Dyslexia and Learning Disorders

Worldwide statistics indicate that one in eleven children has a learning disability. Teachers are aware that any learning disability needs to be recoganised and offer possible treatment as soon as possible, before it is entrenched and a child's self-esteem damaged. Often these student are bright and capable of learning, but they require a different type of teaching. Yet, by the end of the school year these students are promoted to the next grade, compounding the issue. The Jenny Lamond Method (JLM), with its many years of success behind it, and spelling programme for dyslexia, has proven to be a good resource that can help overcome their Learning Disorders.

What causes Learning Disorders (LD's)?

LD's derive from numerous directions. These causes could include emotionally incurred, dyslexic, ADHD, Irlen syndrome, Autism, and Asperger’s. Even gifted children can have problems with spelling and reading skills due to LD. Some learners may have socio-economic and emotional trauma issues, while others may have Dyslexia, which has its own subtypes, such as Dysgraphia (a writing disorder where spelling and expressing thoughts on paper are difficult) and Dyspraxia (now known as Development Coordination Disorder), and poor handwriting (motor coordination).

Jenny Lamond said, "The ability to read has an impact on a child’s socio emotional well-being – it affects their health. And once a child is broken, it is hard to fix them."

The following are excerpts from an interview with Pat Grayson, a dyslexic author, for Success magazine. It begins: Damn it, once again I bank 103 instead of 301 dollars. I’m dyslexic and as you read this, you’ll see that being dyslexic has governed my entire life…

Dyslexia is derived from two Greek words, Dys – meaning poor or inadequate and Lexis – words or language. According to research the cortex has six primary layers, with one layer having essentially no cells, but people with dyslexia typically have bunches of cells in that layer.

Interviewer question; “How does your dyslexic brain function?”
“It works,” he said, “as if it were correct and the rest of the world was wrong. It has a method of its own, like some strange animal species that evolved in an unknown pocket of wilderness. I have no problem with math and can add as quickly as any. But when I’m trying to spell a word, it’s as though the connections come adrift. I get stuck in a sort of limbo – I can’t go forward or backwards – the brain stutters. This is probably why I spell the same word in a document many ways, and each looks correct to me – my mind won’t be boxed in and limit the word to one spelling.”

In my first years of school, I could not form the letters of the alphabet, like prissy Mary could. Even with concentration the result was still a mess – the pencil simply had a will of its own, and all these years later, it’s the same. This was the start of my being labelled ‘different’. At the end of that first year I was held back, to ‘try again’ with another bunch of kids.

In time I discovered that there were more things that I could not cope with. The label ‘different’ was later amended to ‘dunce’. Yet, I didn’t feel stupid. But as time went on, I told myself, "Maybe this is what being stupid is like!”

The school system, and the ability to form neat r’s or j’s, was the measure. School is still the standard by which our intellectual capacity or lack of is gauged. It didn’t take long before I lost faith in school, thought of myself as hopeless and blocked learning even more (a common occurrence). I developed a brittle self-esteem and became an unfulfilled and angry person.

A new school year was always interesting as the incoming teacher, unconsciously or consciously classified each child. It was never long before I was relegated to the back of the class and considered a waste of time. Provided I behaved I was generally ignored. That was forty-odd years ago. School may be different today.

Of course, I wasn’t quiet and well behaved and by expressing my frustration I disrupted the class. So not only did the teacher consider me ‘slow’, but a nuisance as well.
Year after year passed with me sliding further back into academic oblivion. I became angrier and more rebellious. Halfway through year three of high school, they told me to leave. This was fine by me, and as ironic as it may seem, I left school to get an education… The reality was that they dumped the problem!

… Continuing with the answer to Interviewer:

My mind has difficulty deciphering gothic script, and most cursive writing is gobbledygook and I often need someone to read it to me. But being dyslexic has pushed me to achieve in different ways, such as always working for myself. I could not have managed in mainstream commerce because my handwriting and spelling would not have been of an acceptable standard – the corporates would have disposed of me, like a pack of wild dogs abandoning an injured or aged member.

… Now, if I am in front of a group of executives, I don’t care about my scrawl. I have learned to establish my own worth, and not to allow society to provide the rules by which my value is measured…

Anyone with LDs can improve their reading and spelling skills
with the right intervention and determination.

There is no doubt that the schooling system let Pat Grayson down. That was many years ago; however, even today, things are still not as they should be. The Sydney Morning Herald published an excerpt on Feb 9th 2014: Teaching children how to read; The author of Diary of a Wombat, and Australian Children's Laureate, Jackie French, who has severe dyslexia, accused schools of not ensuring that each child could read at the same level as their peers. She also mentioned that schools fail to meet the needs of students resulting in inevitable failure: “They are not given the qualified help they need to find out why they are having problems with reading. All this does is teach the kids that they are dumb.''

