Literacy Now

Wordless picture books are great for English language learning classrooms. Those with a limited grasp of the language can create their own stories using the images on the page. The books promote storytelling as everyone can add to the illustrations they see.

Chronicle Books lists the following reasons why wordless books are so important:

• Emergent readers can generate a story based on the images they see.

• Early readers can “read” their own verbal text.

• Independent readers can add details with plot, characters and setting.

Caldecott award-winning books provide great selections for wordless lessons. Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker, shows a little girl going from sepia images to a colorful world. This book could be used for whole class instruction or as a center activity for students to write their own version. Comparing student versions will demonstrate a variety of stories developed from these beautiful images. Flora and the Flamingo, written and illustrated by Molly Idle, offers interactive flaps to explore friendship. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney was a 2010 Caldecott Medal winner and has exquisite animal illustrations. As a bonus, integrating art into writing lessons is a STEAM strategy.

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole is a wordless picture book perfect for social studies. A young girl discovers a runaway slave hidden in the barn. Will she be courageous enough to help? Students will learn just how challenging it was to run away and not be discovered. This book will stimulate many writing activities and promote further research on the Underground Railroad.

Wordless picture books can also be utilized by students of all ages. Older students love to see the illustrations capture the story. Once chapter books are introduced, children shy away from picture books. This is a great way to re-introduce picture books as a learning strategy.

We all know stories have a beginning, middle, and end and wordless books help promote sequencing. Inference can be taught with the pictures, even though words are not present. Students can predict what will happen next.

The genre of wordless picture books can promote critical thinking in your classroom. Many lessons can be garnered from this unique resource.

Earlier this year there was a Twitter chat on wordless picture books. You can access the archive for this chat here. For future chats, follow #titletalk on Twitter the last Sunday of each month from 8–9 p.m. EST.

Marjie Podzielinski is a a member of the Advisory Committee of Teachers and a librarian at Coulson Tough School in The Woodlands, Texas.

Teaching in ACTion is a series from the Advisory Committee of Teachers (ACT), an International Reading Association committee comprised of exemplary reading and literacy teachers from around the world. Educators who best exemplify the mission of IRA are chosen from a pool of applicants to serve a three-year term. Among other responsibilities, the main charge of ACT is to be the conduit between IRA’s members and the board of directors.

ACT invites member to engage in the conversation by sending responses to us. ACT’s goal is to get a feel for how members feel about current hot topics, so that we may better serve members by sharing their concerns with the board of directors.

Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics released an important policy statement, “Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice,” reiterating what reading teachers have known for a long time: Reading regularly with young children builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills that last a lifetime. Coming from such a prestigious group, reporters across the nation headlined this important statement.

Reading educators, we need to use this statement proactively in sending our message: It is not only oral language that is critically important to children’s development. It is print exposure, time spent reading right from the very beginning that makes an enormous difference in children’s lives.

In short, the statement argues that we can “immunize” children against reading failure by reading early to them. From my perspective, this is a bit of a stretch, and I would not tout this even to a general public. But otherwise, the statement makes some important points. For example:

• It advises parents that reading aloud to children enriches the parent-child relationship and prepares children to learn language and literacy skills.
• It recommends starting earlier than before. Throughout the statement, it highlights starting in infancy.
• It recommends funding for children’s books in pediatric health supervision visits of high-risk children.
• It talks about 5 R’s: reading together; rhyming, (playing, talking, singing, and cuddling together,); routines (and regular times for reading); rewards (for everyday successes); and relationships (that are nurturing, reciprocal, purposeful and enduring).

In our work with families we say to parents, put down your phone and spend time together on reading as a joint activity. As we all know, reading is a wonderful time of intimacy between a parent and child. We tell parents to listen, respond to children’s interests, to engage them in extending what the story is about. If parents themselves have difficulty with reading, we tell them the point of the book is the relationship it establishes early on, the context of being read to, even with words that might differ from those on the page. Young children, especially in infancy, can’t read the words on the page anyway, and won’t know if the parent makes mistakes along the way. They will only recognize that being read to is a moment when they are receiving full attention from a loving adult.

