Candidate Profile

Alysson McDonald

Special Topics in Literacy

Diverse Reading
Literacy Concept Compendium

Profiles
Assessments
Interventions
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Candidate
Profile
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___________________________________________________________________

My name is Aly McDonald and I am a Teacher

Candidate at Georgia College. I am looking
forward to working together over the next few
weeks to explore the world of reading and
writing with you! It’s going to be a blast!
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Reflection:
Questions for further research:
What are some things teachers should be looking for
when trying to decide if a student may have a learning
disability? How do you decide which assessment you
should give a student? Do students with hindrances like
dyslexia need special accommodations with state testing?
When teaching, I find it most challenging to know what
I am doing is working and if students are actually
understanding and learning.
I do know that teachers can screen students for things
like dyslexia through assessments, but I feel like I need
to know next how to do that. How do you give
assessments? What do you do with the data?

___________________________________________________________________
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Diverse Reading
Profiles
Dyslexia 🔙 to divider

What is it?

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability

that is neurobiological in origin. It is
characterized by difficulties with accurate
and/or fluent word recognition and by
poor spelling and decoding abilities. These
difficulties typically result from a deficit in
the phonological component of language
that is often unexpected in relation to
other cognitive abilities and the provision
of effective classroom instruction."

https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instr
uction-and-Assessment/Special-Education
-Services/Pages/Dyslexia.aspx

Dyslexia handbook:
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3A
aaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A136f9f92-a936-4b55-a907-772
59a5670cc#pageNum=1
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Common Misconceptions: 🔙 to divider
Dysgraphia vs. Dyscalculia: 🔙 to divider

What is it Dysgraphia?
“This is a nervous system problem that affects the fine motor
skills needed to write. It makes it hard for a child to do
handwriting tasks and assignments.”
“Kids with dysgraphia have unclear, irregular, or inconsistent
handwriting, often with different slants, shapes, upper- and
lower-case letters, and cursive and print styles. They also
tend to write or copy things slowly.“
https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/dysgrap
hia-facts#1

What is Dyscalculia?
“Kids with dyscalculia may lose track when counting. They
may count on their fingers long after kids the same age have
stopped doing it. They may find it hard to know at a glance
how many things are in a group -- a skill called "subitizing"
that helps you see a 5 and a 3 after you roll the dice, without
really counting.”

“Even their basic understanding of numbers, or “number

sense,” may not work well. This can make it hard to quickly
tell, for example, if the number 8 is a bigger number than 6.
A child with dyscalculia also may have a lot of anxiety about
numbers. For example, they may panic at the thought of math
homework.”
https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/dyscalcu
lia-facts#1
Learning Disorders Resources:
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Resources:

- “Learning Disorders in Children”

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelop
ment/learning-disorder.html
- “Detecting Learning Disabilities”
https://www.webmd.com/children/guide/d
etecting-learning-disabilities#1
- “Dyscalculia: A Day in the Life of a Teen
with Dyscalculia”
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-th
inking-differences/child-learning-disabilities
/dyscalculia/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-teenager-
with-dyscalculia?fbclid=IwAR17ycggffZth
CyUktyf-y9cKnN49YoHtkpn3rZzx5kOjYx
RBZVlBAypDHE
Learning Disorders Resources:
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https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/learni
ng-disorder.html
Sensitivity Issues: 🔙 to divider

Attention or Sensory Processing Issues:

What is it?

“An over or under sensitivity to sensory input such as sights,

sounds, flavors, smells and textures.”
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-difference
s/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd/the-difference-between
-sensory-processing-issues-and-adhd

Signs to look for…

Oversensitivity:

- Has trouble focusing; can’t filter out distractions

- Dislikes being touched
- Notices sounds and smells that others don’t
- Has meltdowns, runs off, or becomes upset in noisy, crowded places
- Worries about safety even when there’s no real danger
- Has difficulty with new routines, new places and other change
- Shifts and moves around, can’t get comfortable
- Is very sensitive to the way clothing feels

Under Sensitivity:

- Constantly needs to touch people or things

- Has trouble gauging others’ personal space
- Seem clumsy or uncoordinated
- Shows a high tolerance for pain
- Plays roughly and takes physical risks
Speech and Language Delays: 🔙 to divider

What is it?

“Speech and language problems differ, but often overlap.

For example:

A child with a language delay might say words well but

only be able to put two words together.
A child with a speech delay might use words and phrases
to express ideas but be hard to understand.”
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/not-talk.html

Communication Milestones Resources:

“Communication: Know the Basics”

https://pathways.org/topics-of-development/communicati
on/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZrhSvTae
VH0TaDXjE9yOM4yfcBErrDEyxx7AyR54NJnfB0j8gE
zK6RoCTtMQAvD_BwE

“Speech and Language Developmental Milestones”

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language
Social and Emotional Developmental Delays:
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“It is common for children with developmental delays to
have difficulty with social and emotional skills. For
example, they may have trouble understanding social cues,
initiating communication with others, or carrying on
two-way conversations. They may also have difficulty
dealing with frustration or coping with change.”

https://nyulangone.org/conditions/developmental-delays-i
n-children/types#:~:text=It%20is%20common%20for%2
0children,frustration%20or%20coping%20with%20chang
e.

Social and Emotional Milestones:

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=y
our-childs-social-and-emotional-development-1-4521

Some of these milestones include:

● Age 4 children should play interactively with others, often assuming the
role of "Mommy" or "Daddy." Play starts to involve fantasy and games
that have made-up rules. Children should have enough self-control to
negotiate through conflicts.
● Age 5 children may be concerned more about friends than Mommy and
Daddy and know the difference between boys and girls. Children should
enjoy activities like singing, dancing, and acting.
Paraphrased from Social and Emotional Milestones resource.
Autism: 🔙 to divider

What is it?
“Autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability that
generally appears before the age of 3”
“Autism impacts the normal development of the brain in
the areas of social interaction, communication skills, and
cognitive function. Individuals with autism typically have
difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social
interactions, and leisure or play activities.”
Autism Facts and Stats:
https://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-fa
ct-sheet/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsLWDBhCmARIsAPSL3_0tt
YwJ4NqlDeHqUR7mZMEC9ZvyjoVd_VyiQ5snixMT_Q
NoKDwdCaIaAqvCEALw_wcB
Resources:
- “17 Tips for Teaching High Functioning Students
With Autism”
https://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autis
m-fact-sheet/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsLWDBhCmARIsAP
SL3_0ttYwJ4NqlDeHqUR7mZMEC9ZvyjoVd_VyiQ
5snixMT_QNoKDwdCaIaAqvCEALw_wcB
- “Learning Styles and Autism”
https://www.autism.org/learning-styles-autism/
- “Supporting Students with Autism”
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/supporting-st
udents-autism-10-ideas-inclusive-classrooms
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Formative Literacy
Assessments
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There are many types of assessments! Assessments

help us know where students are currently and how
they need to grow. Here are some examples of
some helpful assessments.
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Interest Inventories help you get to

know the student and their feelings
about reading and writing.
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Interventions
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Make sure to choose the strategy that

works best for your student!
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