How to support children with Stealth Dyslexia

Many people want to keep the dyslexia label for a select few who meet the criteria for ‘classic dyslexia’.  Children where there is a clear mismatch between their intellectual ability and their ability to read and write.  Children who struggle to learn to read and write despite good quality general teaching.  Others only consider dyslexia to be relevant if you cannot read or write at all.

In my opinion, this is unhelpful for all involved and leads to much misery and frustration for children, teachers and parents as they all puzzle as to why ‘simple’ school tasks seem to take so much time and energy. Often children who are in fact working harder than their peers are accused of being slow, lazy and careless with their work.

As someone who is dyslexic I know that the difficulties with reading and writing are only one aspect of this complex learning difficulty. As an adult, it is the other difficulties that remain and cause the most problems: difficulties hearing and following a series of instructions, difficulties with organisation and doing things in a logical sequence, difficulties remembering phone numbers and PIN codes, muddling names and struggling to bring the right word to mind are just a few.

Some teachers, schools and educational professionals are beginning to realise that a broader understanding of dyslexia to include children with any combination of working memory difficulties, visual perception difficulties, auditory processing difficulties, motor skills and coordination difficulties, sequencing difficulties is much more helpful. As I have mentioned in previous articles, dyslexia interventions are good for all children and are certainly not harmful if is later decided that ‘dyslexia’ is not the best way of understanding the child’s difficulties. However dyslexic students will not grasp many basic skills without these interventions and may develop unhelpful coping strategies: copying, masking and avoiding tasks they find difficult.

In this article, I want to focus on Stealth dyslexia and how to practically support students with this difficulty.  As its name suggests it often goes ‘under the radar’ and is a form of dyslexia that is undetected in many students.  Typically, these are bright students who always seem to be underachieving in school related tasks. While these students many seem to cope quite well in primary school, the difficulties can have a profound affect particularly when education becomes more complex towards the end of high school, at college and university.  In my previous article (August 2017) I refer to an excellent article by Brock and Fernette Eide (Dyslexia Advantage) explaining the main characteristics or signs of Stealth dyslexia, so here I will just focus on effective interventions.

What should we do to help?

Each child will be different, but these interventions offer a good starting point for most students. As very often Stealth dyslexia is noticed in secondary school rather than primary school, I have selected resources more suitable for older students.  Other useful resources are mentioned on the Dyslexia – Teacher's page

1.One of the difficulties is sounding out words, due to an under developed understanding of phonics and how to break up polysyllabic words. Very often words are learnt by sight through traditional reading schemes and unfamiliar words are usually worked out from the context. Syllable division is rarely taught explicitly and children are just expected to pick it up. The child’s average or above average comprehension often masks the difficulties they have in decoding.

Stride Ahead is a great resource for developing reading accuracy and syllable division. It is a ‘grown up’ version of Toe by Toe and is suitable for students of 10 or older.  It focuses on syllable division and common letter patterns and teaches them step by step.  It involves meeting timed targets which is good for motivating students to improve their skills.

Units of Sound is a computer program originally devised by Dyslexia Action to practice reading, spelling and memory skills. It is now available online and can be purchased by the school or individually by parents.  It is effective and is particularly good for older students, it has a placement test so that the letter patterns practiced are those the student actually finds difficult.  The program explicitly teaches ‘units of sound’ or letter patterns and relates these to common words. The program frequently revisits patterns previously learnt so that they are remembered. https://www.nisai.com/unitsofsound/

2. Many children with learning difficulties have undetected visual difficulties which can have a big impact on reading and writing.  Vision is a complex area and is much more than whether we can see or not (long or short sightedness).  There are many aspects to visual perception and visual efficiency each of which can make visual tasks hard and tiring.  Children can not explain that they are having visual difficulties and often don’t know that what they see is not what others see.  Consulting behavioural optometrist for a visual perceptual assessment is a simple step in understanding whether this an area of difficulty or not. All the tests are standardised and visual therapy and exercises will then be recommended as appropriate.  Many of the skills can be worked on and improved making reading and writing less demanding.  Eye Can Learn is an excellent website for parents that clearly explains the different aspects of vision and gives practical activities to try.

www.eyecanlearn.com

3. It is a good idea to try to use strategies to make reading less demanding:  listening to audio books, making use of text reading features on ipads and on Google and adults acting as a reader.  This is particularly necessary when a text has a lot of new or technical vocabulary where context and good comprehension cannot be used to compensate for weak decoding skills.

4. Writing using a computer can lessen many of the difficulties dyslexic students experience with writing – sequencing, spelling, handwriting.  Being able to edit and correct easily is extremely helpful, as are spell and grammar checkers.  Developing good keyboard skills is important to make this an effective option, BBC Dance Mat typing is one of many programs you could follow.

5.Thinking and writing in a logical sequence can be difficult. Programs like Inspiration and Kidspiration allow a child to make notes in a haphazard fashion as ideas come to them.  It will them turn these into a linear prose which can then be expanded upon. https://www.inspiration-at.com/   

Post-It notes can also be an option for noting your ideas as they come to you and then ordering ideas and linking ideas that go together. Sentences can then be written for each idea.

Parents and teachers should encourage the child to explore different ways of presenting information that are less laborious.  This could include charts, annotating or labeling pictures or diagrams, using bullet points and photos on Powerpoint.  Adaptions and concessions should be made to both in class and for homework with teachers being mindful about the purpose of the task - showing understanding of concepts or information or developing writing skills. Programs like Kami https://www.kamiapp.com/ and Seesaw https://web.seesaw.me/ open up a wealth of options for students to record their ideas and understanding

6. Just being aware that reading and written tasks will take longer can eliminate some of the stress students often experience.  As a parent, you can help your child map out how many sessions it will really take to complete a homework task and avoid the last minute panic.