We also try to counsel them on the appropriate selection of good books in the very early years. Bold colors and simple pictures that are clear and distinct, minimal print, cardboard pages to help their little fingers turn a page—a monumental event for the child when he or she takes ownership of the book. Young children love to learn about basic concepts such as the signs in their environment, their house and family members, their fingers, hands and toes. Their attention span is short and sweet, and we make sure to end on the ‘crest of a wave’ rather than deal with a squirmy baby.

In my work with Donna Celano, we came to recognize the importance of reading to your child early on. Last year, we conducted a series of eye-tracking studies with 117 babies. All of our families believed in reading to their children, yet some actually began very early on, as early as 6 months old. By 14 months, we found that children who were read to early on were better able to identify some basic concepts of print; they knew when a book was upside down, and also knew almost one-and-a-half times more words according to the MacArthur Scale of receptive language.

We also know that far too many of our young children are not being read to on a regular basis. In our book, Giving Children a Fighting Chance, we show the tragedy we often see in libraries in poor communities. Children want to be read to, yet no adult to read to them—no adult helps them unlock the mysteries of print that are so intriguing to young children. As a result, we know that children come to school behind and stay behind, having not learned the 'literacy lessons' implicit in storybook reading—how print works, how stories are structured, and how vocabulary and literacy language are learned through books.

Let’s take this moment to spread the word, to galvanize our communities in collaborative efforts to read to very young children. Children, no matter who they are or where they live will all benefit from these efforts.

Susan B. Neuman is a professor and chair of teaching and learning at New York University, specializing in early literacy development. Previously, she has been a professor at the University of Michigan and has served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. In her role as assistant secretary, she established the Early Reading First program, the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program and was responsible for all activities in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act. She has served on the IRA Board of Directors and other numerous boards of nonprofit organizations. She is currently the editor of Reading Research Quarterly.

I will be forever grateful to Danny Dog for motivating many of my first grade friends to want to read and write.

The Danny series, published by MaryRuth Books, was one of the best investments our district purchased as an intervention/motivating choice for my first grade classroom library. When I saw these books at the 2013 IRA conference in San Antonio I knew I needed them. At the time I had no idea what kind of lifelong impact these books (and Danny) would have on my heart.

A little background: The Danny books are written by Mia Coulton, a former reading recovery teacher. These books are filled with real pictures of Danny and his friend Bee, and tell of their many adventures. The full-color photographs work with appropriately spaced text to enhance word recognition for emerging readers. Each book uses high frequency words and natural oral language—making it a top choice of reading specialists and their students. Who couldn’t resist the silly antics of Danny,a beautiful yellow lab?

I started the year off with Danny songs, shared Danny read-alouds, Danny interactive writing, big Danny reading charts, etc. I decided Danny would be my beginning of the year theme. I had leveled Danny books from A-H so all students could have a chance to share in our Danny discussion. Everyone fell in love with Danny, especially some of my most struggling readers. They found they could be successful reading and writing about these books.

I also decided to purchase the Danny stuffed dog. He was a very popular friend to read with at read to someone time. We all took turns getting to read with our stuffed Danny. Kids were so motivated and engaged with these books that many kids did not want to stop as we would end our reader’s workshop.

One of my most at-risk students—socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically—due to family adversity clung on to our Danny stuffed animal like a lifeline. She couldn’t believe the stuffed Danny Dog was the same Danny in the books from which she was learning to read. She was at a Pre-A level at the beginning of the year and struggled to write her name. She was in a sight word intervention, as well as a letter naming and sounds intervention, and everyday she read Danny books in a small guided skill group as well as receiving one on one reading time. One of her interventions was to have a para pro just sit and read to her. Her book box was filled with Danny books and she even had a Danny writing journal. This student’s courage and resilience was beyond belief and inspired me to continue on the Danny path.

She was finding great success in reading the Danny books and by the middle of the year she had moved up to a level F. She was able to write about Danny and could express herself through pictures and words. She was always at the area where the Danny Books were kept. I kept them near my small table area so that I could always easily access them to add to student’s book boxes.

