[senco-forum] dyslexia

Hi again.

Hi again.

fMRI has clearly demonstrated that dyslexics have different brain function
when given tasks to do with converting phonemes to graphemes and vice
versa.  Duncan Milne summarises this very succinctly.  At the BDA conference
in 2004 Veronica Berninger also showed slides of fMRI of dyslexic brains
before and after intervention and the brain of the non dyslexic.  The
dyslexic brain was more active in the right hemisphere and less active in
the left hemisphere than the non-dyslexic brain prior to intervention.
Great for flying a plane, becoming an architect, an engineer, a graphic
designer etc...  not so good for reading and writing.  Interestingly, after
itervention the dyslexi brain was less active on the right side adn more
active on the left side alsthough both sides were still different from the
non dyslexic brain - again having more activity on the right and less on the
left thanthe non dyyslexic.

This lead s to two concluions abut intervention:

1

On Sat, Mar 8, 2008 at 6:40 AM, Paul and Philippa Bodien <bodien at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi again.
>
> fMRI has clearly demonstrated that dyslexics have different brain function
> when given tasks to do with converting phonemes to graphemes and vice
> versa.  Duncan Milne summarises this very succinctly.  At the BDA conference
> in 2004 Veronica Berninger also showed slides of fMRI of dyslexic brains
> before and after intervention and the brain of the non dyslexic.  The
> dyslexic brain was more active in the right hemisphere and less active in
> the left hemisphere than the non-dyslexic brain prior to intervention.
> Great for flying a plane, becoming an architect, an engineer, a graphic
> designer etc...  not so good for reading and writing.  Interestingly, after
> itervention the dyslexi brain was less active on the right side adn more
> active on the left side alsthough both sides were still different from the
> non dyslexic brain - again having more activity on the right and less on the
> left thanthe non dyyslexic.
>
> This lead s to two concluions abut intervention:
> 1
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 10:48 PM, julie cozens <juliecozens at yahoo.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> > Biff  - I found your posting really thought-provoking. Thank you for
> > 'wrestling with my statement' - I have done the same with many of yours!
> >
> >  I agree absolutely that assessment has to identify needs - I just dont
> > think it has to be about labels.
> >
> >  The question I am still wrestling with  is just how, exactly is
> > 'dyslexia' a good starting point?   How would this label in itself inform
> > what you do,  - what would you do differently for a 'dyslexic' pupil as
> > opposed to another struggling pupil who had presented similarly but who
> > didnt get the label?  For me, the label just isnt important - certainly not
> > when there is still no one agreed definition of dyslexia, and when it does
> > not in itself highlight a particular path of intervention.
> >
> >  By 'assessment through teaching and appropriately targeted support..' I
> > meant that there is no one- off  testing that EPs come in and do to 'assess
> > for dyslexia' . Its a process of promoting of high quality teaching, and a
> > careful evaluation of the pupil's response to it, and to increasingly
> > refined and individualised interventions over time. EPs and specialist
> > teachers support schools with this in many ways - and individual asssessment
> > is still likely to be one of them.
> >
> >    I agree that 'qualifying' rather than needing is a horrible notion -
> >  but I sometimes think this construct is maintained as much by the very
> > process of labelling as it is by mean LEAs.
> >
> >
> >  Julie
> >
> >
> > Biff Crabbe <ba at biffc.vispa.com> wrote:
> >  'My point was that this is assessment to inform intervention - not
> > assessment with a purpose of identifying 'dyslexics', or a special group
> > of
> > students who qualify for a particular type of support.'
> >
> > Julie - I have wrestled with this statement, but still hate it. In order
> > to
> > inform intervention, assessment has to identify needs. And the notion of
> > 'qualifying' for support (rather than simply 'needing' it) is definitely
> > an
> > LEA construct that schools have been forced to embrace.
> >
> > A few days back, Martin (Miles) asked the forum about ways in which
> > SENCOs
> > seek to use and deploy the EP resource.
> >
> > In my first few years as a SENCO I hoped to draw on the expertise of the
> > EP
> > in identifying the nature and scope of a child's needs, and we would
> > then
> > put our heads together to identify the type of support interventions
> > that
> > would meet the needs. The EP knew stuff that I didn't about the nature
> > of
> > children's learning difficulties; I learned to devise individual, small
> > group and curriculum-based support interventions. But it started with
> > the
> > EP making an assessment of the individual child's difficulties and
> > needs,
> > and this always involved (her) spending some time in the child's
> > company.
> > The more completely I could describe the child's difficulties initially,
> > the
> > more refined and focused the EP's assessment could be (and it might only
> > be
> > an observation of and a chat with the child).
> >
> > In later years (and with different EPs) more of the EP time came to be
> > allocated (by the LEA) to 'systemic' bits - assistance in understanding
> > and
> > completing the latest new whizz of a paperwork scheme for 'monitoring',
> > looking at 'criteria' for placement at a particular support stage,
> > moderation processes etc. There was more discussion about longer lists
> > of
> > children (and the longer the list, the shorter each segment of the
> > discussion). Inexorably, less and less time was spent by the EP with
> > children.
> >
> > You say that, 'we promote a careful process of assessment through
> > teaching
> > and appropriately targeted support for any pupil who needs it.' And
> > therein
> > lies a summary of the change in the role. What is 'assessment through
> > teaching', and who is carrying out the assessment that the EP is
> > 'promoting'?
> >
> > As to your previous message about the usefulness of 'dyslexia' as a
> > label
> > (long discussion issue that has cropped up often on the forum), I'd
> > still
> > find it more useful as a starting point than 'shares some of the same
> > difficulties as the common or garden poor reader'.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Biff Crabbe
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "julie cozens"
> > To: "senco forum"
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 9:11 PM
> > Subject: Re: [senco-forum] dyslexia - screening/testing/assessment
> >
> >
> > Hello Phillipa
> >
> > I have a copy of your book and I have heard about your successful work
> > in
> > Dubai.
> > I am also aware of Martin Turners work.
> >
> > I certainly didnt mean to give the impression in my posting that we
> > never
> > assess children in Devon! I did say in my email that we promote a
> > careful
> > process of assessment through teaching and appropriately targeted
> > support
> > for any pupil who needs it.
> >
> > My point was that this is assessment to inform intervention - not
> > assessment with a purpose of identifying 'dyslexics', or a special group
> > of
> > students who qualify for a particular type of support.
> >
> > Hope this clarifies
> >
> > best wishes
> >
> > Julie
> >
> >
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