The Dyslexic Advantage (23 page)

People outside the government have also noticed Vince's predictive powers, and some of them are so impressed that they're ready to stake money on them. “I was recently asked to go on the board of directors for a hedge fund. These guys said, ‘We think that you have a good way of strategic thinking,' and they don't know why, and they don't know a thing about dyslexia, but they said, ‘We'd really like to get you on this board so you can do some strategic thinking for us.'”

Vince has also tried to convince others of the predictive power he believes many individuals with dyslexia possess. “I have a friend who's on the boards of several charitable foundations, and I'm always telling him, ‘You know, every one of those associations needs at least one dyslexic on the board.' When he asks me why, I tell him, ‘We just see patterns in advance. We could do you a lot of good.'”

Vince attributes this dyslexic predictive power to both nature and nurture. “Dyslexics are wired a little differently, and that probably makes us a little more creative innately, but there's also the impact of experience. School's like a wall, and for everybody else there's a ladder there, and they just get up on that ladder and climb over the wall. But for whatever reason, dyslexics don't know how to climb that ladder, so we've got to figure out another way to get past that wall. We've got to dig a hole under it, or find a rope to build a rope ladder, or find some other way around it. So we're constantly trying to solve a problem, and I think that's one reason why so many dyslexics become inventors and creators—because they're constantly looking for ways to beat that system, or improve that system, or change it so it makes sense to them. This develops their skills in forecasting as well. So many things in life are like an algebra equation where you're given four ‘knowns' and three ‘unknowns,' and you've got to solve that problem. Dyslexics are forced to do that so much in their everyday lives that it helps us become really good at solving complex problems.”

After listening to Vince list all the benefits he sees to being dyslexic, we ventured to ask him, “So you really don't find it surprising that we've titled our book
The Dyslexic Advantage
, do you?”

Vince responded with a hearty laugh. “Hear, hear! You're correct. I most certainly don't!”

Putting the Dyslexic Advantage to Use

Reading

S
o far, in considering the many advantages that can accompany a dyslexic processing style, we've seen that:

These findings have important implications for how we understand, educate, and employ individuals with dyslexia. In these final chapters, we'll explore these implications. Let's begin by looking at the learning function most closely associated with dyslexia: reading.

Skilled reading requires three abilities: the ability to sound out words (i.e., decoding); the ability to read quickly and accurately (i.e., fluency); and the ability to understand what you read (i.e., comprehension). While individuals with dyslexia can struggle with any or all of these skills, their dyslexic advantages can also help them master these abilities.

Decoding
or “sounding out” unfamiliar written words depends on two key abilities:

As we discussed in chapter 3, these abilities rely on the brain's phonological processing and procedural (or rule-based) learning systems. The phonological processing system works by first splitting incoming words into their component sounds (a process known as
sound segmentation
), then distinguishing (or
discriminating
) these sounds from one another. Most individuals with dyslexia struggle with one or both of these processes.

Problems with these processes can show up in a variety of tasks besides decoding. Individuals with dyslexia who have difficulty with sound segmentation will also often struggle to identify the component sounds in words. For example, they may have difficulty determining that “cup” has three sounds (
c-u-p
) rather than two (
cu-p
). They may also struggle to perform sound-switching tasks like Pig Latin (e.g.,
ig-pay atin-lay
), or changing the
b
in
bat
to
h
to see what word is formed. With regard to sound discrimination, individuals with dyslexia who have difficulty distinguishing word sounds will often mispronounce, mishear, or misspell words. They may substitute or mistake similar-sounding words or make subtle soundalike mistakes in word pronunciations or spelling (e.g., substituting
t/d
,
m/n
,
p/b
,
a/o
, or
i/e
, or omitting word sounds like
pah-corn
).

Skills like sound segmentation and discrimination (which are referred to as
phonemic awareness
skills) aren't entirely inborn but must be learned. This learning takes place largely during the first two years of life and depends heavily on both fine-detail processing and implicit learning (that is, learning through observation and imitation, rather than
explicitly
learning the rules, as described in chapter 3). As we've mentioned, many individuals with dyslexia struggle with both fine-detail processing and implicit learning, so it shouldn't be surprising that they often have difficulty learning to accurately distinguish the full range of word sounds.

The good news is that the brain's sound processing system isn't fixed but highly reprogrammable. Brains with weak segmenting or discriminating skills can often be retrained with phonics instruction based on the Orton-Gillingham method. Individuals with especially severe sound discrimination difficulties should usually begin with an instructional technique that specifically improves the ability to distinguish word sounds, like Lindamood-Bell's LiPS, or computer-based auditory training programs such as Earobics or Fast ForWord
.
For all other individuals with dyslexia, an approach to phonics training should be chosen based on the individual's personal strengths, weaknesses, and interests, because these will together determine what kinds of information he or she remembers best.

