Supporting Children with Dyslexia

I thought this was a great course with relevant information as well as great examples of implementation strategies. Very well thought out and presented in an engaging format.

This is a lengthy course, but well worth it. I will be using this as a reference with many kids.

I would strongly recommend this course. It provided so many activities and excellent resources. I have completed many continuing education activitites and have to say this was one of my favorites! :-) 

This is an ambitious course with lots of detailed content. I liked the beginning of the course with the signs of dyslexia divided into the different age ranges of preschool through adult. For me these suggested specific children I have worked with that exhibited these signs. It was very helpful to have the DSM-5 criteria and the prevalence statistics. The section on the SLP's role was thorough and used the ASHA practice portal appropriately.Section 4 on phonics was a very good explanation of phonemic versus phonological with great examples of the 5 things children must master to learn the written language. l thought section 5, Reading, was the most comprehensive and practical of all the sections. There were good explanations all the way through with plenty of teaching suggestions and suggested resources. 1 especially liked the What Works Clearinghouse with all the evidence-based information to help support curriculum and resource reviews. The spelling section was helpful with the basic protocol suggested by University of Michigan. Then the section went on to discuss teaching specifics in phonics, semantics, morphology, with so many examples of teaching strategies and activities. This section gave so much direction on how to approach spelling as part of reading instruction. This is an area that 1 feel most SLP's really don't have much knowledge and have left it up to the classroom teacher. Explanations here made it clear how reading and spelling instruction needs to be coordinated for a child who is significantly challenged in language and reading. The writing section was another huge amount of information covering a wide age range of strategies. I like that it started with strategies to improve handwriting and then moved into the writing process. Many of the school aged children I work with are ready for the writing process, but their writing is so slow and laborious that it does not seem like there is enough time in a therapy session to move through what needs to be covered. It is a good reminder that as SLPs we too can support and teach good handwriting skills. This section went on with many good examples of graphic organizers, templates, rubrics, and strategies to support writing. I thought section 8 with the flip side strengths and weaknesses gave lots of things to contemplate when l am considering an individual child, observing, and determining their strengths and weaknesses. Section 9 was loaded with strategies to use in the classroom and in therapy sessions. I like that there were plenty of hyperlinks in the technology section to immediately investigate those resources. I thought the parent section had practical suggestions as well as many ways to support emotional growth for children. This course provided an excellent comprehensive introduction to dyslexia. After reading through all the sections with specifics on teaching reading, phonics, spelling, and writing, it brings home just how much a student learns in his/her years in school. Then I am reminded once again how much harder our children with language and reading challenges must work to gain that same knowledge.

I thought this was a great course with relevant information as well as great examples of implementation of strategies. Very well thought out and presented in an engaging format.