A Silicon Bullet for Dyslexia

Mike Matvy
School Psychologist / Assistive Technology Specialist
Knox County Schools, Knoxville, TN
e-mail: matvym@k12tn.net

Date: 2/18/2007

( Also see STARTING TO USE ALTERNATIVE WRITING, Mike Matvy, 3-25-95)

Who needs to be encouraged to use alternative methods for reading?

Students who:

• cannot read textbooks adequately but can understand those grade level materials when they are read aloud.
• are able to understand oral language for communicating ideas, solving problems, and learning.
• are of mid-average to superior mental ability.
• have parents and teachers who are willing to try an alternative approach to decoding for reading.
  

What alternative methods are there for students who are inadequate readers?

• Audio-Tape Recorded Books
• Text-to-Speech Voice Synthesis with Computer
• Modified Visual Reading
• Use of a Reading Assistant

1. Audio Recorded Books

• With this method students can turn on a CD player and hear the text read aloud.  Audio textbooks are used along with the regular class textbook.  
• All school text books are available for LD students to use to "read" through listening - “Aural Reading”
• *Audio textbooks are ordered by teachers, parents, or students the year before school starts .
• *Students get training on how to use audio recorded materials.
• *Students who decode print visually at 30 to 60 words per minute can, within hours start reading (aurally) on or above grade level at rates of 250 to 350 words per minute.

2. Text-to-Speech Voice Synthesis with Computer

• *This method uses software or hardware designed to produce mechanical speech from text material that is displayed on a personal computer screen.
• *When used with screen reader software students can have the computer read words, sentences, and/or passages aloud; spell words and give other aural information which permits students to thoroughly examine text.
• *Using this system students can "read" (with voice) worksheets, dictionary, spellcheck lists, encyclopedias, letters, magazine and newspaper articles, and any other text that can be displayed on the computer screen.
• *All the text from the internet can be read aurally by students who use this system.  This fact and the rapid improvement in text-to-speech technology is making this approach a “gold mine” for students who need to read aurally.
• *Voice Synthesis is also an important tool for enabling inadequate readers to write by letting them hear each word as it is typed, read completed sentences, reread previous sentences, and revue writing for critical editing.  (see COMPUTER ASSISTED WRITING PROCEDURE, Mike Matvy, 9-9-95)
• *Because synthetic speech is not as clear as the human speech from audio books students' reading rates range from 200 to 300 words per minute.

3. Modified Visual Reading

• *This method has students make best use of their visual reading by modifying unrealistic expectations for visual reading.  Being realistic about limited visual reading can result in students making better use of their visual reading ability.
• *Students maximize the use of their limited visual reading ability by (1) making better decisions about when to attempt visual reading and when to employ other methods of reading, (2) making realistic estimates about what can be accomplished using visual reading skills and, (3) doing visual reading in order to cope with critical reading situations where alternatives are not practical to use.  But, when visual reading is used because more effective methods are not available students must  recognize that (a) visual reading will only give part of the needed information contained in the text, and (b) visual reading will require energy and mental processing which distracts from the intellectual task of processing the meaning of the text.
• *Modified visual reading is used differently by each student depending upon their reading ability.  In general, reading tasks which are short and do not have time limitations are the ones which are most practical to complete with visual reading (e.g. chapter titles, diagram captions, or names in a phone book).
• *Visual reading of long passages is done at a price in time used and comprehension lost.   Occasionally a passage must be read visually because it contains important information which is needed in a task and there is not time to use a better reading approach.  (e.g. product descriptions in a catalog,or directions for using a pay phone).  Longer passages are often attempted with little or no comprehension.  At times students may attempt long passages and sounding out many of the words but the reading is so slow that the meaning is lost by the end of the passage.
• *With Modified Visual Reading what is modified is the unrealistic expectations for the visual reading.  Unrealistic expectations for visual reading result in frustration, failure, and high anxiety related to all visual reading.  Expectations must be modified so they match studentss functional skills.  When this is done students can start making full use of their visual reading for those tasks which fall with in studentss range of visual reading ability.  "Use visual reading, but no heavy lifting" - for example, high school students would not attempt to take the ACT exam without requesting the aural version of the test. 
• *While Alternative Methods of Reading does not purport to address improvement in native ability to visually decode words, use of alternative methods seems to result in a slightly increased ability to function using visual reading.  It is suspected that this is because of the increased exposure that students have to written language using Audio Books, Text-to Speech screen reading, etc.; giving studentss experience with the syntax, rhythm, vocabulary, and customs of written language that can help them when they attempt visual reading.

4. Reading Assistants

• This method has someone available to read text out loud to the student. This might best be thought of as translating the language from visual to oral form. This is not instruction or tutoring. Decisions about what to read when to read and when to pause are made by the student.
• Students are quick to defer to others regarding these decisions and need support to be able to use a reading assistant as a method for reading.and not a opportunity to have a partner, tutor, or leader.
• The student will learn to:
  • select material that needs to be read with reading assistants.
  • contact the person who is to provide reading assistants.
  • inform the assistant what is needed.
  • make plans to get reading done.
  • listen and give directions as needed regarding starting, pausing, rereading, and skipping passages.
• This might be for reading a two page autobiography of a 17th century Russian General and occur over a 24 hour period. It also might be for reading a 20 word abstract of an article on Archaeology.and occur in 2 or 3 minutes.

