January 2012 Dyslexia E-Newsletter
from Bright Solutions for Dyslexia
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January 2012 Dyslexia E-Newsletter from Bright Solutions for Dyslexia
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Summer Seminar - Screening for Dyslexia Screening for Dyslexia Susan Barton, one of America's leading experts in Dyslexia and AD/HD, will present only one professional development seminar this summer. She will be working on her book the rest of the summer. Screening for Dyslexia is an intense graduate-level 6-day seminar. It takes more than just test scores to accurately determine if a child has dyslexia. You must look at the entire child -- their genetic, developmental, and educational history; every prior testing report; their current strengths and weaknesses; and the results from 8 screening tools. Because dyslexia is so common, affecting 1 in 5 children, every private school should have someone who knows how to accurately screen for dyslexia. Screening is also extremely valuable for Reading or Learning Specialists, Speech-Language Therapists, and every Barton tutor. The University of San Diego offers optional college credit. ASHA CEUs are also available. We are "going green" this year, so we will not be printing or mailing brochures. Instead, click here to download our Summer Seminars brochure. Complete details are on pages 3 and 4. A registration form is on the last page. Or go to the Summer Seminars section of our website. For a list of professionals who can screen for dyslexia now, click here. New Book - Essentials of Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention Essentials of Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention This clear and concise book provides an in-depth look at dyslexia along with information that will prepare school psychologists, neuropsychologists, and educational diagnosticians to recognize, assess, and provide effective treatment programs for dyslexia. This book is also a good resource for parents or teachers who are helping a child with dyslexia. Susan Barton feels this new book, which quotes the latest research, is a "must have" and should be on every professional's bookshelf, right next to Dr. Sally Shaywitz's book, Overcoming Dyslexia. To order it online from Wiley, click here.
excerpt from Abnormality in auditory processing underlies dyslexia People with dyslexia often struggle with the ability to accurately decode and identify what they read. Although disrupted processing of speech sounds has been implicated in the underlying pathology of dyslexia, the basis for that disruption and how it interferes with reading has not been fully explained. Now, new research published by Cell Press in the December 22, 2011 issue of the journal Neuron finds that a specific abnormality in the processing of auditory signals accounts for the main symptoms of dyslexia. This new study shows that their left auditory cortex may be less responsive to modulations at specific frequencies that are optimal for analysis of speech sounds. To read the entire article, go to:
excerpt from NIH-funded study finds dyslexia is not tied to IQ Regardless of high or low overall scores on an IQ test, children with dyslexia show similar patterns of brain activity, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. The results call into question the discrepancy model -- the current practice of classifying a child as dyslexic on the basis of a lag between reading ability and IQ score. To read the entire article, go to:
excerpt from Study shows audiobooks help dyslexic students succeed For some students, trying hard just isn't enough. These students may be at a disadvantage because of widespread learning differences such as dyslexia or because of visual impairments. Studies show that for these students to succeed, an online audio library of textbooks and literature titles can make all the difference. Research by Johns Hopkins University and case studies in the Baltimore City Public Schools showed significant improvements in students who use audiobooks. Reading comprehension improved by 76 percent, content acquisition by 38 percent, reading accuracy by 52 percent and self-confidence by 61 percent. Learning Ally (formerly Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic) offers the world's most advanced library of accessible audiobooks. Parents can get an individual membership for their child. Institutional memberships are available for schools and districts. To read the entire article, go to: To apply for audiobooks, go to:
But Audiobooks are not needed after the right type of tutoring email from a parent tutoring her son My husband and I are truly amazed by the progress our 9-year-old son has made. In the past 13 months, he has gone from not being able to read to not being able to put books down. He is reading "Animorphs" at the moment, and he likes to read out loud to me on short drives. Recently he said to me, "I'm your live audio book!"
The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia Directed by Jamie Redford (son of Robert Redford), with the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, this brand-new movie was just accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. Hopefully, local movie theaters across the country will be showing it within a few months. To watch the movie's trailer, click here. Susan Barton has a collection of important YouTube videos on dyslexia. To view them, click here. If you get a security warning, click on No.