7. Proof reading is a difficult skill for all and teachers frequently underestimate how hard it can be notice your own mistakes, when your brain tells you that what you have written is correct.  It is better to accept that you will always need all your written work proof read by some else: a parent, a teacher, sibling or friend.

8. Patience!

As an adult with Stealth dyslexia I can tell you that there are no quick fixes.  But learning to understand yourself and your challenges goes a long way to helping to find a way through.

What to do from 0 - 2

Many people do not realise how crucial the early years are in determining a child's future development.

Professor Allan Schore of UCLA has found that eighty percent of the brain cells that a person will ever have are manufactured during the first 2 years of life. Brain scans of children who have been neglected compared to a 'typical' child show huge differences in the size of the brain. The interaction between the child and their main care givers at this time is crucial. The neuro pathways on which further learning is based are being laid down from 0 to 2, the foundations for language development, coordination, motor skills, visual skills, listening skills and focus are all being put in place.

It is not about 'hot housing' children or forcing them to do activities they are not ready for but being aware that play and interaction are important right from the start.


If you observe and interact with a group of pre-school children of 3 - 4  years of age the difference in the range of skills some children have compared to others is already huge.

Much as many people hate to say it, the advantage some children have at this stage will stay with them all throughout school.   The differences between children are partly genetic and partly due to their environment.  Of course nothing is straightforward, children all develop at different rates.  Some children are 'late bloomers' and some children have learning difficulties and developmental issues to deal with.  But stimulating and interacting with our baby and toddler will always make a difference to their later skills and ability to learn.

If you take a typical nursery or kindergarten class and ranked them in terms of language development, motor skills, focus and readiness to learn.  Then you looked at the attainment in reading and maths for the same group of children at the end of primary school at 11 years old you would find the order is pretty much the same.  It is not to say that schools and parents do not make any difference but they can only build on the foundation that is already there.

The purpose of this article is not make any one feel bad about their child or their parenting but just to raise the awareness that those first 2 years can make a real difference.  Many parents are unaware of what they can do to encourage and nurture their child at this early stage.  Many educators and parents are increasingly concerned about range and level of skills of children coming into school. But the answer is not to do more in pre-school or bring educational goals lower and lower.  The answer is in supporting parents and other caregivers and their children before pre-school.

So what can we do?

Many people still think that a quiet baby is a good baby and while we can not change a child's temperament we can encourage all children to interact and respond to their environment.

1. Talk
Talking to your baby as much as possible is important for future language development.  Some people think that because the baby can not understand you, that it is not important to talk to them. But the baby can pick up on the rhythm and sound patterns right from the beginning.  They recognise tone of voice, they recognise their care giver/s voice/s above others.  It is also not necessary to use baby talk, if you use the correct words you will find that when a child is ready to talk they will use these words too. Reading and sharing books right from the beginning is also a great way to introduce children to a whole range of vocabulary and the world beyond their own experience. Most children it love too!

2. Movement and curiosity
Encouraging your baby to reach for objects and touch things is also important. Let them have plenty of time out of their pram or cot to explore what is around them. Let them look at and touch everyday objects (as long as it is safe). We don't need fancy toys; as we all know at Christmas, when the baby or toddler plays with the box as much as the toy inside!  Encourage curiosity as much as possible, let your baby or child watch you do all the everyday things that need to be done - cooking, cleaning, shopping.  Lying on their tummy for some time each day, as well as their back helps to strengthen muscles and helps later coordination.  When they are ready to crawl let them go and explore, try not to contain them much as practical.  Babies experience to world through all their senses and we should encourage this as much as possible.

3. Play
Play, play and more play! Play is how we are meant to learn the boundaries of our environment and ourselves. It is how we learn cause and effect, how we learn to problem solve and focus.  Many of the 'traditional' toys are best - building blocks, shape sorters, jigsaws, matching games. We also want a balance between adult directed play and child directed play.  We don't always need to show a child how to do something 'properly' they can learn a lot by playing with a toy or game the 'wrong' way and then working out what to do.  Messy play with water, mud, sand or paint are all fun and hugely beneficial.

'Play' is currently a hot topic terms of pre-school, school curriculum and education but the point is play is important right from the beginning.

See https://www.zerotothree.org/espanol/brain-development video clips and great practical tips.

Also take a look at https://www.education.com/reference/article/infants-toddlers-ages-zero-two/  for further reading on early development.

Auditory Processing Difficulties

Why do some children always miss the instructions in class?

Why do some children appear not to be listening?

Why do some children never seem to know what they are meant to be doing?

Auditory Processing Disorder affects a child's ability to hear and process verbal information.
When we speak as adults we take for granted that those listening are following what we are saying. Teachers give lots of verbal information and instructions every day which they expect pupils to understand and follow. As parents we constantly give directions and pass on information verbally to our children and get frustrated when they do not respond.

Children with APD very often try to listen but are not able to 'process' or make sense of the words easily. It may take time for them to respond or they may need to ask for clarification.  They are not trying to difficult, they are simply not able to comprehend what you are saying without support.

It is not a case of focusing more or trying harder, the child is not being lazy or inattentive. It is not a physical hearing problem or a lack of attention it is to do with the way the brain is processing the sounds and language.  It is not about comprehending the words themselves it is about mishearing or muddling the sequence of sounds in a word.  Auditory discrimination is affected making it hard to distinguish similar sounds - 'chess' and 'chest' or 'back' and 'bag. ' Auditory sequencing difficulties may also mean the brain 'scrambles' the order of sounds it a words making words hard to understand.  Auditory memory is also affected making it hard to remember what has been said.