I attended a conference for three days in January and when I returned my little friend called me over and said she needed to tell me something important. I have taught my students that if there is something in the classroom that they feel like they need, they can’t just take it because that would be like stealing. Instead they need to just ask me to borrow it and I will let them and then they can return it. Well, my little friend said, “Mrs. Duncan while you were gone I had to borrow Danny because I needed a friend at home. I brought him back and he is fine.” I was so proud of her and so thankful to have something in the classroom that she considered a friend that could make her feel safe and secure at home.

Every day she grew more confident as a reader and writer. She was going through some rough times at home and what normally would have been acting out at school turned in to wanting to read more Danny books.

I was very sad to find out that this friend would be moving. She was very sad to leave us, too. She was also worried about leaving Danny and all of the wonderful Danny books behind. I knew the moment she told me she was going to miss Danny that I would be giving her our stuffed Danny to take with her. I will never in my life forget the look of awe and thankfulness in her eyes when I told her she would be taking Danny with her to keep forever!

We secretly slipped Danny in to her backpack at the end of the day. She asked if she could take some Danny books with her when she moved. I already had them in a baggie with a special note. She hugged me so tight and thanked me the most sincere, heartfelt thank you I have ever felt. I had to fight back the tears. I smiled and said,“Danny will be there to always remind you what a smart, beautiful reader and writer you, and that you have a teacher who loves you and is very proud of you!” Danny truly helped lay a foundation of reading and writing for this courageous and resilient little friend.

I was so touched by the power of this reading intervention that I called MaryRuth Books to share the entire story. I thanked them for sharing their beautiful yellow lab, and their reading recovery expertise. A few days after my phone call with MaryRuth Books, I received a box from them in our office. I immediately opened it and there was a new stuffed Danny Dog, ready to read and make a difference to motivate my eager, first grade friends.

 

JoAnne Duncan (jduncan@eburg.wednet.edu) received her master’s degree in elementary reading and literacy from Walden University. She teaches first grade at Mt. Stuart Elementary School in Ellensburg, WA. She is an advocate of best literacy practice for students and teachers, which includes using a workshop model to help differentiate instruction.

The Ubuntu philosophy is grounded in the idea that I am because we are. As doctoral students at Georgia State University (GSU) and P-12 educators, we stand on this principle. This ethos is also fostered by Alpha Upsilon Alpha Honor (AUA), an honor organization under the International Reading Association (IRA), which was founded in 1985 to “recognize and encourage scholarship, the development of personal and professional leadership, and service to the field of reading.” 

Sparked by our presentation Alpha Upsilon Alpha: Cultivating Scholars and Developing Leaders at the IRA Conference in Chicago in 2012, we, a group of four graduate students collaborate and share our experiences of pursuing a doctoral degree. As members of underrepresented groups (women of color) in academia and society at large, specifically three African Americans and one international student from Turkey, we reflected on our experiences as novice scholars and concluded that AUA has fostered and enhanced our growth in the program. The goals of AUA are cohesively aligned with our doctoral requirements, which serve as a vital support to students in the areas of scholarship, leadership, and service.

Scholarship

Austin and McDaniels say that constructing a positive and professional scholar identity is an essential task for a doctoral student (Analyzing faculty work and rewards: Using Boyer’s four domains of scholarship, 2006). Fortunately, AUA nurtures the development of our academic identities. For example, when Tuba began the doctoral program as an international student at GSU, she tried to navigate between American and Turkish cultures but felt disoriented due to conflicting norms, which further complicated her academic pursuit. She quickly became cognizant of the challenges that come with learning new academic discourses. However, through AUA, she gained comradeship with other members. They revealed to Tuba their similar trepidations of becoming a budding scholar and how they successfully navigated the daunting process of publication. Also, they exchanged strategies to prepare for the IRA 2012 presentation. These spaces provided an opportunity for Tuba to build a community with other novice learners as she began to develop her own academic identities. She began blogging about these experiences and relationships, which led her to develop the website for AUA that disseminates and exchanges scholarly information with colleagues. These activities manifested her research interests of multimodal practices in literacy. 