Why consider using alternative methods for reading?

• Intellectually average, above average, and superior students who can not read adequately are failing at school tasks that require reading. They learn haphazardly from what they happen to hear. They are missing out on the printed experiences which are needed for them to reach their potential. With alternative programming they can start reading (aurally) on or above grade level within days. They can move from second hand access to text material to direct access to the printed word, from dependency on others to self-reliance, from failure to success, from mediocrity to excellence, Ten years ago this would have been impossible. but we live in a different world. A world which can let one read aurally.
• Library systems now have computer networks with CD rom databases which make hundreds of thousands of articles available to be displayed on the computer screen and therefore readable for print disabled persons who use computers equipped with text-to-speech voice for reading from the screen.
• Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic have virtually all textbooks available on audio tape for aural readers.
• Students who are not able to read print at their ability and grade level are missing out on the pleasure and intellectual opportunity that comes from having the personal experience of reading directly what someone else has written. Hearing a summary or what someone else says about written work is often what the inadequate reader must be satisfied with. This does not compare with being able to read in solitude undisturbed by the presence of others. Experiencing written work directly means letting it flow to one's mind or heart. It means being able to do what one wants to with the ideas. It means being able to ponder meanings, intentions, moods, and new ideas which the written work has steered. Ten years ago the idea of examining written work directly and independently could only mean visual reading.
• Today, however, with tape recorded books and computers that read text aloud, written work can be examined reading aurally one word at a time,a line at a time, or even a letter at a time by students who can not read that work visually. This offers an opportunity for a reading experience which normal readers have enjoyed for years.

How to start?

• Someone must recognize that the student with a disability for reading could be learning more by using alternative methods for reading.
• It is recommended (for K-12 students) that an M-team be convened for the purpose of discussing the use of alternative methods for reading.
• An evaluation might be conducted to determine the student's functional abilities for reading using the following approaches: (1) visual reading of grade level textbooks , (2) visual reading of required novels and other required materials (if applicable) , (3) aural reading (listening) comprehension with a computer reading grade level text from a computer screen , (4) listening comprehension with aural/oral classroom activities (e.g., film strips, lectures, etc.). (5) aural reading (listening) comprehension with a person reading passages from a text book.
• This functional evaluation seeks to determine the best method(s) for enabling the student to understand the ideas, information, and/or thoughts writers intend to convey. If comprehension is only slightly improved by the alternative methods then use of alternative methods would probably not be indicated. However, in many cases students are found to have aural/oral abilities which are at or above grade level. Bright students who can not read adequately are often found to have aural/oral ability that is on the same level with their high mental ability. For these students use of an aural approach to reading can mean that they can move from being unable to read to being able to read above grade level textbooks, novels, and papers within days; enabling them to read material which challenges their intellect and interest. Students with average ability can start reading on grade level and being successful like their peers. Once methods are found that enable the student to access print material at a rate and comfort level that will permit learning on or above grade level, then, planning for using these alternative methods can begin.

How is a program planned?

• The goals of this plan will be for the student to: (1) read on a level commensurate with the student's general ability for using language, (2) use methods which maximizes his/her ability to function independently, (3) have maximum participation in regular school curriculum.
• Classrooms are set up to accommodate standard reading procedures. This means that a student who uses Taped text books or a computer for reading must attempt to make the new methods fit the old model. Often, adjustments must be made to accommodate the aural reader (e.g. allowing for time to order taped textbooks). No one method will fit all situations. Each reading situation is looked at to determine which method(s) to use.
• A plan will need two stages (1) teaching the student the new method(s) and (2) teaching the student and staff to use the new method(s) for completing reading assignments for the regular class.

How can the student learn to use alternative reading methods?

