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NIGERIA EASING DYSLEXIA DYSLEXIA NIGERIA

EASING DYSLEXIA

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N I G E R I A

E A S I N GDYSLEXIA

DYSLEXIA NIGERIA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE HEAD OF THE CENTRE 3

WHAT IS DYSLEXIA? 5

DYSLEXIA FACTS 6

SPOTTING DYSLEXIA 7

THE DYSLEXIC ADVANTAGE 9

ABOUT DYSLEXIA NIGERIA 10

OUR SERVICES 11

Dleixysa is the msot rizonceegd of renadig drrsdeios. It isceaachrrtized by dufltciify with lerinang to raed feuntlly and withaaucrtce cronmesihpon dtpisee noraml inilnlgcteee.

Victor Wadell

We are here to make a difference.

Dyslexia is the most recognized of reading disorders. It ischaracterized by difficulty with learning to read fluently and withaccurate comprehension despite normal intelligence.

Victor Wadell

That was a static simulation of the way a dyslexic sees thefollowing paragraph:

Did you know that according to UNESCO (2016) less than 10% of poor rural females in

Nigeria can read and approximately 84% of children from the poorest households cannot read atall? (Ikpefan, 2016). 60% of students who have completed Grade 4, and 44% of students whohave completed Grade 6 cannot read a complete sentence in English or their mother tongue(World Bank, 2013).

We are all familiar with some of the reasons why learning outcomes are so low, including poorinfrastructure and inadequate teaching resources. But another concrete reason why learning ispoor, is because there are millions of Nigerian children who suffer from learning difficulties andhave no support to cope with or overcome these.

It is time that we shake off our age old negative attitudes of acknowledging only physically visibledisabilities, like an inability to walk, see or hear. Some other equally limiting disabilities are onlyvisible in their impact, and one of them is dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a reading difficulty that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and processcertain symbols. Most students with dyslexia have at, or above-average intelligence, but show adifficulty in reading and spelling. Dyslexia also has an impact on their coordination, balance, andbehavior.

Dyslexia remains the most recognized of reading disorders, and is a common learning difficultythat all teachers will encounter in their classrooms. 15% - 20% of the population exhibits someform of dyslexia. This equates to 3 – 6 students in every elementary class, a number that rises insecondary school.

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Without early detection and tailored support, 74% of dyslexic children will remain poor readers inGrade 9, and many will be unable to read well as adults, leading to frustration, school drop outs,and unemployment. However, identifying dyslexic students and providing support equips manyfor success in school and in life, improves behaviour, and may eliminate their later need for specialeducation.

It is our aim at Dyslexia Nigeria, to provide support to children and adults with dyslexia, whostruggle in school, in a vocation, or in a white collar profession, and who have limited copingmechanisms and support.

We need you to be part of this change. Creating a world where we accept and enable all childrenand adults will take all of us. We invite you – parents, teachers, policy makers, special educationneeds coordinators, guardians and friends – to take action, and to be a part of our drive to buildskills, knowledge, and an understanding of dyslexia, to provide supportive, inclusive environmentsfor all those who struggle with learning difficulties.

We must ask ourselves – what is the value of a human life? And must children and adults whohave life, not have the tools to live their lives to their greatest potential?

Yours in easing dyslexia for better lives and equity of opportunity.

Dr. Adrienne TikoloHead of Center

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“Dyslexia” is used to describe an “unexpected” difficultywith reading or writing. It is a term of Greek origin,with ‘dys’ meaning ‘trouble with’, and ‘lexia’ meaning‘words’. Therefore, dyslexia means ‘trouble with words’.

Difficulty in reading and writing is unexpected because dyslexicstudents are usually of average to superior intelligence. They are oftenthought of as bright, creative, imaginative, verbal, and otherwisecapable of learning. However, they experience difficulty learning toread, spell, and express their thoughts in writing.

Dyslexics may also experience difficulty in sequencing, rememberingwhat they have read, listening, following directions, and organizingtheir thoughts. They may be perceived as lazy or unmotivated andoften function significantly below their potential. Their difficultiescannot be explained by visual or hearing impairments, emotional/behavioral disorders, or lack of conventional instruction.