Barton tutors can now ask questions and get feedback from other Barton tutors around the world. This new Barton Tutors Group, which is moderated by Susan Barton, is open to anyone who uses the Barton Reading & Spelling System: parents, teachers, and professional tutors -- certified or not. To join, just click here, then click on Apply For Membership. There is a separate group for certified Barton tutors. It is not moderated by Susan Barton. In fact, Susan Barton just recently discovered it. If you are certified and wish to participate in that group, click here.
To stay up-to-date on new important laws, news stories, and other items in the field of dyslexia, follow Susan Barton on Facebook. Susan posts a new item every few days. Her Facebook page has only been up a few months, yet more than 2,000 people are already following it. To go to Susan Barton's Facebook page, click here.
Schools fail to teach many students to read National Assessment of Educational Progress Results The Nations Report Card for 2011, which reports the results of the NAEP (National Assessment for Educational Progress), shows stalled performance in 4th grade reading. "Proficient" means at grade level. 67% of 4th graders were below proficient (the same as in 2009). 76% of 8th graders were below proficient. To find a summary of your state's performance, go to:
Yet Barton Students Scores Improve email from a Certified Barton Tutor Logan just finished Level 10 of the Barton System. When we began tutoring about 3 years ago, his end-of-year state standards test for English-Language Arts was unscorable. This past spring, he scored near the top of the Advanced range, which is 400 - 600. His score was 558. Thanks to your incredible tutoring system, his dedicated family, and Logan (for always giving it his best), he has made tremendous strides. I am so proud to be part of his success.
To get a list of Certified Barton Tutors in your area, click here. But volunteers using the Barton Reading & Spelling System get similar results, as you will see in the following articles. Legacy Center for Community Success excerpt of data in United Way Grant Becky Manning and Richard Dolinski run the Legacy Center for Community Success, a non-profit literacy council in Midland, Michigan, in that serves both adults and children, most of whom have dyslexia. Their well-trained Barton volunteers are invited into local schools where they provide free one-on-one tutoring twice a week for struggling students. The data they collected for their United Way grant shows that in just 9 months of twice a week tutoring, those students had an average reading gain of 3.7 years! To view the Legacy Center data, click here. A detailed write-up of their program and their data will soon appear on the Barton Reading & Spelling System website. It will join the 14 other independent studies that prove the effectiveness of the Barton System. To view those 14 studies, click here. Kiwanis Club of Glendora is helping Stanton School Excerpt of article
by Lynn and Curt Seeden If it weren't for the Kiwanis Club of Glendora, California, dozens of children would still struggle with reading. Working with retired reading specialist Debi Damron and her Kiwanian husband Terry, the Kiwanis club began tutoring about 20 first- and second-graders with dyslexia. Debi Damron got the okay from Stanton School officials to bring in the Barton Reading & Spelling System, a one-on-one tutoring program designed to significantly improve children's spelling, reading and writing skills. Funds were not available for the school district to provide paid staff to do this. Each Kiwanis volunteer works with the same child for at least a semester, if not a full school year. Damron says there is a tremendous need among the students when it comes to learning to read. "Early intervention can make a tremendous difference in a child's life." To read the entire article, go to: Barton Volunteers Create Reading Magic excerpt from article by Michael Utsumi Volunteer Barton Tutors at Wells Middle School, in Dublin, California have been providing one-on-one Barton tutoring of students since 2005, thanks to a generous grant by Dublin Partners in Education and ongoing support from Wells Middle School PFC. Students in the program are referred by site staff or by their families. The tutoring takes place during first or second period two or three times a week. All Barton tutor volunteers must complete a minimum of 32 hours of formalized training. Some have gone up to 50 hours of training. This year, 15 volunteers work with 20 students. Diane Orton Johansson, who is certified in the Barton System, serves as the program coordinator not only at Wells Middle School, but also at Harvest Park and Thomas Hart Middle Schools in Pleasanton. She shared, "The reward for volunteers is to witness the transformation and growth of an individual student. It makes a very powerful difference in their lives." Her only wish is to have the Barton System at the elementary schools. To read the entire article, go to: Is it too late if a student is in high school? No. Watch this video of a student who did not get Barton tutoring until high school. To convince your principal to start an Early Intervention Program using volunteers as Barton tutors, show this video. To see the 10 steps schools use to set up an Early Intervention Program, click here.