In addition, the support from AUA catapulted Tuba to engage in other learning communities, such as the research team at Global Conversations Literacy Research (GCLR). GCLR is a platform that globally unites scholars such as Brian Street, Bonny Norton, Julia Davies, and James Paul Gee as it explore issues of literacy grounded in innovative research. Tuba contributed to the organization in various ways, including as a developer of Facebook and Twitter pages, a researcher, a facilitator, and a moderator during the presentations. Due to her engagement with AUA, Tuba felt confident to venture out and participate in other learning communities, present at international and local conferences, and share her journey of crafting multiple academic and social identities while navigating across different cultures.

Noll and Fox’s research indicates that, “many students believe they lack the knowledge, skills, and experience for the kinds of writing expected by both graduate school professors and scholarly journals” (52nd yearbook of the National Reading Conference, 2003). Therefore, members of AUA started hosting an annual writing retreat to foster the development of scholarly writers.  The retreat provided a space for students to focus on writing projects outside of what was required for coursework such as the development of manuscripts, IRB proposals, or research projects. Natasha describes her experience as a “breath of fresh air” because it was difficult for her to allocate time to write outside of what was required for course work. The retreat afforded her an opportunity to finalize a section of a coauthored piece and initiate the IRB process for a study that she was collaborating with another AUA member. The first writing retreat took place at the home of our advisor, Dr. Tinker Sachs. The atmosphere was conducive to our goals for the retreat as there were multiple rooms and areas in the home that allowed for individual writing space. 

We started the retreat with breakfast and sharing time where we shared our objectives for the day. We exchanged ideas and created a plan for our writing. Everyone then dispersed to a room to work. When we convened for lunch, we described our progress and we rendered feedback to our peers. We pushed each other to problematize the issue we were writing about, to extend our thinking to include a critical stance, and we suggested resources. This group time was equally important as the independent writing time. We worked to clarify and extend our ideas in order to advance theory and application in our discipline through the support of peers. As a result, Tuba submitted and published her first article Putting multiliteracies into practice: Digital storytelling for multilingual adolescents in a summer program and Kamania and Natasha began the initial phase of a research study. These interactions in and out of the writing group offered us opportunities to enrich our scholarly relationships and academic identities.

Leadership 

Through our interactions, AUA members conceptualized a broader view of literacy by exploring a multitude of research topics. Each member offers a unique approach to his or her scholarly inquiry. These topics include but are not limited to the difficulties and advantages of applying multimodal literacies to classroom activities, critical literacy, teacher development, second language acquisition, culturally relevant pedagogy, experiences of Black women teachers, literacy practices of elementary aged boys, and educational policy. During our exploration, AUA members collaborated and presented at local, national, and international conferences such as TESOL Doctoral Forum in Philadelphia, Georgia Association of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (GATESOL), Georgia Association of Teacher Educators (GATE), International Reading Association (IRA), and American Education Research Association (AERA) in Vancouver, Canada. These presentations have strengthened the members’ understanding of becoming a professional leader in the field of education while presenting our research to multiple academic communities. For example, Natasha, along with her advisor and four other AUA members, published an article, entitled “When Policies Collide with Conviction” in the Language Arts Journal of Michigan about the intent and consequences of educational reading policy. The concept of this article was birthed through conversations that focused on the social, cultural, and political contexts of early literacy development. These scholarly discussions and critical conversations were instrumental among AUA members because we were able to identify ourselves as valuable contributors and change agents. In addition to the article, the AUA members extended their discussion on how educational policies collided with their beliefs in a keynote session that they presented at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 2011. This presentation led to an opportunity to write a chapter in P.T. Thomas’s edited book, Becoming and Being a Teacher: Confronting Traditional Norms to Create New Democratic Realities (2012). These AUA members developed as leaders in and out of the classroom through collaboration and seeking experiences in various academic platforms.

Apart from conferences and research, our professional membership in AUA goes parallel with our career plans in the field of education. We will continue to conduct groundbreaking research while teaching at a university. Our activism in AUA has empowered us to become members of several other professional and academic organizations, such as IRA, TESOL, AERA, and Middle East Institute, which are aligned with our residency requirements for the doctoral program. Our active engagement and service to professional communities has grounded our academic path.

