riachtanais speisialta in iarbhunscoil lán-ghaeilge disléicse agus an foghlaimeoir teanga matthias...
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Riachtanais Speisialta in Iarbhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge
Disléicse agus an Foghlaimeoir Teanga
Matthias MaunsellComhdháil OideachaisGAELSCOILEANNA TEO.15 Samhain 2008
Outline of Presentation
Special Educational NeedsSpecific Learning DifficultiesDyslexia ExplainedDyslexia Observed: A Case StudyIssues and ImplicationsFurther Research
Special Educational Needs
The term “special educational needs”refers to all those children and youthwhose needs arise from disabilities orlearning difficulties (UNESCO 1994)Three major groups with SEN:Students with disabilitiesStudents with difficultiesStudents with disadvantages (OECD, 2002)
Specific Learning Difficulties
DyslexiaDysgraphiaDyspraxiaDyscalculiaADD or ADHD
Higher Incidence Special Educational Need Definition: ‘a borderline mild and mild
general learning disability and specific learning disability and those with learning support needs (that is functioning at or below the 10th percentile on a standardised test of reading and/or mathematics’
DES, SpED 24/03; 02/05
So what is …….. DYS.LEX.I.A?
Classified as a ‘high incidence’ special educational need/learning difficulty
No agreed definition
Explanation of Dyslexia
Dyslexia is manifested in a continuum of specific difficulties related to the acquisition of basic skills in reading, spelling and/or writing, such difficulties being unexpected in relation to an individual’s other abilities and educational experiences. Dyslexia can be described at the neurological, cognitive and behavioral levels. It is typically characterized by inefficient information processing, including difficulties in phonological processing, working memory, rapid naming and automaticity of basic skills. Difficulties in organization, sequencing and motor skills may also be present
Task Force on Dyslexia, DES 2001
Indicators of Dyslexia
Poor working memory Poor organisational skills Poor auditory sequencing Confusion over syntax Difficulty with motor skill and automaticity Slow speed of information processing Limited attention span Literacy impairment (reading, writing,
spelling)
Some Key Points on Dyslexia
No two dyslexics are the same Some indicators are more common than
others Severity is not determined by number of
indicators Discrepancy model of dyslexia Continuum Co-morbidity of learning difficulties
Prevalence - Dyslexia
No conclusive research has been carried out in Ireland to determine how prevalent it is
International studies suggest up to 10% of population likely to be affected
4% severely affected by dyslexia, further 6% moderately (Lindsey Peer, 2001)
Dyslexia at Second-Level
Transition from primary to post-primarySupports even more necessary at
second-level (Ball, Hughes, McCormack 2007)
Further literacy skills developmentState exams & accommodations
Research Study
Research Design
Research Design• Case Study approach
Methods• Qualitative• Interviews, Field notes, Diary entries,
Writing scripts, Formal assessment documents
A Bi/Multilingual Dyslexic Profile
Background of Subject Observations on
Reading and Writing Spelling Difficulties Strengths in Coping
with Dyslexia
Background of SubjectBhí an dalta Aisling, a bhí sé bliana déag ag an am, ag freastalar iar-bhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge. Tógadh í le Gaeilge agus cé goraibh cumas maith Gaeilge aici d’éirigh a cumas sa Bhéarlaníos láidre ná a cumas Gaeilge de réir a chéile. Ar an iomlánba dhátheangach cothrom í.
Fuarthas amach ag aois 8 trí mheasúnú síceolaíochta go raibhdisléicse uirthi. D’fhreastail sí ansin ar scoil trí mheán na Béarlaina raibh aonad léitheoireachta le haghaidh dhá bhliain. Níraibh Gaeilge ar an gcuraclam mar ábhar sa scoil sin.
Chuaigh sí ar aghaidh chuig iar-bhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge inadhiaidh sin, áit ar thosaigh sí ag foghlaim dhá nuatheanga,Fraincis agus Gearmáinis. D’éirigh sí as na rangannaGearmáinise tar éis tamaill, áfach, chun freastal ar rangannatacaíochta. Ba iad na teangacha do ndearna sí staidéar orthuar scoil mar sin ná Gaeilge, Béarla agus Fraincis.
