Dyslexia, a term often misunderstood and underutilized in education, significantly affects a person’s ability to read and write, despite their normal intelligence and vision. Students with dyslexia not only encounter difficulties in reading and writing, but also have challenges with spelling, leading to slow reading comprehension and frequent errors. Despite the prevalence of dyslexia—estimated to affect around 10% of school-age children—there is a lack of understanding and recognition of the disability within educational systems (Peterson & Pennington, 2012). Recent studies also indicate that dyslexia frequently occurs alongside other learning difficulties, including oral language, math, and attention deficits (Archibald et al., 2013; Stevenson et al., 2005).

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition defines dyslexia as a pattern of learning difficulties characterized by poor word recognition, decoding, and spelling abilities. The implications of dyslexia extend beyond the classroom. Students with the disability experience higher school drop-out rates and lower rates of postsecondary training pursuit (Daniel et al., 2006). In today’s economy, low literacy becomes a risk factor for underemployment, homelessness, incarceration, mental health disorders, and addiction (Livingston, Siegel & Ribary, 2018).

Dispelling Myths About Dyslexia

Common myths about dyslexia often revolve around visual disorders, such as the misconception that dyslexic people see letters and words backward or upside down. These errors are common in early readers, and dyslexic individuals do not exhibit unusual visual difficulties (MacDonald et al., 2017). Instead, dyslexia is rooted in a profound impairment in the spoken form of language known as “phonology,” the systems of sounds within a language (Ramus, 2004; Verhoeven, Perfetti & Pugh, 2019; Ziegler & Goswami, 2005). According to Guinevere Eden, director of Georgetown University’s Center for the Study of Learning, people with dyslexia have problems sounding out words. Learning to read requires co-opting parts of the brain and training them to recognize letters, putting those letters together into small units, relating those units to sounds, and then blending those sounds into a word. For the millions of people with dyslexia, that process is weak (Emanuel, 2016). Phonological processing is essential for learning to read, as it forms the basis for understanding the relationship between sounds and written words. Dyslexia disrupts phonological processing, leading to difficulties in learning and applying letter-sound associations.

Another persistent fallacy is the idea that individuals with dyslexia have lower intelligence. Dyslexia has no correlation with intellectual capabilities. Many individuals with dyslexia are of average or above-average intelligence. The challenges faced by people with dyslexia are specific to reading, writing, and spelling, and do not reflect their overall cognitive abilities. Intelligence is a multifaceted trait, and dyslexia does not diminish an individual’s capacity for critical thinking, problem-solving, or other cognitive skills.

While dyslexia is commonly associated with difficulties in reading, it is not limited to that domain. The effects of dyslexia extend beyond reading difficulties and may impact many aspects of academic and daily life. Recognizing the broader spectrum of difficulties associated with dyslexia is important for providing comprehensive support and intervention strategies.

The Right to Read

In 2019, the Ontario Human Rights Commission launched the Right to Read inquiry, which revealed a significant gap between scientific knowledge and practical application in the way reading is taught. The inquiry found that Ontario’s public education system fails to adequately support students with dyslexia because of a lack of evidence-based approaches to reading instruction. A critical recommendation from the inquiry was the explicit recognition of the term “dyslexia” instead of the generic term “learning disability.”

The importance of using the term “dyslexia” lies in tailoring support services to the unique needs of each student. The term “specific learning disability” is sometimes used as an eligibility category, but it fails to provide the specificity required for effective individualized instruction and intervention. The inquiry emphasized the need for proper diagnosis and evidence-based approaches to benefit students with dyslexia.

Empowering Reading Tutors

Reading tutors play a crucial role in supporting students with dyslexia. Understanding the neurobiology of the disability and becoming familiar with research-informed intervention strategies are essential aspects of effective tutoring. While dyslexia may have a hereditary component, neural systems are malleable, and targeted interventions can make a significant impact. At Evoke, our reading tutors offer structured, systematic, and individualized instruction that addresses the unique challenges of dyslexia while building on the student’s strengths. Regular assessment and student progress monitoring ensure that interventions are working, and adjustments can be made as needed.

Recommended Reading

To understand how scientific knowledge can be translated into successful classroom strategies, educators and parents may find these books informative:

The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock L. Eide and Fernette F. Eide

Dyslexia: A Practitioner’s Handbook by Gavin Reid

Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz

These resources provide helpful insights into understanding dyslexia, implementing evidence-based strategies, and fostering a supportive learning environment.