Service 

Service is a major tenant of AUA, and through our work we are contributing to building our community as well as gaining valuable experiences to fuel this personal journey as educators and researchers. The sole responsibility of a scholar is not limited to conducting research and publishing manuscripts; other contributions should include service to our local, national, and international communities. AUA members strive to promote the growth and literacy development of the urban community, which is also a residency requirement. Through service, we were able to become familiar with the city, not just in the physical sense but in becoming a real member of the community. 

One member, Nicole, recalled joining AUA and IRA to heighten her awareness of the latest scholarship in literacy, but she has gained so much more. As a first generation college graduate, she revealed how people committed to service and organizations just like AUA were at the core of her educational journey. She stated, “I am from Oakland California and have been part of every program possible from Upward Bound, Summer Bridge, to EOP [Educational Opportunity Program] and was a member of every intervention from the Boys and Girls Club to local community centers. These volunteers modeled for me a real sense of community and sincere passion for building life-long learners. It is with this same passion that I embark on my educational journey.” AUA felt like an extended home for her.

The Ubantu notion, I am because we are, is the foundation for AUA’s community projects. For example, members frequently volunteered at the Genesis Shelter, which provides a “supportive environment that enables homeless newborns and their families to achieve positive life outcomes for this generation and those to come.” AUA members partnered with the shelter to achieve their mission by volunteering in the nursery classrooms. Through several visits, the members learned how to navigate their classroom norms and become a part of the learning community. During one visit, Nicole intended to read a few picture books but her plans were quickly altered when all the children pleaded to repeatedly read a different book. Below is her excerpt of this event: 

My first time reading at Genesis was an experience I will never forget. I walked in with my bag of tricks, as most of us teachers have. I was expecting to wow the kids with my favorite book. One page into my read, BEFORE the good part, I was met with opposition. They challenged my selection and requested another book. I then pulled out my next book, another one of my top ten crowd pleasers. Again they were underwhelmed. As I proceeded to the next book and the next they were not thrilled by anything. Finally I put the books aside and asked the five-year-old scholars what they wanted me to read. Their reply was one of my least favorite children’s books, No David by David Shannon. Luckily I had just bought a set of books for my little cousin’s birthday and this book. I ran to my car, tore the wrapping paper off, and re-emerged with their beloved David. They cheered as I read it and we shared stories and had conversations about everything from discipline to friendship. This service experience culminated my year. It put all of the professional training and theoretical understandings in perspective for me. What did I learn from this experience? Part of the value in service is the shared experienced. It is the I am because we are.

During another visit, Kamania played with children outside and learned how they engaged with each other. She observed which groups of children preferred to play certain games. She also code switched with the various discourses utilized by the children, i.e. African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Spanglish, a mixture between Spanish and English). Eventually, the AUA members noticed how the teachers and parents entrusted their young children to us with the expectation that we share a similar goal to provide a safe learning environment for the children. Despite their living conditions, all the adults strived to guide the children towards a love of learning.

Although we are all women of color and positioned as minorities, we still have acquired a form of privilege as scholars earning a doctorate in philosophy of education.  We are cognizant of our responsibility to serve our community; specifically, the marginalized students represented in research studies. These students are not just statistics that we read and discuss in courses but they are people, sons and daughters that reside in the same community where the university is located.  Therefore, we also volunteer at the Georgia State’s Urban Literacy Clinic, which serve students in the metro-Atlanta area. The mission is to facilitate the implementation of research based lessons for P-12 grade students designed and delivered by pre-service teachers. In return, the students receive complimentary tutorial services. Its aim of equalizing education and providing access to marginalized children is aligned with AUA’s mission of volunteering in the field of reading. In particular, the members researched grants to help keep the center thriving. In addition, AUA conducts an annual book drive for the Urban Literacy Clinic. We collected new and gently used books for the several months to donate to the clinic.

