Teaching Literacy to Learners with Dyslexia: A Multi-sensory Approach

Providing a structured programme for teaching literacy to children and young people with dyslexia and specific literacy difficulties, this book makes explicit links between theory, research and practice. It offers a structured, cumulative, multi-sensory teaching programme for learners with dyslexia, and draws attention to some of the wider aspects of the learning styles and differences of learners with dyslexia such as memory, information processing and automaticity. The book discusses: - the rationale for a structured multi-sensory approach - the development of phonological, reading, writing and spelling skills - working with learners who have English as an additional language (EAL) - lesson structure and lesson-planning - alphabet and dictionary skills - memory work and study skills - teaching the programme to groups - ideas for working with young children. Designed to help support any learner, from ages five to 18, with dyslexia or specific learning difficulties, the authors encourage the use of the programme as part of everyday teaching to not only develop literacy but to put dyslexic learners in control of their own learning. There are tried and tested strategies and activities provided, which the reader can use to support their literacy work. Particularly useful for teachers working with learners who have special educational needs and specifically those with dyslexia, this book contains everything you need to help improve and develop the literacy skills of the learners in your setting. NEW by Kathleen Kelly and Sylvia Phillips! Assessment of Learners with Dyslexic-type Difficulties Sylvia Phillips, Kathleen Kelly and Liz Symes

Table of Contents:
About the Authors Acknowledgements Introduction List of Figures List of Downloadable Content PART ONE: TEACHING LEARNERS WITH DYSLEXIA: THEORY AND CONTEXT The Contribution of Theories of Causation to the Development of a Multi-Sensory Teaching Programme The Role of Memory in Acquiring Literacy Skills Phonological Skills, Literacy and Dyslexia The Development of Reading Skills Spelling Development and Dyslexia Teaching Handwriting Dyslexia and Learners for Whom English is an Additional Language PART TWO: CONQUERING LITERACY: A MULTI-SENSORY PROGRAMME FOR TEACHING LEARNERS WITH DYSLEXIA - TEACHING STRATEGIES Principles, Teaching Strategies and Programme Structure Lesson Planning Alphabet and Dictionary Work Introducing the New Teaching Point in a Lesson The Role of Memory in the Programme Study Skills within the Programme PART THREE: CONQUERING LITERACY: A MULTISENSORY PROGRAMME The Conquering Literacy Programme: Examples of Activites PART FOUR: ADAPTING THE PROGRAMME Section A: The Accelerated Programme Section B: Ideas for Working with Young Children Section C: Teaching the Programme to Groups PART FIVE: RESOURCES

About the Author :
Dr Kathleen Kelly PhD, MA (SEN), Dip TESL, AMBDA, is an independent consultant and trainer in the field of specific learning difficulties. For many years she was a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University in the Centre for Inclusion and Disability Studies where she was Programme Leader for the MA in Specific Learning Difficulties and the Post Graduate Certificate in Dyscalculia. For several years she has taught courses on specific learning difficulties as part of the initial teacher training programme in addition to postgraduate awards. She has presented papers in this area at a number of international conferences and was part of the MMU research team that evaluated the Department of Education funded project ‘Teaching for neurodiversity’ led and co-ordinated by the British Dyslexia Association (2017). She has considerable experience in delivering courses to meet the criteria set out by the British Dyslexia Association for Approved Teacher Status (ATS) and Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA). She was a member of the SASC/BDA working party (2019) which was set up to develop a new definition of dyscalculia and to produce guidance on identification and assessment. Kathleen has taught a wide range of learners with dyslexia, from children as young as four years to sixteen years. She has worked in both mainstream and special schools, for language support and learning support services, as a SENCO in a primary school, and as Head of Sixth Form in a special school. She has many years of experience in supporting multilingual children with special educational needs (including specific learning difficulties). Multilingualism and dyslexia is a particular area of interest, and her doctorate was also in this area. She is co-author of Phillips and Kelly (2022) Assessment of Learners with Dyslexic-type Difficulties, 3rd edition. Sylvia Phillips, BA, DASE, MEd (SEN), AMBDA, Cert. TESL is an Education Consultant (for SEND) and a part-time tutor to the AMBDA course at Stanmillis University College, Belfast. She began her career as a teacher of English in secondary schools where she became interested in why some learners had severe literacy difficulties. She later joined Manchester Metropolitan University where she was a Principal Lecturer, Head of SEN, and then Head of Continuing Professional Development. At MMU she developed the first courses for specialist dyslexia teachers at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. During that time she worked in primary, secondary and special schools both with teachers and directly with pupils. She taught on several SEND courses for teachers (particularly training SENDCos) and was the UK partner (with Italy, Belgium and Spain) developing and teaching courses on ‘Inclusion and SEN’ for European educationalists. She served on the Accreditation Board of the British Dyslexia Association but left when she became a specialist member of the SEND Tribunal service.  She has been involved in several research projects developing teaching materials. In recent years she led the AMBDA courses for Wrexham Glyndwr University, and together with Kathleen Kelly, she co-authored Assessment of Learners with Dyslexic Type Difficulties, 2nd Edition, (2018, Sage).

Review :
'Teaching Literacy to Learners with Dyslexia' has it all - a feast of practice offering a prescription for success. All teachers will be eager to get their hands on this book! Grounded in solid and up to date research, it combines best practice in teaching literacy with insights into the cognitive and practical skills essential for literacy learning. Part II on 'conquering literacy' is a complete multisensory teaching programme and one that echoes the spirit of recent government initiatives that purport to effectively deal with dyslexia and their desire to boost the training of teachers in this area. This book shows exactly how to achieve this! Steeped in the long established tradition of the most appropriate and successful approaches for teaching children with dyslexia Kathleen Kelly and Sylvia Phillips, using their vast knowledge base and unquestionable experience, have utilised, what is considered by most, to be best practice in teaching literacy and incorporated this into a 'user-friendly' teaching manual. By providing a clear rationale and practical explanations of literacy concepts and conventions they will simplify the task of dealing with the literacy challenges for many teachers. Every school needs to have access to this book' - Dr. Gavin Reid, Educational Psychologist, International Consultant and author 'This book provides a very thorough description of the different arguments surrounding issues discussed in each chapter. It is clear and to the point, and is backed up with very helpful examples to support teachers' - Sue Goff, Dyslexia Advisor, Student Support, University of Chichester 'Dr Gavin Reid's enthusiastic endorsement of this book promises 'a feast of practice offering a prescription for success' and certainly gives the reader high expectations of what follows. The authors are very experienced Programme Leaders in the field of Specific Learning Difficulties and together they have produced a very detailed and comprehensive and structured programme for teaching literacy which does not disappoint' - SEN Magazine 'This has proven to be one of the single most valuable and useful publications I have purchased to support my work as a specialist teacher...Since purchasing this, I use it as the sole programme for teaching individuals with dyslexia or dyslexia-type difficulties in my role of a specialist teacher due to the ease of use and clarity it has' -World of Dyslexia Newsletter