Ethnographic Study
By
Rochelle
Curry
LLSS315
ELDS
Many children
every year are diagnosed with dyslexia. It
is believed that about 10% of the population has some form of dyslexia.[1] Dyslexia affects all kinds people regardless of
race, intelligence, or social class. It is
usually associated with difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. One might think that a person is not listening
when given instructions. This person may
have trouble remembering the instruction.
Organization is difficult when it requires a lot of concentration. Also, one might have difficulty with visual
discrimination and memory. Diagnoses of dyslexia
can be difficult. There are many forms
of dyslexia from very mild to very extreme.
There are many different varieties of tests to diagnose dyslexia,
however, a full psychological assessment would determine if a child or adult is
dyslexic. The effects of dyslexia can
largely be overcome by skilled specialist teaching and the use of compensatory
strategies, thus leading to Madeline, an ethnographic study of a child who has
been diagnose with a mild form of dyslexia.
Hmmm, is something wrong?
Madeline is eight years old. She is currently in third grade. She is a middle child with an older brother, Nathan, and a younger sister, Elle. Her father, James, is a dentist and mother, Robin, is a “stay at home mom” with the duties of home-schooling Nathan and Madeline. Both children are diagnosed with dyslexia.
Nathan and Madeline were enrolled in a private Christian school. Madeline had attended kindergarten and part of first grade. The curriculum used at the school was fast paced. The homework given was not very much, usually just a review of subjects learned that day along with about thirty minutes of reading. The reading done at night was usually reviewed the next day in class either orally or by a quiz. This was explained to the parents at the beginning of the school year.
Robin was the enforcer of homework at home and would notice that Nathan struggled with the reading. She would spend an extra hour and a half with the reading homework, which on average about five pages. She also realized that he could not retain what was just read. She was puzzled and started to seek help. Of course the private school, which is grade K through sixth with very small classes, did not offer any special education classes. They referred her to the public schools.
The public school offered to test Nathan. They tested him. The results were that he was “normal.” Call it “mother’s intuition” but this bothered Robin. She started to look for help within the community but came up empty. She started to ask a lot of questions. The Principal at the school Nathan was attending suggested maybe holding Nathan back a grade. The curriculum could be paced at a rate where Nathan could not handle. Robin felt it wasn’t a matter of holding him back a grade. She had been there when he was doing his homework and watched how he struggled. She had to do something. She made a decision to home-school. She could keep a close eye on his progress.
After Robin made the decision, she needed to know what type of curriculum was out there. She had never taught before, maybe just in Sunday school. She went to a very good friend who was a teacher. She asked her friend to attend a home-school convention where they offered tons and tons of different types of curriculum. While at the convention, Robin strolled by a table that had a sign which read “Dyslexia: do you know the signs?” She stopped by and started to ask questions about characteristics and signs of dyslexia. She realized that maybe this could be the answer she was looking for.
Robin was given some information as to how to get her son tested. Madeline at the time was just starting first grade, so Robin decided to have her tested as well. Both children tested were diagnosed with a mild form of dyslexia. Robin soon discovered that in the area the children attended school there was no help for dyslexic children. She was encouraged to go to school and get educated herself, after all, this was going to be life changing and she needed to be prepared as to what lay ahead. She is pursuing a license to become a Certified Academic Language Therapist.[2]
Teaching
a dyslexic child
The type of
curriculum used to teach dyslexic is very structured.
An
early detection
Madeline is very friendly and easy going. She is making progress everyday. The home-school atmosphere is rather relaxing and very positive. According to Robin, Madeline has had an easier time with the type of instruction used than Nathan has. Madeline gets very competitive when she and her brother are reading flashcards. She has picked up the rhythm quickly and is anxious to catch up with her brother. Madeline usually flies through the flashcards and often corrects her brother or mother.[3]
Madeline enjoys reading. She is very curious about what is being read. Many questions arise and will sometimes catch Robin off guard. Madeline understands a lot of the words after she is able to picture in her mind the meaning of the word. Robin explains that later she will teach how to make the connection.
Madeline uses manipulatives while she does her math. It is amazing to see how well she uses counting cubes to addition and subtraction. Her fingers moved quickly to choose which tiles she needed. She remains focused and says very few words. She is excited to start doing word problems.
Madeline is very fortunate to have been diagnosed early for dyslexia. It is obvious that she is able to pick up the coding technique quicker than her older brother. The repetition used has been grounded well for Madeline. She still struggles with the way letters or words look but she is able recognize the sounds of those letters and words with the coding technique. The method in teaching dyslexics is rather impressive. Many rules are applied with each word and to simply recall those and determine what the word is saying is simply brilliant. Not only is she learning for just words she uses now, she will be able to use this method throughout her life.
Dyslexia: Disability or Gift?
The thought of studying a child with dyslexia brought to mind a child with a disability. She would be labeled “special ed.” One would picture the child reading words backwards and be behind in schoolwork. Frustration could summarize the thought of how the child would seem to act. However, with just a little glimpse into the mind of a child with dyslexia, it has been determined than this type of learning is not a disability but simply an altered way of learning. Children without dyslexia do learn in different ways. A child with dyslexia just needs special rules.
There is a positive side to dyslexia. Below are several characteristics dyslexics share:[4]
1. They can utilize the brain’s ability to alter and create perceptions.
2. They are highly aware of the environment.
3. They are more curious than average.
4. They think mainly in pictures instead of
words.
5. They are highly intuitive and insightful.
6. They think and perceive multidimensionally.
7. They can experience thought as reality.
8. They have vivid imaginations.
Great minds such as Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, and Greg Louganis mastered the gift of dyslexia. In order to master this gift the negative side of dyslexia must first be addressed. Most dyslexics receive a lot of criticism, but to boost their self-esteem in the areas listed above will and to find the needs of the child.
In conclusion,
with early detection in Madeline’s case, it will be interesting to see how she
will develop and utilize her “talent.”
The family environment is very important and with the mother
home-schooling she has a head start to continue on this positive path. It is very fortunate for this family to have
the support and resources to provide this type of education for their children.
However, it brings a question if the
public school system does not have just a screening for dyslexia how do
children in the system get help and how well do they perform when they are
mainstreamed?