While she praised the commitment of teachers, and pointed out that there were no substitute for trained professionals who were in short supply. ''The teacher might only be able to give them one or two hours a week, which is not enough. They need at least an hour a day. I don't know of any state-funded school with enough trained teachers specialising in this area.”

Although the current situation is not as bad as in Pat Grayson’s day, our experience of working with schools has seen a pattern; most schools cater for the mainstream 80% of children. But children at the top and the bottom (which often includes those children described above and on the Jenny Lamond page) are less catered for as there are inadequate spelling courses for children. Most schools do not have the applicable methods to teach children with LD’s. Also, teachers today work over fifty hours a week; even if they had the necessary skills, when would they have time to take the LD students aside and teach them separately? Probably never. And like Pat Grayson, children who are left behind in this manner may face difficulties completing their education and finding suitable spelling courses as they grow older.

How Easy-Spelling can assist all learners, irrespective of their learnrning abilities;

The erosion of self-confidence that usually afflicts the LD student can be reversed by working at their own pace in their own way.

Most slow learners benefit from a ‘back to basics’ approach, especially for spelling and reading skill. The grounding of phonics, the methods as taught by Jenny Lamond, our spell-check methodology, and utilising a reading application from the very beginning.
If a child is a slow learner and has ‘missed’ the basics, then within the schooling environment, they are never likely to catch up by the fourth year. Like a runaway train the class, and the education system, never waits not for slow passengers; the child is hurtled along at a speed that they cannot cope with. However, Easy-Spelling allows the learner to to keep going over a lesson as often as required, and at a pace that suits them.

Students who have difficulty making sense of written symbols, such as cursive writing, different fonts, or gothic scripts, improve their reading experience, or in some cases, they can even change the font to one that is more user-friendly to their vision.
Verbal instruction given by a teacher to a class can often be too fast for a learner to grasp. Since Easy-Spelling provides both written and video/audio instruction, students can listen to or read the instruction as many times as they wish without feeling the pressure of getting behind in a classroom situation.
Many individuals with LDs have retention issues growing out of short-term memory. When instructions are given, (consisting of around more than ten words) they struggle with remembering and get muddled. Unfortunately, multiple instructions are even harder. However, one of the main concerns of Easy-Spelling is that we do not push students to remember instructions; instead, we encourage them go over the instruction as often as they require.
LDs often feel like they misfit within the class environment but Easy-Spelling allows students to better themselves at their own pace, thereby fostering confidence and ability.

While handwriting often poses a problem for LD students, keyboard typing through Easy-Spelling is likely to be easier to manipulate than a pencil or pen.
It also assures that when the LD (or a parent) reads it later it will be understood.

Some psychological barriers, including classroom and peer pressure can be eliminated with the help of Easy-Spelling. Often, the child will get better when given a well-developed and motivating program that they can do at their own time and ability.

Competition is good for some people, but seldom appropriate for the LD. Competition with classmates is likely to be unfair; the usual result is embarrassment and failing confidence. Thanks to Easy-Spelling, there is no competition; just self-motivation to improve.

Children with ADHD are frequently criticized for their lack of attention. But it is important to note that they pay attention to everything, not just what a teacher says. With E-S, there are no other kids who are talking, waving or throwing things. Nor are there other distractions in the room; it is just the child and Easy-Spelling.
Sure, the student with ADHD will still scan for other things of interest, but they will eventually return to the screen and concentrate on their work.
Students with LDs often face constant failures and peer pressure, requiring them to have courage. That sense of courage can be a positive focus when they have quick results without any pressure. As a result, such immediate results can encourage them to move forward.
Practice is the keyword of making progress. For the LD to steadily move forward they often need to practice a lesson multiple times before they ‘get it’. As Easy-Spelling is always there, always patient, and always supportive, students can redo the lesson, recheck the word in our spell-check or reread the sentence as many times as required until they feel confident to move forward.
Easy-Spelling is a comprehensive literacy program made up of texts, images, videos, audio, interactive questions, our specifically designed word-list spell-checker app, and our unique reading application; and, in some cases automatic text-reading, where the course teaches. These, coupled with the Jenny Lamond method, and current research, deliver a unique and successful literacy method well suited to most LDs.
Generally, teachers are likely to be keen to help students with LDs. However, the teacher or the schooling system cannot adjust to an individual’s requirements; Easy-Spelling is a good fit for many with LDs.
The hyperactive child is given the freedom to work on Easy-Spelling, have a break, and then recommence as many times as required. Three sessions a day of fifteen minutes a session can achieve wonders.
Slower learners are more conscious of their stumbling and clumsy reading skills, compared to their peers. Thanks to our reading app, students are expected to develop their abilities and gain confidence; there is no hovering teachers, or students embarrassing the reader.
LDs come in varying levels of intellectual ability. Unfortunately, the schooling system is unable to cater for all levels. But with the assistance of our web-based literacy program, Easy-Spelling, it allows students who lack certain skills to work equally as well and efficiently as those with higher abilities. For a learner who may struggle, the loving and caring guidance of a parent through the Easy-Spelling lessons can be a wonderful way to support the child.
Students with visual perception disabilities are often hampered in a classroom situation. Easy-Spelling, operating on a large screen, can overcome this issue.
Children with poor motor coordination may experience ridicule when their handwriting is messy, or columns do not align. This can be eliminated with computer learning.
Students are embarrassed to be shown or told that a word has been misspelled, or a sentence is read poorly. Easy-Spelling is designed to never cause embarrassment for mistakes.
Students with poor language processing abilities feel more motivated with the phonic teaching method, assisted with the audio and videos. They will be happy to repeat the sound of a vowel, consonant, digraph/blend as often as required. They will also be able to follow and sound out the word until the sound is ‘grooved’ within their mind.
Becoming an independent learner is probably the most important skill that the Easy-Spelling method offers students. By being able to work on their own with our well-structured content, thereby gaining quick results, they will engender confidence. These student, therefore, could go on to learning other subjects that attract their attention.
Learning disabilities rarely disappear with age. Invariably, by the time a child reaches sixteen, they may have lost hope and are likely to be eager to leave school to join a life-demeaning job. However, with the right intervention and a willingness to learn all children can improve.
Nor do LD issues disappear when the child leaves school; Easy-Spelling is equally effective for people of all ages, including young children, teenagers, and adults.