Background noise can make a huge difference to a child's ability to listen and understand what is being said. As so many environments can be noisy many people learn to 'tune out' the noise, but this is not possible if you have auditory processing disorder. Other noises compete for your attention making it difficult to follow what was being said.

What can done to help?

Children need to be specifically assessed by an audiologist, a child may have normal hearing but have auditory processing difficulties.  The tests can not normally be administered until the age of 7.  Assisted listening devices may be recommended that reduce background noise and enhance that speaker's voice.  Speech therapy may also help to address some of the auditory difficulties.

When a parent is aware of these difficulties they can try to ensure there is no background noise when giving instructions or discussing something important.   They need to be patient when the child doesn't follow what is being said first time.  Keep important information short and clear.  Encourage eye contact. It is not always easy not to get frustrated, when what you said seems straightforward.  Use routine, checklists and visuals to help reduce that amount of listening required for day to day things.

Teachers need to create an environment where it is acceptable to ask for instructions to be repeated rather than getting cross and telling a child off for not listening.  They should also be conscious about using visuals and concrete materials to support what they are saying.  Allowing children to have printed versions of what is being explained or at least bullet points can be very helpful for many children. Rephrasing what is said can be helpful as sometimes it is the complexity of language or the sound combinations that make something hard to understand.

For more information see www.understood.org and read the excellent book by Terri James Bellis

Have you heard of Non Verbal Learning Disorder?

Does your child have excellent verbal skills ? Learns facts easily? Asks lots of questions?

But misunderstands social situations, takes things literally, is reluctant to explore things for themselves, is clumsy?

These could be signs of Non Verbal Learning Disorder.  Many people have not heard of this difficulty.  As its name suggests it is a difficulty with understanding and processing information that is presented visually rather than verbally.  Typically there is a big discrepancy between verbal skills which are age appropriate or even advanced and their visual perceptual skills.

The difficulty affects a number of areas including social skills as the child (or adult) can not read facial expressions or body language. They may misunderstand social situations leading to friendship issues particularly as they get older.  They may 'talk at' people and may want to share facts they are interested in but not notice when the other person has lost interest. For this reason it can easily be confused with Asperger's syndrome.

While the child can seem very knowledgeable or even precocious when they are speaking, they may miss the subtleties of language.  They may take things very literally and not understand sarcasm or figurative language.  This can then affect their reading comprehension as they may focus on the factual detail and miss the bigger picture and a character's feelings and motives.  It can also be mistaken for language disorders, like social pragmatic communication disorder.

 Motor and visual spatial skills are affected making the child seem clumsy and uncoordinated.  Their handwriting and drawings will be messy.  Their lack of focus and careless work can lead to a diagnosis of ADHD.

At the heart of Non Verbal Learning Disorder is the difficulty in noticing and understanding patterns, particularly visual patterns.  They can also have difficulties with abstract reasoning, maths concepts and organisational skills.  It is like having the building blocks but not being able to put them together to make a building.  Children can have good decoding and spelling skills, have difficulties with reading comprehension.  They may be able to learn maths facts and some methods by rote but not understand maths concepts or be able to solve problems. Verbally they can seem very able to but this is not translated into their school work.  This can be puzzling for both teachers and parents and frustrating for the child.

While Non Verbal Learning Disorder is not longer listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5), there is still a lot information available about this difficulty. Prior the changes diagnosis, as a lot of work had been done to raise awareness of Non Verbal Learning Disorders as a Specific Learning Difficulty.  As an Inclusion Coordinator, I recognise many of the signs in the children I work with and still consider it to be important in understanding and supporting children effectively.

With all this confusion why bother labeling?
Understanding what is really causing the difficulties a child is experiencing both helps the child understand themselves and will unlock the right interventions. Interventions for children with ADHD or Asperger's syndrome may not be effective in helping children with Non Verbal Learning Disorder.
Winston Preparatory School in New York specialises in teaching children with Non Verbal Learning disorder and is working on specific interventions for these children. Recent articles by Caroline Miller discuss some of the strategies that are proving helpful at the school (see childmind.org).

Parents and teachers need to focus on clear communication.  Patterns and connections between concepts need to be taught explicitly, children need to be told the main idea or concept directly. Adults need to verbalise what is represented visually to help the child to make sense of the visual material. Talking through the steps needed to solve a problem can help children know how to approach a problem solving task.  Support needs to be given for transitions between activities or for new situations.  Social skills groups and interventions which help the children to understand and practice social skills in a safe environment are important.  They need adult support to analyse situations and understand what is really happening and how they misunderstood or misread the situation.  Occupational therapy can also be beneficial in addressing the visual spatial difficulties, poor motor skills.

As a parent of a child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Rondalyn Varney Whitney has written an excellent book documenting the journey she took in understanding her son and gives practical advice to support parents and teachers.

In addition lots of useful information can be found at www.understood.org

Movement helps us learn

Children are meant to move and be active, it is part of their natural development.  Movement has a purpose, it helps their muscles grow and bodies develop.  Movement leads them to explore their environment and learn through all their senses.  This is the very foundation of all our future learning.

Just because a child can sit still and inhibit their movement, it doesn't mean that they should. Of course as children get older they have to realise that different behaviours are expected in different situations. When you travel in a car it would be dangerous to be jumping around.  On a plane there are other passengers to consider and you should try not to move around. But in a park you are free to move and should do exactly that.

