Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation Dyslexia Brochure

Helping Alabama’s Dyslexic Children For help contact us at: Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation 400 Valley Avenue Birmingham, Al. 35209 (205) 365-1640 A 501-(c) 3 Charity
DYSLEXIA A LEARNING DIFFERENCE There are children with bright, intelligent minds who are failing because they have dyslexia. Casts and crutches are not in evidence, but the learning disability’s effects can be every bit as devastating as those of a physical challenge. An estimated 10 percent of the population has difficulty with symbols of written language, including reading, reading comprehension, writing and spelling. Without help to overcome this disability, these children will lose their self-esteem, often drop out of school and, ultimately, fail to realize their full potential. Characteristics of Dyslexia Lack of awareness of sounds in words – sound order, rhymes, or sequence of syllables. Difficulty decoding words – single word identification. Difficulty encoding words – spelling Poor sequencing of numbers, of letters in words, when read or written, e.g.: b-d, sing-sign, left-felt, 12-21. Problems with reading comprehension. Difficulty expressing thoughts in written form. Delayed spoken language. Imprecise or incomplete interpretation of language that is heard. Confusion about directions in space or time (right and left, up and down, early and late). Difficulty with handwriting. Difficulty in mathematics – often related to sequencing of steps. Problem may be hereditary
DYSLEXIA CLASSES OFFERED ON VIDEO The Scottish Rite offers a two-year course of dyslexia instruction, developed and videotaped by the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, Texas. The course consists of 350 one-hour instructional sessions and five orientation or training videos. The program is designed for a maximum of six students per class with a teacher who will interact with the students and guide them through their daily lessons. The specially trained teacher on the video provides direct instruction. The classroom setting should be for children with Dyslexia who are not otherwise receiving appropriate remediation. It is recommended for grades 2 through 5. The Scottish Rite also offers a Literacy program which consists of 160 one hour lessons and is designed for grades 7 and up. These video courses are especially advantageous to school districts with limited resources, because the teacher in the classroom does not need special training for working with dyslexic students. Furthermore, the Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation provides the first set of videos to a school system and charges only minimal price for additional sets.
ABOUT THE TEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL DYSLEXIA TRAINING PROGRAM The Texas Scottish Rite Hospital Dyslexia Training Program is a research-based¹ two-year video curriculum developed by Dr. Lucius Waits, a pediatric neurologist. It was implemented at the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, Texas in 1985. He used the research done earlier by Sam Orton, M.D. and by educator – psychologist Anna Gillingham. It is a multi-sensory, systematic, sequential phonics program, which has been continually developed and refined during the past quarter-century in the hospital’s Dyslexia Laboratory. The objective of the program is to introduce reading and writing skills to students identified as dyslexic through a two-year cumulative series of video lessons with accompanying student’s books and teacher’s guides. The program is presented in a structured multi-sensory sequence of alphabet, reading, spelling, cursive writing, listening, language history, and review activities. ¹Oakland, T., Black, J., Stanford, G., Nussbaum, N., & Blaise, R. (1998). An evaluation of the dyslexia training program: A multi-sensory method for promoting reading in students with reading disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31, 140-147. Reviewed by National Reading Panel – 2000: Teaching children to read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction: Study 41
ALABAMA SCOTTISH RITE FOUNDATION HELPS SCHOOL DISTRICTS To assist school districts in the identification and remediation of dyslexic students, the Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation offers the following free services: Ongoing teacher in-service training Training teachers to identify and work with dyslexic students in the classroom. Training on screening for dyslexia The Texas Scottish Rite Dyslexia Training Program(s) The services of Dr. Denise Gibbs, Director of the Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation Learning Centers, are available for teacher training. Email: gibbsdenise@aol.com The response to these offerings has been very positive as schools search for ways to effectively meet the special needs of student with dyslexia. Scheduled activities can be seen on the web site: http://www.ALScottishRiteLearningCenters.com Dyslexia screening is also available (as resources permit). For an appointment call (205)-365-1640. The Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation teacher-training program gives priority to the public school teachers who will be responsible for establishing remedial classes in school systems across the state.
ALABAMA SCOTTISH RITE FOUNDATION Our Mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of dyslexic children in Alabama by assisting them in achieving their highest potential. All services provided by Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation are free. However the services we can offer are limited by funding. Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation is funded by Scottish Rite Masons in Alabama and Friends of the Foundation. If you would like to contribute to these efforts, your tax-deductible contributions may be made to: Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation 400 Valley Avenue Birmingham, Al. 35209 (205) 365-1640 ALL contributions are appreciated. For more information see our website:http://www.ALScottishRiteLearningCenters.com Or contact your local Scottish Rite Office: Birmingham (205) 942-2687 Dothan (334) 792-5388 Huntsville (256) 539-1300 Mobile (251) 476-5300 Montgomery (334) 277-8109 Tri Cities (256) 764-0285 Rev.4, 7/27/2005