Be not afraid of growing slowly
Be afraid only of standing still

In short, our online courses for spelling, reading, and basic grammar have the potential to make a significant impact on students with learning disabilities.

It is worth noting Easy-Spelling is a member of the international organisation, "Made by Dyslexia" ( https://www.madebydyslexia.org/ ) and has completed their course.

Why not pop over to the FAQ's page (see the bottom of the page) to find out more.

For further information visit: https://dyslexiaida.org/ for the International Dyslexia Association.

Learning Disabilities are just that – a disability. Again, from Pat’s article, “People do not realise how disabled dyslexic people are. They are as dis-abled as the visually impaired or deaf person. They are as hamstrung as someone with mobility issues. LDs are not life-threatening, but they are life-diminishing; they may lower self-esteem and reduce the number of career options. When you are too embarrassed to hand-write someone a thank-you note, or a birthday card, these are disabilities. Because of LDs, these people live on the edge of society… I did…”

   The saddest thing about
   learning disorders is the lack
       of faith in your own capacity to
       learn.

Many people believe that a large portion of inmates end up in jail because of lack of self-worth. One of our JLM tutors, Pamela, spent many years working in prisons teaching the JL method. Although she gave them reading and writing skills, she also provided them something even more valuable – a belief in themselves that they are not stupid. This, in turn, gave them hope for a better future.

Instead of diagnosing or bring the type of LD into view, we are rather interested in offering assistance to those who may have been left behind their peers. The JLM has helped many people with LDs. One recent case in point is Roselea, who was so happy with her improvement that she was determined to give us a testimonial on the home page. Rosalea left school many years earlier, turning out to be completely illiterate. Over the years, she had been on numerous government sponsored courses, including those at TAFEs. Although she tried her best, Rosalea could not experience any improvement. However, after only one session with a Jenny Lamond tutor, she noticed a significant change. In her own words, “These lessons are different… they reached me”. After her rapid and positive results Rosalea's spelling skill rapidly improved; now she is a literate person, and often contacts us to express her gratitude for making her life-long wish come true – gaining the ability to read, write, and spell.

We have seen these results repeated time and time with Jenny’s methods. However, our help is based on the seriousness of the issue and determination of the student.

We know that most people with LDs are not unintelligent, they just learn in a different way. There is a great deal of research indicating that individuals with dyslexia often possess above average IQs. In his renowned book on dyslexia,, Ronald Davis refers to this as "The Gift of Dyslexia."

According to the International Dyslexia Association, people with dyslexia have difficulty pronouncing sounds within words (Roselea had such problems). As many of Jenny’s methods use the 'Sounding Out' method and the recognition and familiarising of sounds, this approach is effective for many students with LD's.

Though we cannot guarantee that Jenny’s methods will work for all the individuals with learning disabilities, we can proudly say that we have had great success with LD students. Applying multi-sensory tools, such as listening, hearing, seeing, and feeling {kinaesthetic} has proven to be particularly helpful to these students, especially when supervised by a teacher, or parent. Using E-S, the student can take all the time they need, without feeling the pressure of a classroom. Also, there is no reason for embarrassment.

Dyslexia and Learning Disorders

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