Shattering the Myths of Dyslexia #6: Abstract Symbols Are Not Triggers for 3-D Learning Problems

Around 80% of our student population can learn to read 2-dimensional abstract words and symbols through repetition. However, the other 20% of our student population are 3-dimensional learners, and abstract words and symbols cause confusion for these children. This confusion interferes with their ability to recognize and understand these words and symbols and ultimately leads to brain disintegration, avoidance and learning difficulties.

If a parent or loved one will watch closely when a child with dyslexia reads, they will notice that the words that cause the child to hesitate, insert a word, replace a word, omit a word, or skip a line are, for the most part, abstract words and abstract punctuation marks. For a 3-dimensional learner these abstract words and punctuation marks do not have a 3-dimensional picture and thus have no meaning for them. We call them “stumble” words.

To understand the difficulty that a 3-D learner has with abstract words and symbols, use your imagination while I ask you to picture a few words:

• Picture “pencil” … now “beach ball” … and now “house” … and finally “the”. Make note of the experiences you had for each word.

When you were asked to picture “pencil”, you did not picture the letters that spell the word pencil. Instead you pictured the object. You had the same kind of perceptual experience when you pictured the concrete words “beach ball” and “house”. When you tried to picture “the”, you realized there is not a 3-dimensional object to represent it. Most likely you pictured the letters—t…h…e.

A 3-D learner or dyslexic can easily picture and master the first three words but can experience confusion, disintegration, and breakdown with “the” and other abstract words. Until the abstract is made concrete for them, they will have difficulty with reading and writing.

The Learning To Read Program is designed to help the 3-D learner overcome these difficulties. The program is a multi-sensory approach to help children master the abstract words they would normally stumble over. It simultaneously stimulates the senses of touch, sight, movement and hearing to give experiential meaning to the abstract words and symbols. It makes the flat, 2-dimensional words become concrete in the 3-D learner’s mind.

Sincerely,

Bill Allen

Shattering the Myths of Dyslexia #5: The Dyslexic has “Learned” Something with Rote Memorization

The dyslexic, especially in the early years of learning, tends to equate memorization with learning. What is interesting is that a very high percentage of dyslexics excel in memorization. The bottom line for the dyslexic: if we cannot convert new material into a 3-D sense, then we naturally attempt to find success with memorization. Of course every student wants to please the parent or teacher who is helping the child to learn, so that he or she can receive praise and avoid their disappointment. If children can remember the words, then it “sounds like” they can read the words!

Unfortunately, memorization is a very poor substitute for learning. Whether you're dyslexic or not, if you memorize something, you are fortunate if you retain 20% of what you memorized six weeks later! This is why a younger dyslexic learner will have a skill or information one week but forgets it the next week. This is not the case with learning – once you have learned something, you know it. In fact that is the original reason for testing, to measure if you have learned some material or skill, and can use it to do more than parrot back what you memorized. The most notorious list of written symbols most often memorized is the alphabet. In 14 years of working with dyslexic children and adults, I have yet to come across one who has mastered (i.e., learned) reading the entire upper and lower case alphabet.

The Learning To Read Program helps the dyslexic learner master the upper and lowercase alphabet by learning it backwards with skills that promote 3-D learning. We want to avoid rote memorization and at the same time promote the 3-D thinking required to learn and recognize these written abstract symbols. Once the upper and lowercase alphabet is mastered, many blind spots are cleared up in the dyslexics’ process of visualizing and reading a line of text. Typically, when I work with a student, I spend close to three hours mastering the lowercase alphabet backwards. It is a critical step in the dyslexic’s process of learning to read fluently with complete comprehension. In today’s public and private education systems, rote memorization is still primarily used to “learn to read” the 270 abstract words in the English language. The Learning To Read Program is one of the first programs of its kind that gives abstract words concrete experiences that help the 3-D Learner become skilled at reading, instead of just memorizing words and sounds of words.

Special Ed teachers are singing the praises of The Learning to Read Program. Please go to www.ReadingTools.org and click the “Real-Life Stories” button to view what the experts have to say about our program and approach.

Sincerely,
Bill Allen

Shattering the Myths of Dyslexia #4: The dyslexic is easily distracted and can't stay focused!

Dyslexics and children doing poorly in school are easily distracted and do loose focus during learning tasks! When they are very uncomfortable (confused, frustrated, defeated, blank), their mind looks for a way to have a “mental health break!” The resulting diverting behaviors are not the problem. They are symptoms, which are like fire alarms indicating the effects of the stress experienced by the child. Let’s dig under these symptoms and look for the root causes, instead of taking steps to erase the symptoms (turn off the alarm).