While each individual is unique, the common dyslexic brain characteristics we've discussed in earlier chapters can also provide important clues about the kind of instruction that most dyslexic individuals will find beneficial. For example, since most individuals with dyslexia favor episodic over semantic memory, most will remember information about things they've
experienced
(or imagined as scene-based experiences) better than abstract or noncontextual facts. Individuals with dyslexia will also remember information better if they find it interesting and if they can place it into a larger framework of knowledge or understand its big-picture function or purpose.

An individual's MIND strengths can also help predict which training methods they will find the most effective. For example, individuals with prominent M-strengths usually benefit from methods that engage their strengths in spatial imagery. These typically involve various forms of visual, positional, or movement-based imagery. Finding a method that stresses the particular form of spatial imagery that an individual excels in (e.g., kinesthetic, visual) can greatly increase the likelihood of success.
¹

Individuals with impressive I-strengths typically learn well using methods that engage their ability to see interconnections. Such instruction often builds associations or analogies between new information and subjects they already know or are interested in.
²
These learners also tend to enjoy multisensory or multiframework approaches that present the same information in different ways. They frequently enjoy discussing how the approaches they're using work, as this engages their strengths in gist, cause and effect, and contextual thinking.

Students with especially strong N- or D-strengths often benefit from approaches that stress examples and cases, rather than just rules and definitions. Approaches that embed information in stories or events are also more memorable for these students, as are interactive approaches where learning takes place through conversation or interaction with an instructor (e.g., using discussion, dramatization, or game play).

In short, by carefully considering the dyslexic individual's particular strengths, interests, and challenges, you can more effectively match dyslexic students with an appropriate method of instruction. A complete discussion of the available methods is beyond our scope in this chapter, but additional information is provided on our Dyslexic Advantage website and in our book
The Mislabeled Child
.
³

It's important to recognize that most students with significant dyslexic challenges will require additional reading instruction outside of school. Training should begin as soon as challenges are recognized, though it's never too late to start. For children with a strong family history of dyslexia, phonics instruction should begin as soon as they show an interest in learning to read, especially if they show any difficulties like slow speech acquisition, poor sound perception, misspeaking or mishearing, mispronouncing rhymes, or slowness learning the alphabet or letter sounds. With early attention, mild reading problems may be avoided altogether, and more significant challenges can be lessened in severity.

Families that are sufficiently dedicated can sometimes provide phonics training on their own, using commercially available materials; but in many cases getting help from a certified reading instructor, speech-language pathologist, or reading instructional center is a good idea. If a tutor is desired, the state branches of the International Dyslexia Association keep helpful lists of providers who are well trained in Orton-Gillingham approaches.

Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking that no additional reading training is required once a child's understanding of phonics reaches age- or grade-level proficiency. Children who can't yet apply their phonetic knowledge quickly and automatically (or
fluently
, as we'll discuss in a moment) usually struggle in upper elementary or middle school when they're asked to learn from texts or to decode new or unfamiliar words.

It's often particularly difficult to deal appropriately with older students who've already begun to read with reasonably good comprehension but who continue to show difficulties with spelling or decoding. When their language skills are strong, students with dyslexia can often learn to read silently with good comprehension, even when they remain poor at sounding out unfamiliar words (decoding) and at spelling (encoding). Often their problems with word identification escape notice until they reach high school or even college, when they begin to find words in their textbooks they've never heard spoken before, so they can't use contextual clues to guess the word's definition. At that point their decoding difficulties can create many practical problems. We've called the problem these students face
stealth dyslexia
because it so often evades the “radar” of detection, and it can sometimes be difficult to motivate these students to work hard on phonics instruction if they feel that their reading is “good enough.” However, if they can be motivated to cooperate, the benefits they receive in improved reading and writing are usually well worth the effort of additional phonics instruction, particularly if they plan to go on to college.

To read quickly and accurately enough to meet the demands of the upper grades, college, and the job market, individuals with dyslexia need to master more than phonetic decoding. They must also master a second key component of skilled reading:
reading fluency
. Fluency consists of both reading speed and accuracy, and it's acquired through extensive reading practice.

Reading fluency can be broken into several aspects, each of which can be developed by different types of practice. Before we discuss these fluency-building techniques, let's look at four key principles that should underlie any type of fluency practice.