This paper reviews current proposals concerning the definition of dyslexia and contrasts it with reading comprehension impairment. We then discuss methods for early identification and review evidence that teacher assessments and ratings may be valid screening tools. Finally, we argue that interventions should be theoretically motivated and…

Education is of relevance to everyone but it involves a specialized vocabulary and terminology which may be opaque or unfamiliar to those new to the field. This UK-focused Dictionary of Education provides clear and concise definitions for over 1,100 terms, from A* to zero tolerance, that anyone studying education or working in the field is likely…

Immersion programmes in primary schools have gained more and more recognition over the last decades. Every new immersion school faces the problem of providing a concept which will be put into practise with the help of personnel who have normally not been trained specifically for this task. The purpose of this guide is to answer frequently asked…

The digest focuses on the nature of dyslexia and its characteristics. An initial section notes the variations in definitions as a function of the discipline. Diagnosis of dyslexia is said to isolate the specific difficulties associated with the problem and to suggest appropriate educational intervention. Typical characteristics of dyslexia are…

The article describes the Alphabetic Phonics Teacher Training Programs which focuses on incorporating multisensory instruction with a more "old-fashioned" phonics-first basic presentation of reading for dyslexic children. Suggestions are made for infusing the approach into the regular classroom and into teacher preparation programs. (CL)

Ten teaching suggestions describe assessment, diagnostic, and remedial techniques for teaching spelling to the dyslexic student. (DB)

Three papers focus on adapting typical college preparatory curricula for dyslexic secondary students. The rationale and necessity for such adaptation are examined in the first, while the second addresses three major problems (too much information, lack of prepackaged curricula, lack of basic skills). The final paper considers classroom application…

Describes the adaptation for a PET computer of a program originally written for the TRS-80 to help students with dyslexia improve their reading skills. (CMV)

Genetic research has shown that dyslexia is familial, substantially heritable, and heterogeneous in its genetic mechanisms. Evidence also supports the view that the primary symptom in dyslexia is a deficit in the phonological coding of written language, a symptom that appears to be heritable. (Author/JDD)

A wide range of tools is now available to enable teaching practitioners to create web-based educational materials from PowerPoint presentations, adding a variety of different digital media, such as audio and animation. The pilot study described in this paper compared three different systems for producing multimedia presentations from existing…

The author describes an approach to helping dyslexic children by making the learning situation as painless as possible and helping students accept responsibility for more careful scrutiny and accurate decoding. (CL)

Multisensory techniques can be used to provide opportunities for creative expression for children with specific language disabilities. Dramatics, art, movement activities, music, poetry, and dancing can help meet the children's emotional needs while also enhancing their self-concepts. (CL)

The headmaster of a private school challenges educators and policymakers to make language central to education for reading-disabled and all children. He looks at current and competing issues in education (such as raising standards and then exempting some students) which are difficult to resolve in a pluralistic society. (DB)

An economical procedure for identifying the dyslexic child is described using a parent questionnaire, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (particularly noting behavioral idiosyncrasies), a brief sentence reading test, a brief spelling test, and lateralty tests. Procedures for synthesizing the evaluation information are considered.…

Data from a 10-year study involving over 1,000 dyslexics, age 7-15, went into the development of the Alphabetic Phonics curriculum. One aspect of the curriculum, the Syllable Division Formulas, is described. It emphasizes scientific, automatic, multisensory procedures for dividing longer words into easily read syllables. (Author/JDD)