• An instructional program for alternative reading is much like a conventional reading program with introduction of basic skills and a daily regimen for practice before moving on to more advanced skills.
• The big difference is that the onset for instruction for visual reading was in 1st grade working with peers while the onset of instruction in aural reading often starts at 5th to 8th grade and is done with peers continuing to use standard visual reading. An adolescent starting to do something that is different from peers has its own problems apart from the challenge of learning a new approach. Patience, persistence, flexibility, and support are needed for success.
• Preadolescent students typically do not have the emotional and social obstacles that adolescents do. For them it is mostly learning aural reading methods and practicing skills. The emotional and social issues regarding having to be different will also appear at adolescence, but the student will not have to try to deal with both issues at once.
• Students who start alternative methods typically have had years of failure with reading and have missed out on important print language experiences because of their inability to read. They usually are skillful with oral language, yet they have had little or no experience having to read alone and decide how to use or interpret what is written. Students can quickly learn many of these skills but the novelty of the situation must be recognized and teachers must be understanding and supportive to help students make optimal progress.
• Capable students who are poor visual readers need to be told and shown that they possess the most important skills, namely aural language comprehension, reasoning, and ability to think. They must realize that when they use their listening comprehension to read print they are reading the same material as other students and learning at least as much. While it is desirable to be able to read visually, students must see that what they know and can learn is much more important than how they go about learning it.
• They will need to learn in months the skills involved in interpreting and using print materials that their peers have been practicing for years. They will have to be retaught some of the skills needed for reading print language, But, understanding punctuation, grammatical structure, and writing style will have to wait for the basics of the equivalent of learning "how to hold a book" and "sound out words" - learning skills like, using Audio-Tape Recorded Books , using Text-to-Speech Voice Syntheses with Computer , using Modified Visual Reading , and using Reading Assistants . It is beyond the scope of this document to give detailed instruction on how to teach each of these skills. There are a number of other documents available which give more detailed instructions on many of these procedures.
• As soon as the student has learned some of the basic alternative skills the transition to classroom assignments begins with practice on work typical of what will be expected in the regular class.
• For instance, a 5th grade student might start by using Audio-Tape Recorded Books for reading in his classes science textbook. This would lead to a daily routine of reading to keep caught up with the class. The student might also use Text-to-Speech Voice Syntheses with Computer to read articles from an encyclopedia on CD Rom, to read worksheets on punctuation, and to read his/her own written work.
• Learning these skills and learning to use Modified Visual Reading , and Reading Assistants will lead to a practice schedule for establishing the skills so they can be used in regular class work.

How can schools enable a student to use alternative reading methods?

• The special education teacher will make a transition plan to move the student from doing training activities to doing classroom activities. At first the student may be asked to use taped books to stay caught up with assignments in one class, i.e., Reading the Science chapters on taped books, look up and read articles from an electronic encyclopedia on important persons in the development of atomic theory, and/or having an assistant read late assigned newspaper articles on environmental clean up of nuclear waste. It should be noted that after the student is trained, he/she can complete the first two tasks independently. Help on the last task would require an assistant for reading for 5 to 10 minutes. This is not to say that the student can implement a program with out a Special Education Teacher. The student needs support, structure and encouragement to use this program and cope with problems that arise.
• The student's classroom teachers first learn how the alternative methods will work and how to plan for reading assignments. This may mean that assignments will be given a day in advance so the student will have time to read the textbook before class or be sure to bring the correct tapes and a tape player to class. It will also mean that the teacher or student has ordered and received tape recorded text books before the class starts.
• The class room teacher should determine what other reading requirements there will be and how to get those materials in a form which the student can use. This might be done by having some worksheets put onto the computer for the student to read. (Computer scanners can be used to do this.). A teacher assistant might be scheduled for doing this task and for being available to the student once or twice per week to provide Reading Assistants for short passages or specially assigned reading. The student and teacher should discuss which reading activities should be attempted using Modified Visual Reading . Teachers must recognize that students will tend to overestimate their visual reading ability out of habit and a desire to be like others.
• Later the regular and Special Ed. teachers might plan for adapting more of the regular class curriculum to accommodate the student's reading needs. As the student shows more ability to complete class work with alternative reading methods, a plan is developed to address all of the classes' requirements. Eventually, all classes will be adapted so the student will be able to be a full participant.
• It takes time for students and teachers to learn how to modify a school program. The task can seem overwhelming if one thinks of the most difficult problems first. Teachers should think of the things that are the easiest to do and make them the first steps (e.g. reading textbook with tapes). The experience can be a positive foundation for planning other steps. With experience the difficult tasks may seem easy or unimportant when it is time to face them.
• So far what has been described is having the student reading the same material as other students but just doing it in a different way. This will work with most print materials but for some it will not be practical. Alternative assignments will be needed. For instance, an open book assignment of looking up quotes from the text book would not be practical for a student who reads using tape recorded books. Some alternative assignments might include: Reading a book (on tape) and giving a summary of the book or specific passages, looking up and reading (with computer voice) articles on the class's topic of study using the library data base system.
• The role of the special education teacher is prominent in the first few months to ensure that the program gets a good start. Later, this role becomes one of monitor, consultant, and advocate to make sure that the plan is appropriately meeting student's needs and to help in the transition to new classrooms.
• By the time the student is in high school the student should take over some of this preparation and planning. By the end of high school, the student should be able to handle all reading situations independently including making arrangements for any needed assistance.
• Students who are inadequate readers usually also have difficulty with paper and pencil writing. See STARTING TO USE ALTERNATIVE WRITING, Mike Matvy, 3-25-95.

Return to Home Page

Copyright © 1996 Mike Matvy All rights reserved. The documents at this Web site are copyrighted by the author and may be used for non-commercial purposes only. You are encouraged to reproduce and use these documents as long as appropriate credit is given to the author.