Schools should be mindful of the important role of movement in learning.  As there is pressure for children to achieve academically at a younger and younger age, it is the practical, active learning that seems to be lost. Schools should be the places where children can move and learn in a way that it natural to them.  Children should learn largely by doing and exploring. These experiences are often much more memorable and meaningful than simply being told the information by the teacher or reading it in a book.  As parents we know that some the best learning experiences for our children arise when they are playing, exploring or visiting a new place.

As adults we know there are many skills that can only really be learnt through experience. When we learn to drive we all know that we can not do it by simply reading a book or being told how to do it. Of course we have to know the highway code but we can not learn to drive a car without getting into a car and trying to drive. We also know that it takes practice and we need practical, hands on experiences again and again to master a skill.

Yet both teachers and parents try to by pass these practical, hands on experiences because of the pressures of modern life.  Teachers are under pressure to deliver an overloaded curriculum and are judged by their children's achievement in certain areas.  Very often there isn't time to find interesting objects to look at to trigger discussion, questions and observation.  Instead to save time we use a picture or a video clip and tell the children the answers. As parents, limited time and tiredness mean we let an ipad entertain our children rather than playing a board game with them or encouraging them to use their imagination make something from junk materials.

Having a more active curriculum would have huge benefits for everyone.  Movement is important for all children and but perhaps even more important for children with learning difficulties.  Children with ADHD may be constantly moving and interventions are often focused on controlling the movement. We often think that the movement is distracting and will stop the child from learning. However current research by Michael Kofler suggests that the excessive movement does in fact have a purpose. It is the body's way of trying wake the mind up to be alert and focused enough to learn. Any strategies that we employ should not be about inhibiting the movement but encouraging it. Very often when we ask a child to stay still, they put all their energy into not moving  and as a result they are not able to listen to content of the lesson. If we allow them to move they are actually more likely to listen and participate in the lesson. As a teacher I have observed children who read better when they are allowed to fidget and move than when they are made to sit still.

Movement is particularly necessary for tasks that require working memory, which is known to be a deficit in many children with ADHD (and other learning difficulties).  Studies have shown that more demanding the task in terms of working memory the more movement is observed.  If we want children with ADHD to perform well in school we need to look at ways of incorporating movement into lessons. In my opinion this should be more than allowing the use of fiddles or wobble cushions (which are helpful strategies.)  It should be more about planning activities which allow children move and explore resources and record their understanding in a range of ways. 'Seating arrangements' should be flexible there should be opportunities for children to stand and sit while listening to the teacher or working on tasks.

Again if we think of our adult work lives we naturally find ways of of incorporating movement into our day even if it is just going to make a coffee when we feel our focus waning or asking a colleague in another office a question to take us away from our desk.  Also think about what you would prefer, to listen to art lecture for an hour or go to an art gallery and wander around observing and discussing the paintings with a friend or guide and then maybe using this inspiration to do your own sketch. As adults most of us prefer active learning and we should encourage the same for our children.

Slow processing speed - what does it mean?

 Do you ask your child questions and wait a long time for them to respond? 

Do you get frustrated that when you are in a hurry to leave the house and your child is always slow to find their shoes and put them on? 

Does a simple homework task that should have been finished by dinner drag on for the whole evening?

Does your child panic in timed tasks and spend more time watching the clock than doing the task?

All of these could be signs of slow processing.  It is not that the child can't do the task they just can't do it quickly.

Children with slow processing are often misunderstood and their real difficulties overlooked. Often their slowness is misinterpreted for not knowing or not being very bright. Many teachers still equate speed with brightness. They will regard the children who give the quickest answers as the brightest in the class.  In doing this they overlook the fact that many deep thinkers do so slowly. Many bright and gifted children are misjudged and given inappropriate work because teachers can not see past their slowness. They may not be given extension work because they do not complete routine tasks well in the time given.

Maths, in particular, is an area where the teacher's desire for quick answers is misguided. Of course we want children to be familiar with their number bonds and time tables and not have count and calculate every time they need them. However not being able to give an immediate answer does not mean the a child does not know their number facts. Maths has many facets and we want to develop reasoning and problem solving skills as well a calculation skills. Those who are quick at maths may not be the best mathematicians. My son has known his times tables since he was 5 and learnt them almost instantly. However if he is put on the spot and asked a times table question there will always be a time delay. If you judged his maths ability on this you would completely miss his deep understanding of maths and ability to make links between concepts and solve complex problems.

In writing tasks teachers often seem to value speed above content. If two children complete a task to a similar standard the teacher is likely to praise the child who finished first.  A child with slow processing may have written an excellent start to a story but the fact they have not finished their story will always be a problem. Sometimes the teacher will barely acknowledge the quality and effort that has gone into the writing they have done but just focus on the fact it is not finished. The child may also be wrongly accused of being lazy and not trying hard enough. Part of the problem is that the school day is divided in 30 minute to 1 hour slots and a certain amount of content has to be covered in each lesson. Teachers are constantly under pressure to cover the curriculum and this leaves little scope for extending a lesson and allowing more time for tasks when a student needs it.

