Happy Better Speech and Hearing Month everyone!  This month is all about promoting better communication skills as well as an understanding of the field of Speech-Language Pathology.  I imagine many of you have wondered how speech and language skills impact a child within the classroom which is why we have created this little graphic for you!  If you find it helpful, please share with others!

Dear Hyperion Families,

I learned something important recently. Well, I learned multiple things of importance, but there is one particular piece of learning that I feel applies to many of you.

Backstory-  I live in a house that was built in 1880. It is thought to originally have been a boarding house for the immigrants who built the trolley tracks running behind it and eventually became my great grandparents farmhouse. It has been in my family ever since.

Back to the present day- It is a cold, drafty house in need of some new windows. My husband and I have many skills, but home repair skills aren’t one of them. So, we called some professionals. Therefore on a cool Friday in October, two men in their early thirties showed up, took a look at our windows, made a diagnosis, and then attempted to share their findings with us. I say they “attempted” because they didn’t do it well.  I only understood about every other word. They used terms and acronyms like “low E glass”, “IGU”, "buttering" and "casement". I stared blankly and nodded like I understood. I felt inadequate and undereducated. When I reflected later, I realized that I should have asked them to define terms, explain, and slow down.  

Fast forward to 2 days later-  I attended school meeting for one of our students here at Hyperion Language and Learning Services.  I sat there and listened while the school professionals spoke about a “prior written notice” and of the student’s "present level of performance", "lexile levels", and "orthographic processing abilities”.  As a professional who has worked in schools for the past 12 years I easily followed the conversation and thought nothing of it.  That is until I looked over at the parents. They stared blankly and nodded like they understood.

The realization that I probably use terms that our families don't understand on a daily basis hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was making people feel exactly how the window repair men made me feel. The lack of understanding does not happen because a parent isn’t properly educated, doesn’t care, or is lacking anything at all.  The terms are being tossed around like popcorn because when we work within a specific field, be it education or window repair, we use the lingo so easily and effortlessly.

As a result of my window repair experience, it really hit home how important it is for me to change the language I use, slow down, and explain terms.  To all of you wonderful parents and caregivers, if I (or another educational professional) am using terms or sharing information about your child that you don't understand, please please please feel empowered to ask for definitions, explanations, and clarifications.  I know I should have done just that with the window repair men!  In the following weeks I will be posting several articles covering specific terms related to Individualized Education Plans, evaluations, and academic performance so stay tuned!   Thanks for reading and reach out if you need help navigating your student's educational plan!

Sincerely,
Emily

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Hello! So today we will be finishing our blog discussion on dyslexia by discussing some ways you and your student’s teachers can help them overcome some of the challenges they face daily. These are simple accommodations that give them the opportunity to reach their full potential in the classroom as well as at home when they are doing homework!

• Extra Time

    Students with Dyslexia are typically not fluent or efficient readers however they have great intelligence and thinking skills.  Therefore, extra time is required for them to decode words, use context clues, and apply their thinking skills in order to complete an assignment to the best of their ability.  

• Quiet Space

Outside noise can be distracting to anyone while they are trying to focus. A calm, quiet space where the student’s mind is allowed to fully focus on the work at hand could make a world of difference in the comprehension and quality of the work. Don’t have the space?  Try a pair of noise cancelling headphones!

• Recorded Texts

    Having an audio version of a book or classroom text to use in conjunction with the written word often helps students access the content of what they need to know without getting bogged down in the painstaking process of decoding text.  Resources to look into include BookShare and Learning Ally. Some students are finding books on YouTube as well!

• Speech-to-text Software

    Completing written assignments can be a daunting task for those students with Dyslexia. There are many apps available where the student is able to dictate their work, then go back proofread. This could save loads of time, stress and anxiety for these students especially when it comes to homework! You might try an extension called Google Read and Write.  Kami is another wonderful Google extension.

• Essay Tests

    On a multiple choice test the student must be able to decode every word in the question in order to answer correctly.  These are also typically very black-and-white responses. By providing an essay test, a student with Dyslexia is able to use context and is more likely to be able to demonstrate his or her understanding, knowledge, creativity, and high level of thinking abilities.

• Text-to-Speech Software

     There are many apps that will read text aloud like NaturalReader and Google Read and Write.. These apps and extensions will read audio books, emails, web pages etc. so that the student can listen to or read along with the spoken words. To be able to use this for handouts in the classroom, your child would need a tablet/computer and their teacher would need to email the information prior to the lesson.

• Access to Recorded Lectures

    Many teachers willing to go the extra mile for their students. Asking your student’s teacher to pre-record the lecture or an audio recording of them explaining a handout could be a great tool to help with comprehension in the classroom.

• Notes Provided Prior to the Class

    By having notes prior to the class, a student is able to preview words he or she isn’t able to read or pronounce.  A parent or tutor can review the content prior the lesson by talking it out which is usually a more beneficial way of learning for students with reading and writing challenges.  

This is not an exhaustive list by far but a good step in the right direction for many students.  If you need help determining specific accommodations that may benefit your student reach out to us today at [email protected]! ​

Hi all! So, today we are going to continue our discussion on Dyslexia. We have discussed what Dyslexia is and how it is diagnosed (if you missed it, click here to catch yourself up!) Today, we will be talking about what happens after the diagnosis?

So, your child has received a diagnosis of Dyslexia. The question is now-  how do we “treat” it?  Well, unfortunately there is no pill to swallow that provides a cure.  However, with the right type of intervention those with Dyslexia can make huge gains in the areas of reading, spelling, writing, and language.

Now, you’re probably asking yourself these questions: “Where do I go for the right type of intervention? How do I know the proposed program is going to work for MY child?” While there is no one specific program identified as the “gold standard” for teaching students to read, all programs should fit within several guidelines and be provided at an appropriate frequency and duration.  

We here at Hyperion follow the guidelines set by The International Dyslexia Association which supports a “structured literacy approach”.  A structured literacy approach stresses that it is important the student receives systematic (logical order: easiest to hardest), direct (student/teacher interaction), and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, spelling, sight words and comprehension and also receives practice in these skills in order to develop fluency (Shaywitz, 2003).  Unless testing showed that the student had average skills in one (or more) of those areas, it should be worked on during intervention.

In addition to these guidelines, there is a consensus that instruction be multisensory which means that the student is given visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic learning opportunities. By using multisensory techniques catered to each individual child, there is a much greater understanding of concepts.

We know that finding support and interventions for your child can be scary and overwhelming, but remember that we are here to help!

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