- International Dyslexia Association

Dyslexia Nigeria uses the definition adopted by the National Institute ofHealth, and the International Dyslexia Association:

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin.It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent wordrecognition, and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.

These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonologicalcomponent of language that is often unexpected in relation to othercognitive abilities, and the provision of effective classroom instruction.Secondary consequences may include problems in readingcomprehension and a reduced reading experience that can impedegrowth of vocabulary, and background knowledge.”

WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?

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DYSLEXIA FACTS

• Dyslexia is not new. It was initially identified in 1896 by Dr. W. Pringle Morgan

• Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing, and spelling difficulty

• It is a lifelong, genetic-based condition that cannot be cured because it is not a disease

• Dyslexia tends to be inherited and generally ‘runs in families’

• Dyslexia occurs on a continuum of severity

• Dyslexia impacts males and females across different ethnic and socio-economicbackgrounds almost equally

• Despite some letter reversals or inversions, dyslexics do not see all words or lettersbackwards, and dyslexia is not the result of visual difficulties

• Many of the most effective dyslexia-specific interventions used today are derivativesof the multisensory intervention approach initially developed in the 1930s by Dr.Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham, and are often referred to as Orton-Gillingham(OG) based, or multisensory interventions

• The reading, writing, and spelling challenges that typically accompany dyslexia oftencan be remediated through multisensory, dyslexia-specific instruction and intervention

• Brain imaging research indicates that unlike typical learners who use left hemispherestructures for reading, individuals with dyslexia use more right hemisphere structuresfor reading and component processing

Dyslexia is not a disease

It is a learning difficulty

• Being ‘right-brain thinkers’ results indifficulties in processing information neededfor reading, writing, and spelling when theseskills are taught in the typical manner

• Being ‘right-brain thinkers’ also results in many advantages, equipping individuals withdyslexia to be more likely to ‘see the big picture’, to ‘think outside the box’, to developnovel problem-solving approaches, and to have an entrepreneurial spirit

• Individuals with dyslexia may be gifted and talented in various areas – music, arts,athletics, or intellectual pursuits

• Individuals with dyslexia may show special aptitude in visual spatial thinking or three-dimensional awareness, and may excel in professions requiring those abilities (design,architecture, engineering, and photography amongst others)

• Individuals with dyslexia may have string technical and mechanical aptitude

• Individuals with dyslexia may be accustomed to trying hard and fighting barriers inorder to achieve success

Sourced from: Alabama Dyslexia Resource Guide 6

It is usually when your child starts school and they do not learn to read asquickly as others in their class, that you may suspect something is not quiteright. However, there are signs in young children that may give clues to thepresence of dyslexia. The earlier it is recognized, the better, in order to beginstrategies that will help to overcome some of the difficulties. Equallyimportant is the fact that what appear to be signs of dyslexia may not be thatat all, making correct identification very important.

Signs of dyslexia may be recognized at the different stages of development:

Pre-school pupils may show:

• Persistent difficulty in learning nursery rhymes, or the names of items like ‘chair’ or ‘table’• Enjoyment in being read to, but no interest in letters or words• Signs of apparently not paying attention• Continuing difficulties in getting dressed efficiently and putting shoes on the correct feet• Problems with catching, kicking or throwing a ball, or with hopping or skipping• Difficulty with clapping a simple rhythm• Delayed speech development

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SPOTTING DYSLEXIA

Primary school pupils may show:

• A poor sense of direction and confusing left and right

• Difficulty tying shoe laces, and getting dressed

• A discrepancy between receptive and expressive language

• Short-term memory limitations, such as finding it difficult to rememberarithmetic tables, the alphabets, or classroom instructions

• Pronounced reading difficulties (though not all dyslexic children havethese problems). Difficulties may include:

— Hesitant or labored reading— Omitted lines or repetition of the same line (loss of place in text)— Muddling words that look alike, such as ‘no’ and ‘on’; ‘for’ and

‘off’; and ‘was’ and ‘saw’— Difficulties saying multi-syllabic words— Problems understanding what they have read

• Difficulties with writing and spelling. Errors might include:

