Dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties are known as “developmental” disorders.

   “What do you mean, Rosh?” You may ask. “Is it another gimmick?”                 

Here is the good news! It is not! What it means is that the problem gets compounded over time when left unaddressed properly. The first sign you see as parents and teachers is the inability to learn how to read simple 3-letter words. Then, you may also see the b/d or m/w reversals, the inability to do subtraction sums, and such. When left after some basic phonics teaching, later on there will be more complex issues such as comprehension difficulties when reading a text and difficulties learning to write essays, make notes and understand lessons at school. To further compound these, attentional problems mimicking ADD or ADHD will appear along with the behavior problems and the lack of motivation to study and finally academic decline.

This is where the training of the person who is working with learners with dyslexia becomes obvious. Most teachers/tutors/therapists in Malaysia engage in what is called “teaching to the disability” when they should be engaging in “teaching to the learning difference.” When one engages in “teaching to the disability,” they employ generic programs that are tailored to provide a “one-size-fits-all” syllabus. It is when parents hear about programs such as “left-brain/right-brain” training, “Jolly Phonics,” the “OG method,” etc. Simply put, the person is not trained to deal with dyslexia. Even a “reading specialist” is simply someone who knows how to teach another person how to read. They do not take into account the variance that occurs between one learner and the next within the context of the umbrella term “dyslexia.”

With a properly trained dyslexia specialist, we engage in “teaching to the learning difference,” taking into account the variance that occurs between separate individuals diagnosed with dyslexia. The importance of the diagnosis assessment and the robustness of the assessment that has been done come into play here. Second, the ability to interpret the data obtained from the assessment report is pivotal.

Example of two reports from 2 learners diagnosed with dyslexia

From test results, a trained dyslexia specialist will know that

#1 One student has a higher innate ability than the other

#2 Both students have spelling problems.

#3 One student has better vocabulary but poor reading ability… WHY?

#4 One listens better than the other.

#5 One has attentional or concentration problems. This must be taken into account when lesson planning.

#6 One is slightly younger than the other.

#7 One has better comprehension but poor logical or problem-solving skills.

#8 One has an overall ability that is poor, while the other does not.

The facts: Teaching to the “learning disability” vs Teaching to the “learning difference”

What do you see when you look at these results? Do you think the same teaching program will work for both these learners with dyslexia? Can the “OG approach” work for both in the generic way it is taught? Can “xxx phonics”, a generic one-size-fits-all program work for both students from the fixed program syllabus?Teaching to the “learning disability” will not work here.

Which brain side is working better?

Here is the punch, folks! Cognitive processes are involved when reading or decoding print. The left and right brains have to both be functioning because these scores indicate that the different processes that take place in different parts of the brain are in deficit. Next, the person administering the intervention program needs to have multiple methods of teaching to deal with these 2 learners, not just ONE method. Teachers who are only trained in a single method will be unlikely to be successful. This is when parents realize, after 6 months, that they no longer see any improvements in the children’s reading ability. Teaching to the “learning difference” will work most effectively.

To conclude, this is why teaching to the learning difference requires far more expertise, is more expensive and takes longer. Long-term academic success cannot be achieved by having short-term goals and short programs.

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