Tutoring Can Help French Immersion Elementary Students with ADHD Who Struggle with Word Reading

In the realm of education, the connections between attention, early literacy, and language skills have been the subject of extensive research. When supporting students in French immersion programs, it’s important to understand the effects of attention on word reading to help them learn effectively. In this post, we’ll explore the relationship between attention, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and elementary word reading in the context of French immersion education. We’ll also delve into the role of reading tutors in supporting students with attention deficits, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions to enhance both reading and behavioural engagement.

The Correlation Between ADHD and Early Literacy

Research consistently shows a link between ADHD, the acquisition of early literacy and language skills, and overall academic achievement. Various studies highlight factors of inattention and hyperactivity as significant contributors to reading achievement, with inattention often emerging as the stronger predictor (Spira & Fischel, 2005). Inattentive behavior is identified as a developmental risk factor for poor academic outcomes, making it essential to address attention-related challenges early in a student’s academic career.

Negative Impact of ADHD Symptoms on Reading Performance

ADHD symptoms, particularly inattention, can have a disruptive effect on reading performance. While subjects like math and spelling involve checking an individual’s work, many reading tasks can be performed more automatically. People with ADHD, however, may detect mistakes more frequently in tasks like reading that require constant attention, leading to greater impairment in reading measures (Fergusson & Horwood, 1992). Up to 50% of children with ADHD struggle with learning to read, reading with fluency, and comprehending written material, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.

Attention and the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills

Attention is crucial for acquiring early literacy skills such as phonemic awareness (the ability to recognize, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words) and naming speed (the ability to name a series of familiar stimuli quickly and accurately, such as letters, numbers, colors, or objects). Children with attentional difficulties may lack a solid foundation in these emergent literacy skills, affecting their reading proficiency in later grades (Martinussen et al., 2014). In French immersion programs, the relationship between attention, word reading, and bilingualism remains largely unexplored. While the negative effect of ADHD on reading is known, it is unclear whether bilingualism exacerbates deficits or compensates for attentional challenges (Bialystok, 2010; Sorge et al., 2017).

The Critical Role of Attention in Word Reading Development

Dual-route models of reading identify two separate mechanisms: The lexical route, which allows words to be recognized in their holistic form, and the sublexical route, which converts the parts of a word or a nonword into their corresponding speech sounds. Early readers often use the attention-demanding sublexical route to decode unfamiliar words, making attention difficulties a potential hindrance in this critical step of reading development (O’Neill et al., 2016). A recent study examining the reading skills of emergent bilingual children in French immersion, particularly those with ADHD, highlighted the significant effect of attention on word reading among elementary students. The findings underscore the need for additional measures to ensure that students with ADHD in French immersion programs do not lag their monolingual peers in literacy.

Regardless of the language being learned, attention plays a critical role in information processing, and its adequate functioning is essential for the development of reading skills. Individuals with attention deficits often face challenges with reading comprehension, underscoring the need for specific interventions and support in reading.

Transferability of Reading Skills Across Languages

It is essential to recognize that the structure and sound-system (phonological component) of different languages are essentially the same. Therefore, difficulties in word reading exist regardless of the language being taught. The basic skills and strategies used to overcome reading difficulties are transferable from one language to another; therefore, assumptions about students struggling more in a French immersion program than an English-only program should be reconsidered.

Using Reading Tutors for Effective Intervention

Given the strong connections between behaviour, self-regulation, and reading performance, many students with ADHD require support in both reading and behavioural engagement. Evoke Learning reading tutors provide a range of tactics to help their students improve their reading skills, including:

• Providing personalized attention and support tailored to each student’s needs,
• Identifying areas of weakness and targeting instruction to address those areas,
• Recommending appropriate reading materials to match each student’s interests and reading level,
• Setting achievable reading goals and tracking progress toward those goals,
• Providing feedback and encouragement to build students’ confidence and motivation,
• Using a variety of teaching methods and strategies to engage students in reading and improve their comprehension, and
• Teaching vocabulary and other reading skills to support students’ overall reading development.

Understanding the intricate relationship between attention, ADHD, and word reading is crucial for educators, parents, and policymakers in the context of French immersion programs. Recognizing the impact of attention on early literacy skills and the potential challenges faced by students with ADHD is the first step toward implementing effective interventions. By acknowledging the role of reading tutors and targeted instructional approaches, we can ensure that all students, regardless of their attentional abilities, can develop strong word reading skills in their first and second languages. Give us a call to learn more about how Evoke can help.