So what is slow processing and how should we be supporting these learners?
For those familiar with IQ testing, processing speed is one of the 4 areas tested alongside verbal skills, non-verbal or visual perception and working memory. It is an important aspect of the child's learning profile and explains how a child may approach school work and everyday tasks. However it seems to be an area people know little about. Processing speed is the speed at which we can take in information presented visually or verbally and make sense of it or use it.  It is not related to overall intelligence.  It is perfectly possible to have high verbal or perceptual reasoning score but a low processing score.  Slow processing can be part of a learning difficulty like dyslexia, ADHD or auditory processing disorder. There are 3 aspects of processing - visual processing, verbal processing and the ability to respond with a quick motor response - child may have difficulty in one area or a combination of these. This can mean a child's response may vary from task to task.  This can be confusing for adults dealing with the child and can lead people to think that there is a lack of effort or motivation from the child. A child can be slow to answer verbal questions even if they know the answer. They may have difficulty with multi-step instructions and tasks, although they could do each step in isolation. They may be slow to complete written assignments particularly if there several parts. They may need to read information more than once before understanding and answering comprehension questions. They may have difficulty taking notes and become overwhelmed if there is too much information given at once.

There is an assumption that when we say something it should be immediately understood and acted upon. We do this a lot as parents and teachers and get frustrated when the child doesn't respond quickly to our instructions or questions.  Similarly when information is presented visually in a textbook, on a poster or on an interactive whiteboard it is assumed that everyone can process and make use of the information quickly and easily.  

Many adults do not realise that a child can struggle to process information at speed, but they may actually have a good understanding if they were given more time. If a child does not respond quickly to something there is an assumption that their understanding shaky or they need more practice. Sometimes a teacher may lower their academic expectations of a child because they think they are struggling with concepts that in fact they understand well.

What can you do to help?

If you are concerned about your child's processing speed you should seek professional help from an Educational Psychologist who can carry out an educational evaluation.  This will help everyone to understand your child's strengths and weaknesses better.

Make sure the teachers are aware if your child has slow processing speed and openly discuss what allowances can be made.

At School - advice for teachers
Allow more time to answer verbal questions - either ask the question and say that you will come back to the child in a few minutes or ask the question but then avoid direct eye contact or looking impatient while they are formulating their answer. If necessary check a child's understanding privately when the rest of the class are not listening.

Break tasks into small achievable steps and give praise when each part is completed. For example ask the child to complete the opening paragraph of the story rather than the whole story. Alternatively scribe for the child to quickly get down their ideas and then ask them to focus on the end of the story. Value the quality of the work rather than the quantity.

Avoid 'busy' pages of information and questions. Cut them up and present one part at a time. Provide a paper copy of any information displayed on the board.

Use checklists to show the steps involved in a longer writing task or maths questions.

Allow time for children to re-read texts before answering questions and encourage then to do so.

When possible avoid using timers, or time a task without drawing attention to it.

Set a realistic target for the child to complete in a lesson rather than letting them feel they have not finished or have failed.

Whenever possible allow extra time for tasks. Allow the child to complete one task while other children complete two.

Continue to present tasks that match their actual ability. For example let the child complete the most challenging parts of the lesson first, don't always keep the extension tasks for those who have finished the initial task.

At home - advice for parents
Plan out with your child how and when homework tasks will be completed. Allow at least double the time you think is necessary for each step.

Occasionally practice timed tasks but make the task fully achievable in the time given. Set a small target and slowly increase over weeks and months.

When going out make sure your child knows what they are expected to do before leaving. Ask them to repeat back to you what they need to do and prompt them in plenty of time to get ready. Provide visual checklists if necessary.

Talk to your child openly about their difficulties and reassure them that they can get things done and are capable they just have to give themselves enough time. Encourage your child discuss any frustrations at school and follow up with the class teacher if appropriate.

Draw attention to what they are good at and give examples of tasks that are better done slowly and carefully.  Discuss jobs that require a slow and careful approach.

Learning Spellings

One of the reasons that many children struggle to learn spellings or use the words in their own writing is that their learning is PASSIVE rather than ACTIVE.

Copying a word 3 times as many children are expected to do when they make spelling error in their own work is a passive activity.  Often the child is barely thinking about the word but merely copying a string of letters. The same can be true when learning a list of words with the same letter pattern. Children will remember all the words have 'ai' for example and then passively write each word in the list just remembering to put an 'ai' in the middle and not really thinking about the words. The result is when asked to write the word 'brain' in a sentence in class they will not recall it is an 'ai' word and spell it 'bran'

While words with the same letter pattern should be learnt together more needs to be done if a child it really going to know a pattern and use it for themselves. Excellent phonic programmes like Read, Write, Inc do a lot to encourage children to actively learn and use new letter patterns, children both blend and segment words with a particular letter pattern. Units of Sound computer program and Alpha to Omega also make these letter patterns explicit and ensure plenty of ACTIVE practice.

For a child to remember spellings they need to INTERACT with the words. Magnetic letters are great for encouraging this interaction particularly at home. When learning spellings at home say the word aloud and ask your child to count the sounds in word with their fingers (not the number of letters). For example 'dish' - d-i-sh, 3 sounds, 3 fingers. Then encourage the child to pick out the letters to match each sound. When 2 letters make one sound prompting may be needed - which 2 letters make the 'sh' sound.  If the child is unsure give them a choice rather than telling them.  For further practice, the letters can then be muddled up and the children can put the letters in order again. Alternatively, a letter can be taken away and the child can think of which one is missing.  Once they have practiced several times with magnetic letters, the child can practice writing the word, saying the sounds as they do so.  Writing practice can be done in a variety of ways by using a sand or salt tray, air writing - big and small, using white boards and gel boards.  Finally the words should be used in a sentence, a dictation sentence containing only words the child can already confidently spell with one new word works best. Alpha to Omega student book can be a very useful source of word lists and sentences. Children should expected to mark their spellings themselves, this requires further interaction with the word and encourages the child to look carefully at the letter sequence.

Gifted and active ?