Three conditions go hand-in-hand to make the dyslexic vulnerable to distraction and lack of focus while reading: confusion, the wandering of the mind’s eye, and Brain Dis-integration (these last 2 topics will be discussed at another time). The build up of stress due to confusion generated while reading causes frustration, stimulates the mind’s eye to wander in an attempt to find a solution for what is not understood, and tends to dis-integrate needed brain function and thinking.

The cause of these symptoms in 3-D learners: Confusion is triggered when the 3-D thinking child reads abstract words that have no inherent sensory meaning. He stumbles inconsistently while reading abstract words (like “a, and, the, when, he, for, what) and symbols (like punctuation marks and flat letters of the alphabet). His irregularity in being able to recognize the “small, abstract, stumble” words is what makes it so confusing for parents to understand what is happening in their child. Sometimes he remembers (has them in his short term memory because he just was corrected and heard them, perhaps) some abstract words and other times the same words make no sense to him, and can even appear invisible on the page (he skips over them). Abstract words can actually look to the reader like blank spots on the page between words he does see and understand!

All 270 of the written abstract words, all written letters and all punctuation symbols must be mastered 3-dimensionally by these students in order to give these words and symbols meaning. In contrast to abstract words, “tree” is a concrete word that can be experienced and recognized as something growing in your yard. There is a physical experience of tree that gives the written word meaning – makes it “concrete”. However, the abstract word “a” refers to nothing concrete that can be directly experienced. For a written abstract word or symbol to become “visible” (comprehendible) to dyslexics, the 3-D learner must experience, at the same time, all three parts of the word or symbol. In order to be experienced and understood by the dyslexic, an abstract word must provide a 3-dimensional experience of:

What the word looks like,
What the word sounds like, and
What the word means.

Then, the 3-D learner can focus on learning to read, and learning to read with comprehension. Confusion is reduced and no longer creates stress to the level that the reader needs to take a mental health break all the time. The result is a less distracted, more focused person!

Sincerely,
Bill Allen

Shattering the Myths of Dyslexia # 3: Dyslexia Is Expensive!

Instead of a blog, I can probably write a chapter or a book on this myth. My personal experience has been that dyslexia IS expensive. As a first grader, I went to several eye specialists, and this resulted in years of eye exercises and tutoring. Eventually, I learned to read and was able to academically hang in there with my peers. As I look back at my college years, I see that the downside of my dyslexia began to raise its head as my learning frustrations and disappointments built into the mood disorders of anxiety and depression. At the time, I had no idea of the source of my mood disorder problems that ultimately led me to decades of psychotherapy. All throughout my adulthood, psychotherapy did little more than hold my hand. It wasn't until recently that I found a psychiatrist who finally was able to help me make the connection between my childhood dyslexia and shame. Then a priest helped me put together the final piece of the damaging effects of my dyslexic past, and start to heal the low self-esteem that had grown into self-blame. Your child does not have to be plagued by decades of shame and blame because he can now learn to read at grade level and feel equal to his peers when he uses the revolutionary, 3-dimensional Learning To Read Program produced by Reading Tools.

I can only roughly estimate the amount of money and time that I spent with experts, doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrist, and the total exceeds $100,000. In my journey to wholeness, I do not consider this money to be well spent, and at the same time that was all that was available to me until recently. Today, if a family chooses to go the traditional phonics/phonemic awareness approach to correcting the reading disability associated with dyslexia, then tuition costs will run the gamut from a $14,000 to $22,000 annually here in Atlanta, GA. A dyslexic child can be in a learning disability school for 2-3 years, and some children stay in these schools up to 12 years. The cost can be quite a burden to any family, and out of reach for middle class and lower class families. Another route the dyslexic can take is going to the private-after-school reading centers. These facilities on average cost $2500 a year, with no end in sight for the need for them. The last avenue of help is the dyslexic tutor, who usually runs between $55 and $80 an hour. So, the bottom line is: if you go the traditional route, Dyslexia can be very expensive.

At Reading Tools, we have discovered that most children with reading disabilities think in a very high percentage of three-dimensional thought. So, this student needs to be taught with tools that work with his learning strengths. The Learning To Read Program is the best program on the market today for the three-dimensional thinker or for the individual that is referred to as dyslexic. The cost of the program is only $795! The Program is simple and fun to use, and it can be done at home, at the park or in the car.

So the myth that Dyslexia is expensive has been shattered! If you go the traditional route, then it's not shattered and you will spend tens of thousands of dollars and an untold amount of time. Whereas, if you go the three-dimensional route with The Learning To Read Program, your cost is under $1000, and your time spent doing the program is less than a year!