Scotland provides Dyslexia Assessment Kits to all teachers excerpt of a press release from the Scottish Government Dyslexia Scotland received a grant from the government to bolster its online dyslexia toolkit for all teachers in Scotland. It guides teachers to not only identify, but also support, young people with dyslexia. The Scottish Government provided additional funding to run seminars across Scotland to raise awareness and understanding of this new resource. Universities involved in the initial teacher training in dyslexia include the University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde, University of Stirling, the Open University, University of Dundee, University of the West of Scotland, University of Aberdeen, and the University of Glasgow. To read the entire press release, go to:
Singapore Provides Dyslexia Tests to Teachers excerpt from article by Lim Yan Liang After a successful pilot program last year, an on-line test for dyslexia will be rolled out to more schools in Singapore next year. The Dyslexia Association of Singapore invited schools to partner with them at their annual conference. To read the entire article, go to:
excerpt of article by Denise Ryan Australia is 20 years behind Britain when it comes to diagnosing and treating dyslexia. That's the claim of the head of a UK company that supplies dyslexia screening software to about 25 percent -- or more than 8,000 -- British schools. This could be construed as self-interest, but Karen Starkiss, who runs Dyslexia Assessment and Support Service, was "horrified" to realize when she moved to Australia from Britain in 2006 that schools here offer almost no support. Britain introduced a special education code of practice in 1994 that encourages teachers to identify and treat dyslexia and other learning difficulties as soon as possible. To read the entire article, go to:
State of Washington Recognizes Dyslexia The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (in the state of Washington) just posted their 75-page Dyslexia Resource Guide. Its 3 goals are: 1. Build an understanding of the term dyslexia. 2. Learn how to identify students with dyslexia. 3. Support teachers and parents in educating students with dyslexia. In addition, it provides guidance for administrators in making the best educational decisions for Washington students with dyslexia. To read their new Dyslexia Resource Guide, click here. The Department of Education in three other states have also issued Dyslexia Resource Handbooks: Texas, Mississippi, and South Dakota.
Governors Declare October to be Dyslexia Awareness Month This year, the governors in Kentucky, Georgia, and South Carolina issued proclamations declaring October to be Dyslexia Awareness month. The governors of Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Illinois issued similar proclamations in prior years, as have the governors in the 10 states that currently have dyslexia laws. To read those state laws, click here.
Ohio Governor Signs Two Dyslexia Laws Ohio has become the latest state to pass a dyslexia law. In fact, they passed two dyslexia laws. House Bill 157, which passed in the House 97-0 and in the Senate 33-0, encourages Ohio's Educational Service Centers to hire dyslexia specialists to provide training for K-4 teachers to help them work effectively with dyslexic children. House Bill 96, which passed in the House 94-1 and in the Senate 33-0, establishes a pilot project to provide early screening and intervention services for children with risk factors for dyslexia, including low phonemic awareness. The state superintendent will select three school districts to participate: one in an urban setting, one in a suburban setting, and one in a rural setting. Any school district selected to participate may establish a partnership with a regional library or library system for purposes of the pilot project. The goal is to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of early reading assistance programs for children with risk factors for dyslexia and to evaluate whether those programs can reduce future special education costs. Governor Kasich signed both dyslexia bills into law on December 22, 2011.