— A disparity between written and spoken language— Messy work, for example, curled pages and crossings out— Handwriting that looks heavy and laborious— Confusion of similar letters like ‘b’ and ‘d’; ‘q’ and ‘p’; and ‘w’

and ‘m’ – resulting in some bizarre spelling— The same word spelt differently in the same piece of work, such

as ‘more’, ‘mor’, and ‘mro’— Confusion between upper and lower case letters, and concepts

of letter, name and sound

Secondary school pupils may:

• Still read inaccurately

• Still have problems with spelling

• Confuse places, times and dates

• Have difficulty remembering math tables and formulae

• Need to have instructions repeated

• Get ‘tied up’ using long words, such as ‘preliminary’ and ‘philosophical’

• Have difficulty planning and writing essays

• Suffer poor confidence and low self-esteem

• Forget which books to bring to class

• Experience difficulty organizing life around a timetable

• Misunderstand complex instructions

• Have problems trying to write down notes at speed, and completingwork on time

• Have memory difficulties, which affect the marshalling of learned factseffectively in exams

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The Dyslexic

Advantage

FINDING THE ODD ONE OUT:

Ability to spot things that look odd or out of place.

ATTENTION DISTRIBUTION:

Ability to distribute attention to capture a wide spectrum (visual & auditory).

SPATIAL REASONING:

Ability to put together three-dimensional perspectives.

INTERCONNECTED REASONING:

Ability to find relationships of likeness: analogies, big picture seeing.

NARRATIVE REASONING:

Strong ability to learn from experience, and tell & understand stories

HANDLING AMBIGUITY:

Ability to reason well even with changing or incomplete facts.

PATTERN RECOGNITION:

Ability to see how things connect to form complex systems.

PICTURE THINKERS:

Think in pictures rather than words & have enhanced picture recognition memory.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX:

Excellent ability to have leaps of insight that solve problems intuitively.

HIGHLY CREATIVE:

Many of the world’s most creative actors and fine artists have dyslexia

SHARPER PERIPHERAL FOCUS:

Better peripheral focus than most, and can quickly take in a whole scene.

Excellent Careers:

LawSales

Professional WritingArchitecture

Excellent Careers:

Financial MarketsCounsellingInvention

Engineering3D Art

ABOUT

Dyslexia Nigeria is a registered company headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.

Our vision is to contribute to a world where those with dyslexia can reachtheir full potential.

Our mission is to educate people about dyslexia, and offer appropriateassessment and effective support services for children and adults dealingwith dyslexia.

In fulfilment of these, we work to convene, educate and empower allstakeholders concerned with dyslexia in Nigeria to create an environmentwhere dyslexic individuals can develop to their full potential.

We provide guidance to teachers in support of pupils with dyslexia, tosupport schools in teaching these pupils in mainstream classes.

We also offer workshops and awareness programs to provide participantswith dyslexia related knowledge, understanding, and specialist skills.

DYSLEXIA NIGERIA

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Dyslexia Nigeria offers information and advice, trainings and workshops, screenings,assessments, specialist tuition, school support services, and a dyslexia shop.

OUR SERVICES

TRAININGSAND WORKSHOPS

Open Training Courses

Our open training courses generally take place at our center or at designated centers. These coursesrun at pre-determined times, including weekends, summer holidays, and evenings. We offer one-offand short courses.

On-Site Training

Workshops and trainings can be delivered in schools and organizations. Following an expression ofinterest in on-site training, a consultation will be arranged to discuss specific requirements. On-sitetraining sessions can take the form of a half-day, full day, or a short meeting. Our team can also caterto differing group sizes, ranging from small departments to broader gatherings of teachers andteaching assistants.

Bespoke Trainings

We offer bespoke courses that can be customized to suit the particular requirements of an individual,or of an organization. Costs vary with the needs of the individual or the group.

Awareness Workshops

Awareness workshops are aimed at providing participants with knowledge and understanding ofdyslexia, and dyslexia-friendly practices, classrooms and integration strategies.

Please contact us for dates of upcoming trainings and workshops, and to register your interest.

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SCREENINGS

Dyslexia Screening for Young Children and Teenagers

Dyslexia Nigeria offers screening tests as the first stage in identifying if a person may have dyslexia.Dyslexia-specific screenings will equip schools to identify students who may benefit from dyslexia-specific interventions and services. This test can be used for group or whole class screening .