Many gifted children are very active from the beginning. They are constantly asking questions, they want to touch and explore everything, they want to be doing something interesting all through the day. They never seem to stop and they don't want to sleep. For those observing, they seem to be constantly on the go and for parents it can be exhausting trying to keep up with their intensity of interest in a particular area or the world around them. It is not long before family or friends may suggest that there is a problem. When they start school their excitement to learn may lead them to blurt out answers rather than waiting their turn.  They may get distracted from the task a teacher has set when an interesting thought pops into their mind. They may miss the teacher's instructions as they are engrossed in the book they are reading. They may be constantly moving as they try to act on the ideas they have straight away. Again it is not long before the teacher suggests that your child has ADHD.

Gifted with ADHD or just gifted?  What difference does it make?

Quite a lot really, when we focus on the 'behaviours' rather than the reasons for the behaviours we can come to the wrong conclusions.  We always have to consider whole child before we make any judgements. The trouble with misdiagnosis is that the child receives the wrong 'treatment' and the real cause for their difficulties is not dealt with.

James Webb and his co-authors of 'Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults' estimate that as many of 50% of gifted students who are given a diagnosis of ADHD do not actually have ADHD but rather are displaying characteristics that are inherent to gifted students. While it is perfectly possible to be gifted and have ADHD the treatment for this is different to a gifted child who is having attention difficulties in a specific context.

There are many areas of overlap between a gifted child and a child with ADHD and so it easy for confusion to arise even with teachers, educational and medical professionals.  The Conners' rating scales lists 50 or so behaviours for teachers and parents to consider and rate on how often these behaviors are seen. Gifted children may display many of these behaviours but for a different reason than a child with AHDH. Considering the context of any behaviour is very important as is considering the child's strengths and weaknesses.

Inattentiveness can be caused by boredom and lack of challenge for many gifted students. This can then lead to daydreaming, disturbing class mates or finding creative ways to occupy themselves. It needs to be noted whether the problems occur at school or home or both. If at home a child can sustain their concentration to complete a task that they find interesting and mentally challenging then they probably do not have ADHD.  This does not include computer games or TV as these stimulate the brain in a different way.

Gifted children can appear not to be listening as they are deep in their own thoughts. They can also be distracted by sensory overexcitabilities. If you are absorbed by the annoying label in the back of your shirt or the buzzing of the lights it can be very hard to focus on what the teacher is saying. As an adult we can learn to filter out these annoyances but this often not possible for children.

Many gifted children are naturally active, have high energy and need less sleep. Psychomotor overexcitabilities can easily be mistaken for ADHD. As the child's mind is bombarded with thoughts so the body moves too. Sometimes a gifted child is so excited by what they are thinking or have discovered that they speak quickly, move excitedly and want to act on the idea straight away.

The things to look out for in a child who has ADHD are lack of attention to detail, difficulty sustaining focus even in play activities, failing to finish tasks, difficulty sustaining mental effort, being disorganised and being easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.

When seeking professional advice it is important that IQ testing is included and that environmental factors are considered.  For ADHD to be diagnosed it should occur in two or more contexts. It is also important to consider the child's developmental history or early childhood.  If the problems only occurred when the child started school or as the curriculum became more demanding then the difficulty is probably not ADHD.  Signs of ADHD should be evident before the age of 7 for a diagnosis to be made.

For those who are simply gifted we need to take a serious look at what is causing problems at school or in another context. A better understanding of gifted children by may be needed for those involved with the child.

Once we have the diagnosis right, how do we help a gifted child with ADHD?

Medication is one of the first things mentioned when we think of ADHD.  While it clearly does help many children it does not need to be our first or only strategy.

Occupational Therapy can be hugely helpful for many active children and those who find it hard to focus.  Occupational therapists are able to identify if there are sensory factors or other factors causing the movement and they can help children learn to regulate themselves.  Children can be over stimulated and they need strategies to calm down to focus on academic tasks or they may be under stimulated and need strategies to wake the brain up. Movement breaks with a specific programme of activities are key in helping a child to remain focused. Simply having a toilet break or a drink is often not enough, sometimes children need a much more active break with star jumps, running, press ups, bouncing on a yoga ball.

Adapting the environment and the expectations of the child is also important. This can be easier to do at home than at school which is why parents often do not see the problems in the way schools do. We may naturally incorporate active tasks and breaks into our day as we know what works best for our child.

In school, tasks do not need to be less challenging but rather they should be broken down into 10 minute blocks with breaks in between.  Some children need to be allowed to fiddle or move as it actually helps them focus. Trying to prevent movement is usually counterproductive. It is more a case of finding things that work in a school context and are not disruptive or distracting for others. Again there are many things that can be trialed: velcro under the desk, bendy rulers, theraband around the chair, blue tac, wobble cushions, standing desks. However we have to be careful that these things do not become a distraction in themselves.

ADHD can also affect the way the brain processes, plans and organises tasks. Very often children know 'what' to do and 'how' to do it but their brain does not tell them 'when' and 'where' to use the skills and knowledge they have.  For example the child many know that they have a homework project which requires time for research and making a presentation but they may not think about when to start it or which part to do first. So they may leave it all the the night before the project is due. Check lists and visual prompts can be helpful in helping a child to organise themselves to work through a task in sequence and to know which skills to draw upon. These will need practise and adult prompting initially before a child can use them independently. The child may also have a poor sense of time, so the use of timers can be useful in helping a child know how much time has passed or encouraging the child to stay focused for increasing amounts of time before taking a break.

This article is only a brief overview of some of the issues connected with giftedness and ADHD, for more reading and information have a look at www.additudemag.com and www.understood.org
 

Dyslexic or not that is the question?

