E3

Priscilla Wilson

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Many children are able to learn in a similar manner, but some are not.

We must concern ourselves with these children; the ones who require a different approach to their learning. Understanding and confidence are two key words in the development of stable and progressive young minds.

The stories that I hear, although often quite different, have many similarities, and the common thread is the slow road to success. An item of major concern is the lack of understanding as to why the student is struggling and his/her frustration, despite repeated efforts to make progress.

In reference to "understanding" as a key word, I am referring to the fact that, as adults, we need to begin to understand what it must be like to live the life of a child who is often considered "different."

If your child or student is not able to slot him/herself into what might be the so-called "norm," then it is your responsibility to help him/her understand themselves better.

First of all, they need to see that they are equally intelligent as their peers, even if their behaviour, speech, ability to focus, learning strategies and the general perception of who they are is totally different from their peers.

It is this perception that can be so far off the mark. It is time for all of us to understand these students and how they learn. Remember, if you are this student you would automatically assume that you are "not as smart" as your peers. This must not happen. By celebrating each child's uniqueness and learning style, we can help them become all that they were meant to be, and more.

Logan is a perfect example of the child I have just described. He will tell you his differences and difficulties are as a result of autism and his ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) diagnosis. His dyslexia (reading disorder) is a recent diagnosis so he has not quite added this to his list as to why he may do things in a different way. But knowing Logan, this too will soon be added.

As a bright and attention-to-detail kind of guy, he is in the process of understanding what I have described that adults need to understand. He can even provide you with an explanation, complete with a diagram, as to how he hears information and what happens to it in his brain. He would tell you that it just takes a different route and a little longer to get to where it needs to be.

He has experienced expressive and receptive speech delays in language development since the early years so pronunciation of certain words can be a struggle. But this hasn't curbed his enthusiasm or excitement to share his thoughts or ask questions about things of interest to him.

In fact, he created his own position at the Centre as editor of the Zooberts News, a position that he has taken very seriously and for which he has shown true dedication and enthusiasm. The other children have come to respect his position and, of course, each issue of the Zooberts News is met with interest and delight.

The other aspect of all this is how some students can remain so optimistic in the midst of all these struggles. This is not always the case. It would be more reasonable for the student to become frustrated, rebellious and even unhappy with school and themselves.

This is certainly not the case with Logan. He is a delight to be around. His enthusiasm can be infectious. His love of life and of so many things must be celebrated.

I certainly admire him for his continued willingness to work and his overwhelming interest in so many things. It is more than remarkable. He is extremely interested in many facets of everyday life.

A typical reaction for Logan would be, for example, his reaction to the recent Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Coliseum. He was just so keen and appreciative.

He simply wanted to talk about all of it, from the soldiers, the marching, what Remembrance Day meant, the wonderful music and, of course, the Last Post. He couldn't wait to write about in the Zooberts News, which he did with such enthusiasm.

He has many other interests and several situations have occurred as a result of these. Some of these are creations in the works such as a play that he might write and direct. Others are spontaneous presentations he might do for the group because of a book that he has just read on tides and oceans. The presentation happened because he was just so enthusiastic about what he had read and learned and wanted to share it with everyone.

One student's comment to Logan's presentation was, "That was the coolest thing I've learned in a long time."

Once his reading improved to include being able to read the comics, another great love of Logan's, he could be seen at the end of his driveway waiting for the school bus and reading the newspaper which had just been delivered.

When I first met Logan's mother a year ago, she asked me why he would read what she then called "random words." In pointing out to her why they were not random words for Logan, she began to research and understand for herself what it means to have a reading disorder; also referred to as dyslexia.

In doing so, she has become very knowledgeable in how Logan sees the printed word. This has proven to be very helpful for both of them. She is now able to provide her son with more help and his journey to becoming a better reader will only be made easier as those around him finally understand how he sees the printed word.

The methodology used at the centre is one that gives the student new meaning to the printed word, from understanding how he/she sees the printed word to realizing how certain letters go together to make certain sounds. This knowledge has been very beneficial to Logan.

As a result of improved decoding skills, his ability to tackle multi-syllable words has improved greatly, as has his confidence.

Even though this has meant improved reading, he certainly still demonstrates reading errors associated with dyslexia. Some examples may be a simple as "I" for "a" or "a" for "I," to more advanced errors such as "supplied" for "surprise," "ladder" for "leader," and "sunny" for "shiny."

It is very important to note the fact that a simple "No" from the listener often is enough to have him self-correct and quickly read the proper word. This, too, is another very important example of mistakes made as a result of misreading what the person struggling with dyslexia could often easily read if the word was presented in isolation.

Another important player in Logan's journey is the school. The school has been accepting of his diagnoses and is working hard to provide him with important accommodations to allow him to continue to follow the regular Grade 4 curriculum. He loves school and our hopes for him are that this will continue to be the case for this unique and amazing young boy with so much love for life and so many great talents to take him on what should be a fulfilling and rewarding journey.

* Priscilla Wilson is a retired school teacher and educator who now owns and operates the Wilson Reading Centre, 329 Cameron St., Moncton. Priscilla can be reached by email at wilsonreadingcentre@gmail.com. and by telephone at 875.6559. Her website is http://web.me.com/wilsonreading/Wilson_Reading_Centre/Home.html. Her column on struggling readers and literacy issues appears weekly.