Dyslexia Screening Service for Schools

This service has been designed for schools wishing to receive the learning profile for a child, with aconcise report, that matches a school's budget. This screening service is not diagnostic. It gives anestimate of underlying ability, measures attainment in reading, spelling, and the cognitive skillsneeded for learning, such as memory, processing speed and phonological processing skills. The reportconsists of brief notes interpreting a results table. This test can also be used for group or whole classscreening.

General Dyslexia Screening

This screening identifies dyslexia in members of the general population aged 18 years and above,including individuals who have non-standard educational backgrounds, low general ability, and/orpoor English language skills.

It must be noted that these screenings are not intended to diagnose dyslexia.

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ASSESSMENTS

Diagnostic Dyslexia Assessments

With this assessment, our team can diagnose dyslexia. This is a full assessment of underlying ability,attainments in reading, writing, mathematics (optional), and cognitive processing skills, such asmemory, processing speed, and phonological processing skills. The diagnostic assessment is carriedout at our center by trained assessors or by a Consulting Educational Psychologist. The assessment isaccompanied by an in-=depth written report.

Working Memory Tests

This test identifies children who require classroom intervention strategies to help them learneffectively.

Test of Visual Stress

Visual stress, which affects 15 – 20% of the population, hinders children's literacy development and isa barrier to efficient and enjoyable reading. This test gives an accurate and reliable indication of theexistence and severity of visual stress and identifies those who may benefit from using colouredoverlays or tinted lenses to combat the symptoms of visual stress.

Cognitive Abilities Test

This test provides a robust, standardised measure of cognitive reasoning ability. It gives an invaluableinsight into your pupils’ ability to reason across four distinct batteries: verbal, non-verbal,mathematical and spatial, as compared to the national average, allowing you to address patterns andadapt teaching methods to suit individual or group needs.

Exam Access Screening

This is a comprehensive screening assessment for exam access arrangements.

Please contact us to book a screening test or assessment.

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SPECIALIST TUITION

One-to-one Tuition

We offer specialist one-to-one tuition that is tailored to the individual needs and learning style of thechild. We support children in literacy in order to raise their skills in reading, spelling and writing after-school, at weekends or during holidays. Tutoring takes place in our centre .

Comprehension Booster Classes

Over 20% of children have poor reading comprehension. Research shows that most of thesechildren lack the practice to acquire effective reading skills. They have difficulties in relating textcontent to background knowledge and experience, and are unable to frame questions that will helpthem extract important information. They often have poor working memory.

Our Comprehension Booster Classes will improve understanding of complex texts; listeningcomprehension; inferential thinking skills; verbal memory skills; vocabulary knowledge; verbalreasoning; concentration and attention; and reading speed.

Memory Booster Classes

These classes help students acquire effective learning strategies and practice exercises that developverbal and visual memory skills. Students are taught flexible memory strategies, and enjoyableexercises that develop and extend learning skills.

INTERVENTION PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Screening and assessment results may be used by our team to determine appropriate interventionneeds of students, including dyslexia-specific interventions, and to design intervention programs thatcan be implemented through the center, the child’s school, or both.

SCHOOL SUPPORT SERVICE

We guide teachers in supporting dyslexic pupils within mainstream classrooms. We also give adviceabout the provision of practice exercises for dyslexic learners. Other areas through which we supportschools include: providing advice on how to create dyslexia-friendly classrooms; organizing parentspeaking sessions; and providing consultancy services to develop operating procedures, createsupport strategies, and create or review policies to promote dyslexia-friendly practices in theirteaching an learning environments.

SHOP

Dyslexia Nigeria has a resource shop that stocks specialist products to help parents and teachers teachdyslexic children; a range of educational and assistive software; electronic aids; books about dyslexiafor stakeholders involved in special education needs, and stationery to assist dyslexic individuals.

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N I G E R I A

Dyslexia affects one in five people

D O N ’ T W A I T .Contact us today

You are not alone. We can help.

30B2 Remi Fani-Kayode StreetG.R.A., Ikeja, Lagos

www.dyslexianigeria.com [email protected]

+234(1) 6327387; +234(0)8027207062