Teaching Students with Disabilities

Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a disability with a wide range of characteristics that differ in severity. It is a
syndrome that is referred to as a specific learning difficulty because the learner has areas of
ability and strengths, which, if channeled properly, can lead to a student’s success (Waterfield,
2018). It is a disability that has a neurological basis. It is a disability that is characterized by
problems with fluent or accurate recognition of words. Learners also have poor decoding and
spelling abilities. The difficulties can be attributed to a deficit in the phonological component of
the language. This deficit requires special intervention and accommodation. Secondary impacts
of dyslexia range from reduced reading experience to difficulties in reading comprehension
(Maskati et al., 2021). This can affect a learner’s reading experience and can impede background
knowledge and the growth of vocabulary.
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition and a learning disability characterized by writing
difficulties and specific reading difficulties. It is a multi-faceted and often complicated disability
that affects many people in different ways. Research has shown that rarely are two people with
dyslexia affected the same way (Maskati et al., 2021). In most cases, each individual encounters
different symptoms from the other. When a student has dyslexia, they face difficulties
remembering information they see or hear. They also take a long time to acquire certain life
skills such as speaking, reading, and writing (Maskati et al., 2021). They need help to develop
new skills, interact with other people or even connect information.
Dyslexia is a language-related disability that encompasses a number of difficulties.
Learners with dyslexia may have problems with single word decoding as well as problems that

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relate to spelling and writing. The disability is often associated with students that have average to
above-average cognitive abilities (Witzel & Mize, 2018). Teachers thus find it difficult to
understand why the learners have difficulties in reading and writing, given their cognitive
abilities. Evidence-based education practices that work for the general population can not work
for learners with dyslexia (Maskati et al., 2021). Since no cure exists, there is a need to ensure
that targeted interventions help the learners overcome their learning disabilities. Changes in the
legal regimes mean that there is a need for educators to understand dyslexia deeply. The
implication is all learners who are identified to have dyslexia must receive the appropriate
intervention early enough.
Understanding dyslexia is important in helping learners with disability. Learners with
dyslexia struggle with reading and math. Research indicates that many learners fall below-
average proficiency in reading and mathematics (Witzel & Mize, 2018). The statistics tell a tale
of a problematic education sector where despite efforts put by educators and policymakers, the
scores are still below average for many learners (Witzel & Mize, 2018). The situation is
compounded by the fact that there has been a rise of learners who have been identified to have
dyslexia.
Dyslexia is often used interchangeably with difficulty in learning. The biggest problem
that dyslexia students encounter is difficulty in coding as well as poor reading and
comprehension. The implication is that learners with dyslexia need to get the much-needed
support in decoding unknown words (Witzel & Mize, 2018). They must be shown how to divide
a word into syllables. Learners with dyslexia also need to be shown how to read and comprehend
common prefixes as well as suffixes. It is important to teach these learners helpful tips such as
task analysis. This means that the tasks ahead need to be broken down into small steps, and as a

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result, the learners will have a better understanding of the small steps required to complete the
tasks. When reading, learners should be encouraged to identify words that they are unable to
read. This is a process that will ensure that learners make small steps and progress towards
learning.
Supporting Students with Dyslexia
Dyslexia affects the development of literacy skills. It tends to be resistant to conventional
instructional methods. Thus, students require special intervention, supportive counseling, and the
application of information to learn normally in regular classrooms (Maskati et al., 2021). The
law mandates that learners with disabilities should be supported through having specially
designed instruction. Dyslexia is a reading disability. According to Coyne and Koriakin (2017),
students with dyslexia require intensive and explicit instruction, specifically in areas of phonics
and phonemic awareness. Teaching students with dyslexia entails organized, cumulative,
unambiguous, well-designed, and multisensory. The instruction should be inclusive of cognitive
clarifications that simplify the structure of language for easier comprehension.
In the classroom, I would support students with dyslexia by focusing first on the most
basic relationship level. By doing this, the aim will be to introduce the learner first to basic
language structures before proceeding to larger-unit phonics. For instance, I would start first by
introducing the sound-symbol relationships. When the learner has mastered this, then instruction
will progress smoothly to other orthographic patterns such as igh and ar. Then instruction will
move to morphology, and this will include prefixes, suffixes, and roots when instruction
progresses from simple to more complex language structures. This style and the adoption of
high-leverage practices (HLPs) will help in emphasizing intensive and explicit instruction that
incorporates the use of these practices (Witzel & Riccomini, 2019). This will help ensure that