Reading
“Tá mé go breá á léamh i mo cheann ach nuair atáim ag léamh os ard is ansin a bhíonn an fhadhb agam”
(Aisling)
Observations on Reading
• Problem with decoding words• Slow reading rate• Much self-correction• Comprehension more advanced than
Accuracy and Rate• Difficulty across the three languages
Neale Analysis of Reading (Source: Learning Support Teacher)
Figure 1 NA Chronological Age 15.09 Accuracy Comprehension Rate Comments
Reading Age
11.05 12.08+ 11.05 68%confidence
Band 10.02 to 12.04
11+ 9.08 to 13.00
Writing
“Tá sí go maith ó bhéal ach ní éiríonn léi é a chur síos ar pháipéar”
(Learning support teacher)
Observations on Writing
Expresses herself better orally than in written work
Untidy handwriting and spelling errors can reduce legibility
Problems with organisation
Spelling Difficulties
“Uaireanta scríobhaim focail agus bíonn a fhios agam go bhfuil siad mícheart ach níl mé in ann
smaoineamh ar an litriú ceart” (Aisling)
“Bíonn sé deacair a idirdhealú a dhéanamh uaireanta idir an gramadach agus botúin litrithe”
(Irish Teacher)
“Ní dóigh liom go bhfuil aon fhadhbanna aici le gramadach i ndáiríre, baineann na fadhbanna le litriú”
(French Teacher)
Litriú Gaeilge
Fágann sí amach an h ag tús focal agus an comhartha iolra í ag deireadh focal
m.sh. mo baile (mo bhaile), cailín (cailíní)
Litríonn sí an focal céanna i mbealaí difriúla m.sh. aisleaní, aiseana (áiseanna) deilim,dulaim (d’fhoglaim)
• Litriú Foghraíochta m.sh. tres tact aras (tar éis teacht ar ais), ariget (arigead)
Litriú Gaeilge (ar lean)
Fágann sí amach litreacha i lár focal ach go háirithe nuair a thagann ghuta le chéile
m.sh. Chuigh sé (chuaigh sé), frisin (freisin)
• Deacrachtaí le taoilitreacha (silent letters) .i. nuair nach bhfuaimnítear an f nó fh
m.sh. go bhuil (go bhfuil), dan (d’fhan)
• Cuireann sí isteach litreacha míchuí m.sh. ibair (obair), sbriobh (scríobh)
• Meascann sí litriú Gaeilge agus Béarla m.sh. sail (saol), could (chuaigh)
English Spelling
She mixes up vowels and omits vowels especially when two vowels come together
e.g dose (does), hart (heart)
Phonetic Spelling e.g Patric Kavina (Patrick Kavanagh) wen (when) meens (means)
• She sometimes inserts a d instead of a softer consonant sound
e.g Wudering Hights (Wuthering Heights), admosfere (atmosphere)
English Spelling (Cont.)
When two consonants are together she will often leave out one
e.g attemps (attempts), afair (affair)
Three consonants together also pose problems
e.g lots of rabbit (lots of rabbits)
• She often spells the same word in several ways (even within the same writing piece)
e.g hosital, hospitail, hoispatal (hospital)
French Spelling
Adding inappropriate letters e.g il plelut (il pleut), le paitient (patient) Omitting letters within words e.g peite (petite), pisine (piscine) Phonetic Spelling e.g notic (nautique), music (musique) Writing letters in wrong order e.g un chein (un chien), le parnets (les
parents) • Difficulty with contiguous vowels e.g beacoup, beucoup, boutcoup (beaucoup)
Strengths in Coping with Dyslexia• Previously developed coping strategies• Self-awareness• High self-esteem and confidence• Systematic and methodical work ethic• Active learning style
Issues and Implications Review of Study Immersion
Education Dyslexia Across
Different Languages Foreign Language
Learning by the Bilingual Dyslexic
Approach to Teaching
Review of Study
• Moderate Dyslexia• Clear discrepancy between written and oral communication• Reading and Spelling Problems• Difficulties transcend all three
languages
Immersion Education
No indication in study that the immersion environment exacerbates difficulties for dyslexics in the mild to moderate deficit range
Immersion programmes can provide a fulfilling education for those with learning difficulties
Obstacles likely to be greater for dyslexics without an Irish language background
Need for comprehensive empirical investigation to fully support or refute the appropriacy of immersion education for those with learning difficulties.
Dyslexia Across Languages
Dyslexia usually (though not universally) transfers across the language constellation
Dyslexia manifests differently in different languages Orthographic variation contributes to the diversity
of literacy difficulties Some languages are seen as easier to learn than
others Most research on dyslexia has been conducted in
the English language or a monolingual setting Objective should be to identify typical reading,
writing and spelling difficulties characteristic of each language to arrive at language specific recommendations for assessment and remediation.
Foreign Language Learning by the Bilingual Dyslexic
The study of foreign languages is generally challenging for dyslexics
Students are not immersed in the L3 Based on a ‘continuum of need’ the pattern of
difficulties vary The linguistic system is widened both quantitatively and
above all, qualitatively Reading and writing abilities in the previous languages
rather than oral proficiency is linked to more efficient L3 acquisition
Dyslexia specialists generally agree that FLL should be encouraged
The Approach to Teaching
Challenge to advocates of a purely oral/aural approach
Importance of the reading and writing elements Support for the principles of direct instruction
and the Multisensory Structured Language (MLI) approach
Appreciation of the development of literacy in languages of different orthographies
Teaching and resources need to account for the target language’s specific linguistic features
Further Research
Title: Bi/Multilingualism, Literacy and Dyslexia in Post
Primary all-Irish Education (Phd research)Aim: To investigate the extent to which literacy acquisition is impeded by a specific learning difficulty among bi/multilingual acquisitors andthe overall consequences for language competency that accrue.Method: Collective Case Study
Key Research Questions
How does the study of dyslexia in all-Irish secondary schools contribute to our understanding of bi/multilingualism?
To what extent are the beneficial effects of bilingualism in third language learning undermined by the presence of dyslexia?
Do literacy problems transfer differently across the language constellation?
How can teaching and resources be effectively adapted to allow for these differences?
Key Research Questions (Cont.)
Are immersion students being adequately supported to maximise language learning development in a truly inclusive educational environment?
Are key aspects of literacy/language development being neglected and expectations lowered here due to the availability of exemptions in State exams?
Should the basis for granting a complete exemption from the study of Irish and/or a foreign language at second-level be also re-examined?