Sincerely,
Bill Allen

Shattering the Myths of Dyslexia #2: Dyslexics Are Lazy

If you ask any parent of a dyslexic child, they will tell you their child is anything but lazy. The only arena that the dyslexic has ever been described lazy in is the academic setting. I will tell you that “lazy” is an inappropriate word to use to describe the dyslexic, and the word that best describes the dyslexic who exudes lazy-type symptoms is “discouraged.” Simply put, the dyslexic becomes discouraged due to the lack of teaching tools they require to fit their learning style and bring them success in learning to read and write. If you provide the dyslexic with the right tools, then he can learn to read it fluidly and correctly. Being able to read is so important because, he can compete academically with his peers and at the same time avoid the dreadful self-esteem issues that so many discouraged dyslexic learners go through.

Moreover, the dyslexic is anything but lazy. In fact, he is an incredibly hard worker that can become an over-achiever. Dyslexics that overachieve usually are keenly aware of what they can't do well and that is read easily and well. So, whether it is art, drama, music, sport, business, or strategy, a significant percentage of the dyslexic finds an area that he does well in, and then hones his skills and focuses on developing that talent. This is great; however, it is also sad because the dyslexic doesn’t fulfill his potential and he has so much more to offer to society.

One final thought: with the impending knowledge-based workforce shortage on the horizon in the USA, it is imperative that the dyslexic learn to read proficiently and be able to move up into middle school without the devastating self-esteem issues that have plagued so many of us for the last 110 years. Most dyslexics’ minds represent an untapped resource in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that are presently being craved by the knowledge-based industries. If the USA is able to achieve reading proficiency for the dyslexic, then two things will take place:
1) The dyslexic will have the opportunity to develop the full potential of his mind, and
2) The USA's economy will have more creative minds to help it maintain its leadership role in the world in the 21st century.

Innovation and the USA’s knowledge-based industries will be what maintain our economy and standard of living that we enjoy presently in this country. Take a look at the Did You Know video on YouTube if you have any doubts about this.

Source: YouTube, Did You Know video.
“We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist using technologies that haven’t been invented … in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”

Shattering the Myths of Dyslexia: #1

In the coming weeks, ReadingTools will be shattering the 14 myths commonly held about dyslexia.


Myth Number One: The Dyslexic Is Dumb!
According to research, the average IQ of a child with dyslexia is 117 points, but typically IQ tests are not an accurate reflection of the dyslexic’s true intelligence. For the past 14 years of working with dyslexics, it has been repeatedly observed that the dyslexic is anything but dumb. The opposite is the case; the dyslexic is very bright. The dyslexic’s struggle is a struggle with the abstract. The dyslexic works, creates and innovates really well in the three-dimensional world in which he lives; however, in the two-dimensional flat world of abstract written symbols and words, the dyslexic can struggle mightily. The perceptions of dealing with the 2-D world of the abstract written words can lead to frustration and confusion, which usually leads to feelings of being overwhelmed. Ultimately, the confusion and overwhelm can cause significant, if not serious, self-esteem issues. So, if your child is being labeled lazy, a daydreamer, unfocused, class disruptor or worse than these labels, he comes home and tells you, the parent, that he is dumb or stupid, then take solace in the fact that he probably has the gift of dyslexia. Yes, dyslexia is a gift!


In the last century, there have been hundreds of dyslexics that have made contributions to our society, most notably in the fields of art, drama, music, business, sport, science, and strategy (political and military). And yet, how many dyslexics fell through the educational and societal cracks because he could not read and write well. The answer to that question may be in the tens of millions. As a dyslexic and a parent of a slightly dyslexic child, experience has taught that the dyslexic cannot depend on the educational system -- either public or private -- or on multi-sensory phonemic awareness training to solve the problem of the dyslexic’s learning differences. The parent of the dyslexic and the dyslexic child need to utilize the natural 3-dimensional learning style of the dyslexic to teach him how to read and write and to be able to use his creative mind in the business world. Today parents are challenged to get the dyslexic child past the sixth grade, reading and writing fluently and free of problematic self-esteem issues. Dyslexics are not dumb ... actually, they are very smart, and from Reading Tools' perspective, the USA's standard of living will be greatly impacted by the creativity and productive input of the dyslexic mind in the 21st century.


Right now is a great time to be dyslexic because, for the first time since the onset of the industrial revolution, the dyslexic mind is needed by our society. The knowledge-based industries need innovators and a prepared workforce in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math -- STEM. Historically, hundreds of dyslexics have achieved in these areas, and experience shows their propensity to excel in these disciplines when they can communicate by reading and writing, which provides great hope for fulfilling each dyslexic’s fullest potential.


It has been said:
The Top 10 jobs in demand in the USA in 2010 did not exist in 2004.
(Source: You Tube-- Did You Know video)


Contact Bill Allen, president of Reading Tools, LLC and founder of the highly popular and successful dyslexia home tutoring series, The Learning to Read Program, at Bill.Allen@ReadingTools.org, on Facebook, on MySpace, or call 866.637.6356 toll free and, for more information about overcoming the challenges of dyslexia and nurturing the talents of dyslexics, visit http://www.readingtools.org/.