Lastly, our plans for serving the community have recently been expanded to an international scope. According to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood” (1968).  It is in this spirit that we sponsored a local school known as Temperance Township Primary School located in Gordon’s Bay, Western Cape, South Africa. The organization donated classroom materials that were in high demand at the school in order to better met the instructional needs of the students. Some of the materials included, writing paper, pencils, crayons, and construction paper. 
Our membership consists of several international students and new Atlanta residents, and being a first year of doctoral student in a new city can be intimidating. However, through the support of AUA we were cultivated to become members of the community we served. This service component is vital. Regardless, of our nationalities, ethnicities, and backgrounds, these projects bind us.

I Am Because We Are

During the preparation for the IRA conference, we discovered various similarities and a few critical differences in the construction of our new identities as novice scholars and aspiring researchers. We each shared a sense of eagerness to start the doctoral program and later our emotions shifted due to fear of the unknown.We were exposed to unfamiliar terms during coursework, such as, methodology, theoretical framework, critical race theory, grounded theory and many others. This new discourse led us to question our competence and capability of successfully completing the program. Fortunately, with the support from AUA advisor, Dr. Gertrude Tinker Sachs and members, we were able to better navigate the doctoral program. In the pursuit of scholarship, leadership, and service, AUA is grounded in the Ubuntu philosophy: I am because we are. 

Kamania Wynter-Hoyte (kwynter2@student.gsu.edu) is a doctoral candidate at Georgia State University with research interests in home and community literacy practices, culturally relevant pedagogy, and critical literacy. 

Tuba Angay-Crowder (tangay1@student.gsu.edu) is a doctoral student at Georgia State University with research interests in L2 writing, academic literacies, and genre-systems approach to writing. 

Natasha Thornton (nadams10@student.gsu.edu) is a doctoral candidate at Georgia State University with research interests in culturally relevant pedagogy, teacher development, and formative design. 

Nicole Dukes (ndukes2@student.gsu.edu) is a doctoral student at Georgia State University with research interests in urban pre-service teachers, home and community discourse, and writing instruction. 

Authors’ Note: A special gratitude is extended to our advisor, Dr. Gertrude Tinker Sachs, for her relentless support in restoring the organization and supporting our IRA presentation and the development of this article. 

I recently read an article that suggested that children are not learning disabled until they attend school and fail to adequately learn to read and write. The author referred to this as “school-induced learning disabilities.” The article went on to suggest that if those same kids were simply taught the way they learned, they would not only not need special education services, but they would not need a label of “learning disabled,” or as in most cases of learning disabilities, dyslexia.

If you ask parents of a child who is eventually identified with dyslexia, they will tell you that their child was a normal, happy, curious, intellectually-capable child from birth to kindergarten; and for those bright, curious preschoolers who were not identified with dyslexia and did not receive the appropriate intervention, something slowly changed. They became frustrated with homework, got stomachaches that sent them home early, received low grades in reading and writing, referred to him- or herself as “stupid,” started to make statements about not liking school, and in many cases developed behavior problems—they became learning disabled.  

And although dyslexia is a neurobiological reading and writing disorder that children are born with and therefore are inherently learning disabled, I do agree that children do not really become learning disabled until they get to school. School is where they are exposed to teaching that does not respond to how they learn, it is where they experience failure and are compared to their peers, it is where they learn that they can’t do what their peers can do—so within the walls of the schools and during the time they are learning reading and writing, they become disabled for the first time.

I understand that for educators who have admirably dedicated their lives to educating children, this is a difficult pill to swallow. We all know you did not sign up to be teachers to miss those children who need the most help. And you certainly didn’t sign up to make them “disabled.”

It happens because educators don’t have the information they need to prevent reading and writing failure. It is a sobering fact: dyslexia affects up to 20% of the population and it has very specific symptoms (see www.interdys.org for more information about symptoms and the definition). Dyslexia occurs on a continuum, so it can be mild in one student and profound in another, and they both have dyslexia. Lastly, there are piles of research that should inform how we identify and teach these children in elementary school, starting in (if not before) kindergarten, so that they never become outwardly learning disabled—although they will always have dyslexia, with the correct instruction, they  may never feel disabled or outwardly demonstrate a learning disability.

