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Conference Proposal
Conference Proposal
Conference Proposal
Presentation Format: 10-15 minute recorded oral presentation with round-table discussion on
Abstract: Although dyslexia was first written about over a century ago, it continues to perplex
teachers. Despite the research available, misconceptions about what dyslexia affects persist in
everyday classrooms. As a result, the window for early identification of dyslexia is often missed
and the knowledge of effective interventions is unknown. Join me today for a quick overview of
the biggest misconception, identification, and effective interventions for students with dyslexia.
Content (This is the literature review justification for your presentation. Your audience is
the proposal reviewers who want to know your presentation is evidence-based. 750-1000
words):
● The Literature Review should be in APA format with a cover page and references
● Cover page content and References are NOT included in the 750-1000 words
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Nahibi Kauffman
April 2, 2023
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In recent years, students’ ability to read has reached a record low. Currently, only 36%
of fourth-grade students are reading at a proficient level (Jones, et al, 2019). Dyslexia, a
condition in which reading skills are affected due to low performance in phonological awareness
and phonics, is diagnosed in one in five students (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, n.d.; Thorwarth, 2014 ).
Although dyslexia has been a known condition for decades, it has recently become prominent
enough for teachers and specialists to pay closer attention. With the high percentage of
students diagnosed with dyslexia, reading difficulties go beyond the typical struggles of learning
to read. Early identification coupled with successful interventions can turn the distressing
statistics around and change the course for struggling readers. However, one challenge
persists: Teachers continue to believe in misconceptions despite the research debunking them.
language comprehension and weak reading skills independent of one’s intelligence (Kilpatrick,
2015). Put simply, a student’s ability to identify and manipulate sounds and master the letter-
sound relationship is affected, thus affecting their sight word vocabulary skills and their ability to
decode words (Kilpatrick, 2015; Lindstorm, 2019; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, n.d.). However, letter
reversals and the use of colored overlays are both among the biggest misconceptions about
dyslexia that have been dispelled. These notions presume dyslexia is a visual rather than a
language condition, despite scientists debunking this myth in the 1970s (Gonzalez & Brown,
2019; Kilpatrick 2015). Letter and number reversals are quite common in children beginning
school. However, the misconception of reverals being the indicative sign of dyslexia has made it
into mainstream knowledge. (Gonzalez and Brown 2019). The problem with believing dyslexia is
caused by a visual disorder is the implementation of instruction to aid a visual and not a
language problem.
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(Shaywitz & Shaywitz, n.d.). Although science has advanced the understanding of this
condition, there continues to be a gap between research and practice. Lawmakers are striving
to make this knowledge more accessible to the public. 47 states have passed legislation to
either provide teacher training, handbooks or resources for parents and teachers, or, in a more
aggressive approach, screening for all students for dyslexia (Gonzalez, 2021; Kaye et al.,
2022). In identifying students with dyslexia, the following characteristics can lead to a student
suspected of having reading difficulty, and more specifically dyslexia: students struggling with
learning the sounds of letters, manipulating sounds, decoding words, reading comprehension,
or word retrieval, despite appropriate instruction. (Wines, 2002; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, n.d.)
There are two things to note: This is not an exhaustive list of symptoms of dyslexia, and
therefore any student suspected of having a reading difficulty should be assessed. Secondly, a
student with dyslexia will display these or other persisting symptoms over time, despite
appropriate instruction, leading to a disruption in their learning (Wines, 2002). Teachers must
be well-versed in common symptoms and avoid misconceptions that have been made popular.
Although dyslexia was first written about over a century ago (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, n.d.),
knowledge of dyslexia and effective interventions continue to puzzle teachers. Along with being
able to identify common symptoms of dyslexia, teachers must be equally knowledgeable in the
successful implementation of the best practices. It is important to note that the reading formula
to teach students with and without dyslexia is not different. However, the biggest difference in
instruction is the intensity, frequency, and explicitness of instruction (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, n.d.).
Furthermore, the use of the Orton-Gilingam approach to reading has been proven to be
successful in aiding students with dyslexia. This approach, which was developed in the 1930s,
combines direct and frequent reading instruction with a multi-sensory approach (Orton-
Gilingham, 2023). When learning is coupled with a tactile approach, students are more engaged
One example of this approach is known as phoneme manipulation with tiles. Phoneme
refers to the smallest unit of sound. To accomplish this task, a teacher lays four to five different
color tiles in a row and pulls a tile out of the group for each phoneme in a word she gives the
student. In the word din, the teacher would pull three tiles, each corresponding to the sounds
heard- /d/ /i/ /n/. The manipulation part of the task is applied by replacing the first tile, previously
representing /d/ with a different color tile from the initial row, and naming it a different phoneme
like /ch/. Now the student is tasked with replacing the word din with the word chin without
reading the word and instead working on their phonological awareness skills.
Illiteracy has become a national crisis exposed by harrowing statistics. Different factors
have been combined to account for the problems surrounding dyslexia. Gaps between research
and practice, misconceptions about dyslexia, and inappropriate interventions all contribute to
the demise of reading in the United States. Knowledge of best practices has been around since
the 1970s, but information is not easily made available to teachers. Unfortunately, teachers are
tasked with finding what should be common knowledge, life-changing information in specialized
courses, professional developments, and even post-graduate studies. Until all educators are
equipped with the knowledge of the science of reading, vulnerable students will continue to
suffer in school.
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References
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-021-00235-z
Gonzalez, M., & Brown, T. B. (2019). Early childhood educators' perceptions of dyslexia and
ability to identify students at-risk. Journal of education and learning, 8(3), 1-12.
Kaye, E. L., Lozada, V, & Briggs, C. (2022) Early identification of and intervention for children
with and without dyslexia characteristics: A comparison study. Literacy Research and
Jones, A. L., Holtgraves, T. G., & Sander, J. B. (2019). Attitudes and knowledge of future
https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2018.1490842
Wiley.
gillingham.com/orton-gillingham-and-
dyslexia/#:~:text=The%20Orton%2DGillingham%20approach%20is,%2C%20writing%2
C%20and%20language%20skills
https://www.coursera.org/learn/dyslexia/home/welcome
Thorwarth, C. (2014). Debunking the myths of dyslexia. ERIC. Retrieved February 24, 2023,
from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1088548
https://msutexas.edu/academics/education/dyslexia/_assets/files/dyslexia-facts.pdf
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