Passionate Parents Can Change Schools and Laws excerpt from article by Justin Duke After her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, Phyllis Sparks quickly found out that many schools and legislators in Kentucky were not sure how to handle children with dyslexia. While experts at a private school for dyslexic children helped her son using an Orton-Gillingham program, Phyllis personally paid to have 4 teachers from her son's prior public school trained in that program. Those 4 teachers were so successful that Boone County Schools used federal stimulus money to have more than 100 teachers trained in Orton-Gillingham district-wide. Phyllis also founded the Kentucky branch of the International Dyslexia Association, and she is now working (along with many parents and teachers) to get dyslexia legislation passed in her state. In a comment she posted on Facebook, Phyllis shared, "I attended Susan Barton's summer seminar on Understanding Dyslexia in California. I would not have become the advocate that I am without the help of Susan Barton. I hope other parents will take the proper steps to help their child, and other children just like them." To read the entire article, click here. Susan Barton hopes to inspire everyone to reach out and help as many children with dyslexia as possible -- even if you can't save them all. That's why Susan loves to share the starfish story.
It can take years of hard work before schools change or laws get passed. But a child with dyslexia cannot wait. So parents must get their child the right type of help now by either enrolling their child in a private school that specializes in dyslexia, hiring a certified O-G tutor to work with their child after school, or tutoring their own child using the Barton Reading & Spelling System. Tutoring your own child is not the right option for every parent, but it can work extremely well, as this parent shared:
Some parents tutor their child after school, but others find it much easier to homeschool their child for a year or two -- to give their child time to catch up without daily frustration and teasing at school plus nightly homework wars. Susan Barton strongly supports homeschooling if the local public and private schools cannot meet a child's needs. That's why Susan created a free 30-minute on-line presentation for parents who homeschool using the Barton System -- or are thinking about it. To watch it, click here, and when asked, type in your first and last name.
Susan Barton created the following new items during the past few months: * Spelling Rule Picture Flashcards for Level 7 * Fluency Drills for Level 6 * More Extra Practice Pages for Level 4 Barton tutors can download those new items (and many others) for free from our Tutor Support website.
You may have heard the rumor that a Barton Tiles App for the iPad is being developed. It's true! Susan Barton demonstrated it at the International Dyslexia Association conference in November, and it will be available in a few months. She promises that this "totally awesome" app will be worth the wait. Updates and progress reports will be posted on the Tutor Support website and on Susan Barton's Facebook page.
Parents, professional tutors, and special ed teachers have asked Susan Barton for a list of activities a Barton student can do independently in the regular education classroom. If you would like that list of activities, click here, and type in your name, city, and state as the message.
Barton Tutor Certification Days: Before you can sign up, you must have taken at least 2 students all the way through Levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. To
learn more about the certification process,
watch this short video: Or go to: www.bartonreading.com/tutors.html#cert Beginning Level Tutor Certification Days (for Levels 1, 2, and 3) will be held on:
Advanced Level Tutor Certification Days (for Levels 4, 5, and 6) will be held on:
A Beginning and a Masters certification session may be held in San Francisco in May. Check
for updates by going to:
Susan Barton will be presenting on Dyslexia at this conference: Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association Conference
Susan Barton will be giving free 3-hour talks on Dyslexia across the United States: Columbia, Tennessee St. Petersburg, Florida Bayard, Nebraska Peru, Nebraska Little Rock, AR New presentations are added frequently. For the most up-to-date list, click here.
Susan Barton will conduct only one seminar during the summer of 2012: Screening for Dyslexia For detailed information on that seminar, click here.
Watch Susan Barton on these free on-line videos: Dyslexia:
Symptoms & Solutions Dyslexia:
Testing & Teaching Classroom
Accommodations for Dyslexic Students If you want to purchase them on DVD, click here to download the order form.
Barton Tutor Certification Days: Before you can sign up, you must have taken at least 2 students all the way through Levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. To
learn more about the certification process,
watch this short webcast: Or go to: www.bartonreading.com/tutors.html#cert Beginning Level Tutor Certification Days (for Levels 1, 2, and 3) will be held on:
Advanced Level Tutor Certification Days (for Levels 4, 5, and 6) will be held on:
A Beginning and a Masters certification session may be held in San Francisco in May. Check
for updates by going to:
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