Early Intervention Screening 2017

Early Intervention for Dyslexia

Catch Them BEFORE They Fail

Friday, April 14 & Saturday, April 15

This is for children ages 4-6, students who’ve had a year of pre-k or kindergarten and are struggling. It is a screening designed to identify children who are at high risk for reading difficulties. The original fee is $50 but for the first 30 to sign up it will be $35.

Call Lisa Salster at Greengate School to schedule an appointment for an early intervention screening: (256) 551-4439

When can we start? We can start as early as preschool! As toddlers, children are already starting the journey of putting together language, sounds, and alphabet letters, and are filling their reading “tool chests” with the knowledge needed to later become readers.  It is now possible to reliably identify young boys and girls who are in preschool and kindergarten and are at a high risk for reading difficulties, or dyslexia, and provide intervention even before they experience failure.

What are the signs parents should look for?

Adapted from: Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.

In Preschool Years

  • Trouble learning common nursery rhymes or simple songs, such as “Humpty Dumpty” or “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
  • Lack of appreciation or sensitivity to rhymes
  • Mispronounced words ( “busketti”/ “ephelent”); persistent baby talk
  • Failure to know or recognize the letters in his or her own name

In Kindergarten and First Grade:

  • Failure to understand that words come apart, are made from separate sounds
  • Difficulty connecting letter names and sounds
  • Reading errors that have no connection with letter sounds; reading street as road or even big as goat.
  • Difficulty with learning common oneJsyllable words (the, said, was) or with sounding out the simplest words (mat, cat, hop, nap)

Especially important: There is a strong genetic link with dyslexia, so a family history of dyslexia or problems with early reading and spelling is a critical factor to consider.

Strengths that you can also note: Children with dyslexic characteristics often demonstrate strengths in the areas of curiosity, a great imagination, a good understanding of new concepts, surprising maturity, a large vocabulary for the age, enjoyment in solving puzzles and building models, and excellent comprehension of stories read aloud to him or her.

Things that parents can do:

  1. Monitor language development. Be on the alert for problems in rhyming, pronunciation, and using precise vocabulary.
  2. Be aware of the code. Notice if he or she is struggling to learn letter names and sounds.
  3. Watch progress. Be alert to problems in speaking, reading, writing, or spelling.
  4. Focus on strengths. The goal is to make sure that the strengths, and not the weaknesses, define the child’s life. (Some families with more than the average complement of dyslexics see an abundance of photographers, artists, engineers, architects, scientists, and radiologists.)
  5. Intervene early. Students who struggle do not benefit from repeating a year of the same type of instruction, but instead need intensive, multisensory instruction; especially in the areas of book knowledge, phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and writing skills.

Greengate School has been providing help for students and families who deal with dyslexia for over 12 years, and is the premier resource to the region in this field. All teachers at Greengate are highly skilled and experienced educators who are also trained in Orton Gillingham multisensory intervention methods for students with dyslexia.