speak this second language.

There is a danger in any phonics-based method that the child may be able to say the sounds but not blend them into words. In TOTAL READING word blending is taught orally first, and children are not introduced to printed words until this technique is mastered.

Another phonetic pitfall for the non-visually oriented learner is spelling words the way they sound, phonetically but not necessarily linguistically correct. TOTAL READING emphasizes the major English spelling rules from the beginning and reviews them from every angle throughout the Primary and Intermediate grades.

A familiar comment is that children who learn to read by phonics are not taught the meaning of words and fail to comprehend what they read. In the TOTAL READING programs comprehension and vocabulary development proceed from daily Oral Comprehension Readiness lessons that stress literal details and the main idea concept to complex interpretation and evaluation of children’s literature.

Total Reading Inc. will report on any articles or other information about Dyslexia received at info@totalreading.com

New cure for dyslexia is a cruel shibai – Local viewers may have seen a segment of “60 Minutes II” on CBS titled “Dyslexia.” CBS reported on a new exercise program to “cure” dyslexia, developed in Britain, and now becoming available in the United States. This program is not supported by current neurological research; rather it is simply the most recent misleading product marketed to desperate parents and promising them a miraculous quick fix.

As parents and educators who work with dyslexic learners, we urge parents, students and fellow educators to look instead to teaching strategies that are based on sound scientific research. There is no quick fix; but dyslexic learners can learn to read, write, and spell if they are taught with a structured cumulative, sequential, multi sensory approach ………….. Kathy E. Ferguson, PhD for the HIDA Board of Directors

Researchers May Have Discovered Dyslexia Gene (Yahoo News 10/28/05) Researchers have identified a variation in a gene that appears to account for about 17% of cases of the reading disability dyslexia. Experts hailed the finding as a potential milestone in the understanding of the widespread disorder.

"This is highly significant," said Jeffrey W. Gilger, associate dean for discovery and faculty development at Purdue University. "It is the first really good study that combines molecular genetics with brain imaging research, as well as actually testing whether these genes they think they found are really active in the brain."

Frank Wood, professor of neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, added: This study is the first one to make a connection between a gene known to be associated with dyslexia and an anomaly in brain development…..That's a very important study of the evolution of our understanding of the neurogenetics of dyslexia and it will lead to further steps.

The research will appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study's senior author, Dr. Jeffrey Gruen, an associate professor of pediatricts at the university's Child Health Research Center, said a gene test for the variant might steer people to the appropriate educational treatments.

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