Now, in response to that second idea proposed in the aforementioned article: I do not agree that children who do receive the appropriate intervention early on and do not end up exhibiting learning disabled symptoms do not need an official diagnosis or “label.” They will always have dyslexia, and those students with more moderate to profound dyslexia will always encounter difficulties and will almost always need some accommodations to help them reach their potential (and every child should be allowed and given the tools to reach their potential). For many parents and their dyslexic children, the label of dyslexia frees them from years of asking themselves why reading and writing are so hard,  wondering what they did wrong as a parent to cause this academic angst in their children, and/or why all their efforts are not helping.

Additionally, a diagnosis and label gives them a road map to help their children and themselves which will lead them on the journey to success. The official label liberates students from self-doubt and self-blame. So, yes, diagnosis and labeling is important. Even when children are identified and received remediation early, they will always have dyslexia. 

But don’t take it from me; take it from those who have walked the walk. For example, Ben Foss, a Stanford-educated attorney, author and dyslexic, greets families with children (and adults) with dyslexia with this: “Welcome to the Nation of Dyslexia.” He goes on to state, “Whether your child is on the cusp of being identified or you’ve known about his dyslexia for quite some time, I say welcome to the club! It’s safe here, and you can let go of your fear and anxiety about this identification. Believe me, I know how you feel. I was there and so were my parents, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that it will get better. Indeed, you’re going to have fun.”

In many ways, the identification allows you to belong.

It’s unfortunate that dyslexia has become such a divisive term in the education world. But despite that divisiveness and constant banter about what dyslexia is and how to help a child with dyslexia, the fact remains that dyslexia is real and the 15 to  20% of children in schools who have dyslexia are depending on you to do your due diligence and learn about dyslexia.

So, why do we continue to use the wait-to-fail model? Isn’t that too late? What if it was your child that was failing despite ability? Would any teacher deliberately allow a child to become learning disabled? I don’t think so, but that is what happens when this debate continues without action. 

In my personal and professional life, I am surrounded by teachers. I know teachers are admirable, smart, caring people—they need (and want) information about dyslexia—they are the gatekeepers to child’s academic and emotional health. At the Dyslexia Training Institute we hear this comment in each and every course from frustrated teachers: “Why didn’t we learn this in our credentialing program?”

Well, here’s your chance, and you can start with a short, four-minute video created by Ted-Ed:

Just four short minutes could change the life of a child sitting in your class. And if you have just under an hour to spare, you can watch the documentary “Embracing Dyslexia” for free online.

For a full list of teacher-friendly resources you can read the Lowdown on Dyslexia here.

While we continue to debate, here’s an idea in the interim: if you don’t like the term dyslexia, why not identify the phonological processing deficit (and in some cases an additional rapid naming deficit) and respond to it immediately? It is still dyslexia, no matter what you decide to call it, and dyslexia still exists, but you still need to respond to the cause of the reading and writing challenges.

Hal Malchow, the President-Elect of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), recently responded to the dyslexia debate (also to a book by the same name) this way:

We also understand the power of common language and the mission and purpose it can provide. We believe that "dyslexia" is a beautiful word. True, it describes a category of learning disorders. But it also describes a community, a body of knowledge, a category of law, a more positive sense of self, and a belief about the progress we can achieve together. We will continue to use the word “dyslexia” now and in the future.

I will leave you with this thought (and yes, it’s a bit of a guilt trip): while we continue to argue about the existence of dyslexia, another child becomes learning disabled in your local school.

Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley (dyslexiaspec@gmail.com) is the co-owner of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She received her doctorate in literacy with a specialization in reading and dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. She is a trained special education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan process. Dr. Kelli is an adjunct professor of reading, literacy coordinator and a tutor trainer. Kelli is trained by a fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy and in the Lindamood-Bell, RAVE-O and Wilson Reading Programs. Kelli is the Past-President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, as well as a board member of the Southern California Library Literacy Network (SCLLN). She co-created and produced “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” is a frequent speaker at conferences, and is currently writing “Dyslexia: Decoding the System.”