As teachers and parents we probably spend far too much time time debating whether a child is dyslexic than we actually should. Of course we do not want to mislabel a child but equally we should not waste valuable time while we debate.

If a child is struggling to read or write we should just get on and provide support and interventions. In truth dyslexic interventions work for all children. The only difference is that most dyslexic children can not learn to read and write properly without them where as typical children can.

Sadly there are many children who are 'mildly' dyslexic or have dyslexic 'tendencies' who are never given access to these valuable resources and approaches. They struggle to read and write throughout school and often never really show their true potential. They puzzle their teachers because they may have excellent verbal skills and general knowledge or they are good at problem solving and are very observant but their writing is terrible.

For this reason I prefer to take a much more pragmatic approach and use dyslexia as an umbrella term. There are a whole range of learning difficulties that happily sit under this umbrella, typically these children have working memory difficulties (please see my previous articles for advice on identifying and supporting working memory difficulties). In addition they will have a combination of the following difficulties - visual perceptional difficulties, visual memory difficulties, auditory discrimination difficulties, auditory processing difficulties, motor skill and coordination difficulties, attention difficulties.  Any of these children may benefit from a different approach to learning to read and write.

It is important to me that every child experiences success at school and for this to happen we have to accept that children learn differently. Many children (and adults) learn by doing rather than listening or looking at something. We also have to remember that letters and numbers are in essence abstract and we have to train our brain to process them. This is where multi-sensory approaches which involve hands on activities and interacting with words are so effective.

Children who struggle to read and write typically lack the underlying skills necessary to read and write effectively.  This could be due to dyslexia or a related difficulty. However it is not always necessary understand why these skills are missing or under developed but rather focus on how we can help.

In education we tend to take the approach that these skills develop naturally with age and we set our goals and curriculum based on the age of the child rather than evaluating their underlying skills. Parents also take the schools lead in where their child should be in their literacy skills and then puzzle when their child struggles to do a seemingly 'simple' reading or writing task.

We would never try to bake a cake without all the ingredients and if one was missing we would substitute it with something similar honey instead of sugar for example.  But if we left out the eggs it would be a disaster! And yet in school we often try to teach reading and writing when not all the necessary skills are in place or fully developed. We should take more notice of where children are developmentally rather their age when teaching literacy skills. We give many children and parents an unnecessary sense of failure because they do not follow a conventional timetable.  In my 16 years of experience as a specialist teacher, I have not met a child who was not able to learn to read, it just took a different approach and more time. Unfortunately many schools are unwilling to allow the child the extra time they need to develop these skills properly. A bettter understanding of dyslexia and the reading and writing process may help to change this.

There are many excellent resources and approaches that both parents and teachers can use to help support those who are struggling.  It is important that we try to strengthen the weaker skills while using the stronger skills to compensate. Some of the best resources are featured on the Teacher page - Dyslexia where I list my top ten dyslexia resources.  Also see the Parent page - Dyslexia where I suggest some activities and approaches to use at home. I will discuss some of these resources and approaches further in future articles.

If you feel your child if having more difficulty with reading or writing than you expected don't hesitate to ask your child's school for advice or seek professional help. Don't wait for your child to feel like they are 'failing' or start avoiding difficult tasks before you take action. The earlier you intervene the sooner difficulties can be overcome and your child can begin to experience some success. It is likely to be a long road of hard work but there is light at the end of the tunnel for dyslexic learners.

How to speak to teachers about your gifted child.

The beginning of term is always full of tension for me as I debate how to approach my son's new class teacher.  Should I meet her straight away so she knows exactly what she is dealing with or should I wait and let her work it out for herself?

For me both are fraught with danger. Experience tells me that it is hard to predict how a teacher will react.  Tell them early and the teacher can be offended that you didn't trust them to work it out for themselves or you don't think they know how to deal with gifted children.  However if you leave it too long your child may become frustrated, bored and not want to go to school at all.

Each year is different as teachers have been trained differently and have very different views and experiences of gifted students. We have experienced a whole range, from teachers who seem very receptive but then do nothing to challenge or differentiate to teachers who focus only on my child's deficits and don't even mention something positive. From my son's point of view some teachers are fascinated by him and want to work out what makes him tick while others make it their mission to 'take him down a peg or two'. Of course my son is not perfect, he has his strengths and weaknesses but he should be supported to learn something new and progress in line with his abilities.

Gifted children perhaps more than other children can be very sensitive to their teachers perception of them and the way they interact.  Many instinctively know when teacher is not being genuine or if the teacher is frustrated with them.  First impressions do last and for my son at least, if the first week does not go well in his eyes then the whole year is doomed!  Of course this not completely true but a child's feelings and motivation for school can make huge difference to their performance in school and their behaviour at home. Many teachers have never had the experience seeing their children change from a motivated enthusiastic learner with one teacher to a demotivated school refuser with another. Even in terms of social relationships the teacher sets the tone, if the teacher clearly values your child's contributions other children will be positive and even aspire to be like your child.  However if the teacher shuts the child down and doesn't let them contribute because they think your child is a 'know it all', children in the class will follow suit and think it is ok to put the child down.

Despite all the concerns and pitfalls, our only cause of action is to try to communicate and work with the class teacher. Although nothing is guaranteed, here are a few things that I have learnt along the way:

1. Collect evidence or specific examples of what your child does at home - this could be photographs, notes or pictures of things that your child really enjoys doing or is motivated by.  Focus on things that are outside the school curriculum but really showcase your child's advanced ability.
For example, when my son was in nursery I brought in a 'ruler ' he had made himself with the numbers up to 20 on it and explained how he used it to measure furniture around the house. The teacher was both amused and interested and understood that this was not typical of most 3 year olds.