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students learn from known to unknown and from simple to complex language concepts,
consequently enhancing their reading abilities.
Another way to provide instruction and support for students with dyslexia is to be clear,
direct, and focused during instruction. The most vital tool when dealing with students with
dyslexia is time. Thus, the most meaningful support is giving them ample time to make
meaningful connections and be in a position to fully process new information. By giving the
students adequate time, they will be able to learn new material at their own pace and produce
high-quality time. They will be able to master learning standards. Time is a simple form of
accommodation. It allows students to try, repeat and complete a task multiple times until they get
it correctly. When such a student is in a regular classroom, they will need extra time more than
what their students are allowed. This simple accommodation will help them comprehend and be
able to practice and accomplish tasks that they would otherwise not be able to complete within
the normal time allocated to other students.
Another tool that I will use in the classroom is strategic intervention. According to
Peterson and Pennington (2019), intervention is the most effective tool when dealing with
students that need accommodation. It is effective when provided to a small group of students and
on a one-on-one basis. Interventions that are successful tend to emphasize phonics instructions. It
also includes training in phonological awareness. The strategic intervention that I will provide
will entail supported reading based on the specific needs of the learner. Since dyslexia presents
itself in different ways and learners encounter different challenges, the best intervention is one
that is specific to the needs of the students. For instance, providing support in writing exercises if
this is the area where the student struggles with and increasing support in reading connected text.
Additionally, by incorporating comprehension strategies, the learner will enhance their reading

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abilities and be able to read even large texts and get the connection between them. These
interventions are important regardless of the level of the student. By providing one-on-one
intervention, I will help the learner address and master the specific skills which they have
difficulties mastering.
Use of tools that foster reading. While learners with dyslexia do not struggle with vision,
they would benefit a lot from the use of resources and tools such as bookmarkers. A bookmarker
is useful for all students. However, when used by a student with dyslexia, they are able to keep
track of what they are reading. Since these learners tend to be easily distracted, the bookmarkers
will help ensure that they do not get distracted by others writing on the same page that they are
reading (Allen, 2020). The point is that students with dyslexia will learn and read differently than
those without disabilities. Therefore, even simple tools can go a long way in helping them
overcome certain hurdles that affect them but that are non-issues to other students without
disabilities.
Further, the multisensory approach entails using more than one sensory approach to input
information. I would use this approach when dealing with dyslexic students by employing
kinesthetic-tactile, visual, and auditory activities during instruction. The use of multiple activities
will allow students with dyslexia to be more actively involved during language instruction. Using
the Orthon Gillingham approach, it will be possible to help students with writing, reading, and
spelling difficulties (Allen, 2020). The use of multiple senses enhances storage as well as
retrieval of information. It is thus an effective approach when dealing with students with
disability.
Overall, students with dyslexia have normal intelligence. The disability does not affect
their intelligence. Dyslexia poses reading struggles, but this does not mean that they cannot

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function at a higher level. Most students that have dyslexia know that they struggle with reading,
a task that their peers perform with ease. The best support would be to allow ample time and
ensure that there are special and specific interventions that will help these students achieve the
standards without necessarily holding them back and asking them to feel inferior to their peers.
As a teacher, making simple accommodations would go a long way in ensuring that the students
get the support that they need to overcome the challenges. The aim is to ensure that these
learners are at per in other subjects simply because they have difficulties with spelling and
reading. Accommodations such as giving the students more time than their peers to complete
teaks and allocating more reading tests would be effective in helping them overcome their
challenges. Additionally, using accommodative tools such as bookmarks would help these
students overcome their challenges and perform effectively.

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References

Allen, H. E. (2020). Understanding dyslexia: Defining, identifying, and teaching. Illinois
Reading Council Journal, 38(2), 20-26.
Coyne, M. D., & Koriakin, T. A. (2017). What do beginning educators need to know about
intensive reading interventions? Teaching Exceptional Children, 49(4), 239–248.
Maskati, E., Alkeraiem, F., Khalil, N., Baik, R., Aljuhani, R., & Alsobhi, A. (2021). Using
Virtual Reality (VR) in Teaching Students With Dyslexia. International Journal of
Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 16(9), 291-305.
Peterson, R. L., & Pennington, B. F. (2019). Developmental dyslexia. The lancet, 379(9830),
1997-2007.
Waterfield, J. (2018). Dyslexia: Implications for learning, teaching and support. Planet, 6(1), 22-
24.
Witzel, B. S., & Riccomini, P. J. (2019). Optimizing math curriculum to meet the learning needs
of students. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth,
52(1), 13-18.
Witzel, B., & Mize, M. (2018). Meeting the Needs of Students with Dyslexia and
Dyscalculia. SRATE journal, 27(1), 31-39.