2. Avoid quantifying your child's ability or bringing in exercises or tests that prove they are at a particular grade level. Instead highlight your child's talents in terms of enthusiasm and anecdotes.  Instead of saying "my child just completed a Year 4 test in maths" try saying 'My child loves doing calculations on the way to school, yesterday he was trying to work out how many minutes in a month' or instead of "my daughter is reading books for 12 year olds" try saying 'my daughter loves reading the Young Elites series, she doesn't want to put it down even at dinner time'

In the past, wishing to be helpful I have brought in test papers my son did at home thinking it would help to the teacher to pitch at the right the level more easily. While the teacher may smile and say thank you, I have found the tests are usually put in a cupboard and returned untouched at the end of the year.  Teachers will always insist on finding your child's level themselves.

3. Never use the word 'bored'. Even if your child is bored this word will provoke a bad reaction from the teacher. They will stop listening to you and reel off all the activities that your child struggles with and any fact that your child did not seem know. This is a road to nowhere.  Try to think of an example of something your child has enjoyed in school and mention that your child is keen to do more of this. For example 'My son loved it when your asked him to share what he knows about space probes, maybe he could bring a book in to share with you'. If you make a positive comment you can then point out something that was not so good. ' He really wished he could have used hundreds when you were learning how to add 3 numbers'

4. Avoid the blame game. If your child had a 'bad' year last year try not to spend your valuable meeting criticising another teacher. Draw a line under the experience and try to put your trust in the new teacher. Even within the same school teachers have very different views and practices. Give the new teacher a chance without projecting the old teacher's actions or failings on them.

5. Acknowledge your child's shortcomings but do not let this be the main focus for the meeting. It is good for teachers to see that you have realistic view of your child.  However if the teacher just focuses on these things and doesn't challenge or allow opportunities for your child to use their areas of strength and learn new things, the child will not be motivated to work on their weaknesses. I still remember one of our first parent meetings when the teacher only spoke about my son's poor social skills and motor skills and explained at length how we should focus on this. It was not a successful year!

6. Avoid suggesting specific solutions, teachers like to feel they are in charge at school and are the one who understands education best (even if you are a teacher yourself).  A better strategy is to state your concern and ask the teacher how they think it is best to proceed.  You could refer them to another teacher or professional if these people have worked positively with your child in the past. Very often it is best to let the teacher have time to think about things and suggest follow up meeting in a couple of weeks.

7. Keep calm in the meeting, you can always vent later!  Getting angry or emotional is never going result in what you want for your child.  Teachers will get the wrong impression of you and will be less willing to listen to or consider what you are saying. When they feed back to their line manager, which they will, the focus will be all about your attitude rather than what you actually said or requested. This will also make the teacher (and possibly other teachers) less receptive in future meetings.

8. Keep a neutral tone. This is a tough one as giftness is very emotive if your family is affected by it.  It is not a set of theories but you and your child's life that are at stake. I have been on several training courses about gifted children when teachers discuss what may or may not be good for gifted students. They say things with little knowledge of what it really like to parent a gifted child. I feel myself getting emotional inside and wanting to shout 'Don't you care!' or 'Can't you see how important this is'. But for many teachers it is just another 'fad' or drain on their time or something interesting but not that important. Try to be patient and explain your view as clearly as you can.

9. Try to come some sort of agreement even if it is on one small issue or step. The teacher may not be able to take on board everything you would like at once. They may even feel a little overwhelmed or unsure. Your child may be the first gifted child they have been aware of. However if your child responds positively to something the teacher implements, this will lead to more opportunities for your child to be catered for. Keep notes about what was agreed and follow this up at your next meeting.

10. Do go higher if necessary. Teachers are very sensitive to criticism and sometimes misunderstand what we are trying to say. A headteacher or deputy head may be much more willing to listen to your concerns and may be more open minded.  It is their job to listen to parents concerns and investigate properly to find out what is actually happening. They may also have more knowledge about giftedness and understand why you are concerned.

Good luck, remember parent teacher meetings can be daunting for teachers too!

Book of the Week - Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults

"Our brightest, most creative children and adults are often being misdiagnosed with behavioral and emotional disorders such as ADHD, Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, Bipolar, OCD, or Aspergers. Many receive unneeded medication and inappropriate counseling as a result. Physicians, psychologists, and counselors are unaware of characteristics of gifted children and adults that mimic pathological diagnoses. Six nationally prominent health care professionals describe ways parents and professionals can distinguish between gifted behaviors and pathological behaviors. These authors have brought to light a widespread and serious problem, the wasting of lives from the misdiagnosis of gifted children and adults and the inappropriate treatment that often follows." Jack G. Wiggins, Ph. D., Former President, American Psychological Association

This excellent book really gives food for thought. Many people are unaware that gifted children can have learning difficulties or that many of the recognised characteristics of gifted children can be misinterpreted as learning difficulties. Even health professionals and teachers can end up focusing on the child's behaviour rather than the reason for the behaviour.  Misdiagnosis can be very damaging for a child as the 'treatment' they receive is not only ineffective but can distract from the real issues. A child's strengths and giftedness can be completely missed while everyone focuses on a child's weaknesses.  This can lead to frustration, isolation and depression.

Parents may find specific chapters useful in answering questions about their own children.  Often friends, family or teachers may suggest that a child has AHDH or is autistic without seeing the whole picture.

All teachers should read this book to fully understand the range of children in their classes and so they can support them and their families appropriately.