 Ask Dr. Debby...
We hope we have answered your questions and provided you with the information you need through our FAQ's, and Do You Need Dr. Cooper's Help WebPages. If you require an individualized consultation, please phone us at (416) 322-0481 for costs and availabilities.
Will these programs work for my child or me?
Because the focus is on the whole person – on needs that are often ignored in other educational facilities – the Chesnie Cooper Educational Centre can almost certainly help you or your child achieve success in learning. However, we can't make it happen without the student's commitment.
- We evaluate educational, psychological and emotional needs, and develop a personalized learning program
- Our learning programs aim at the most-fundamental level, and their methods can be applied to all kinds of learning requirements
- We help students acquire learning strategies that allow them to overcome difficulties
- With performance improvements that follow adherence to our programs, students feel good! Increased self-esteem makes further learning easier to achieve
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What is a Learning Disability?
A Learning Disability is defined as a central nervous system dysfunction which interferes with the brain's capacity to process information in the conventional manner. It does not mean that a person with a Learning Disability has a lower intelligence. Quite the contrary. The definition includes someone with at least average intelligence or higher.
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What percentage of the population have Learning Disabilities?
Statistics vary. Depending upon definition and who supplies the information, the percentage can be as high as 30%.
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Is there more than one kind of Learning Disability?
Yes. Learning Disabilities can manifest in many ways.
There are broad classifications as well as more specific classifications.
Broadly speaking, since a Learning Disability affects the individual's processing, some of the more common categories are:
- Central Auditory Processing Deficit - how an individual aurally picks up information.
- Attention/Concentration problems
- Memory - short term, visual and auditory
- Ability to organize information
- Ability to sequence and segregate information
More specifically, quite often people think of Learning Disabilities in academic terms. These would be under the headings of:
- Reading - see Dyslexia
- Spelling
- Writing
- Language - affecting comprehension and/or ability to articulate one's thoughts either at all or in a fluent manner
- Math
Two of the most heard-of Learning Disabilities today are Dyslexia and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, known as ADD or ADHD (as described in the DSM IV).
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How is a Learning Disability classified?
The broad categories are difficulties in reading (and language related, i.e. spelling, speaking, writing) and math.
As well, there are often more underlying problems affecting organization, attention, concentration, memory, sequencing of information and visual motor/visual spatial difficulties.
One of the largest sub-categories of these underlying problems is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)(as described in DSM IV). More on ADHD later.
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Can dEcode® Treat Dyslexia?
Over the past number of years, research has shown through brain imaging, that dyslexia is treatable, provided that the right type of reading methodology is utilized. As described in an article entitled “Dyslexia Treatable, New Program Shows” in the Globe and Mail, July 22, 2003, “researchers used to think that dyslexia was a visual problem because those with the condition tend to reverse letters.” It is now understood that dyslexia is far more complex than simply visual reversal difficulties.
What has become known is that the area in the brain where the connection between the visual representation of letters or words and the sounds associated with them is not developed in the dyslexic.
It has been known for quite some time, certainly since the early 1990’s, that the dyslexic brain is different from the normal brain. However, recent functional MRI research has demonstrated that with hard work, encouragement, and teaching the phonemic basis of sound to symbol and symbol to sound, in a systematic, repetitive approach, a change in brain activity patterns can be produced to resemble those of good readers.
What has not yet been established in the research is whether such brain patterns are retained over a long period of time. This requires a longitudinal study, observing the same subject population over a period of one through fifteen years post teaching/training.
The dEcode® method utilizes the phonemic principle. Our pre/post testing research based on reading decoding, reading comprehension, vocabulary and central auditory processing results have not only indicated positive and significant short term results, but with post testing one year after programming has been completed, central auditory processing as well as reading comprehension has not only been retained, but also increased. Continued monitoring is ongoing.
Yes, it takes hard work for both the dyslexic student and the teacher in teaching the student to learn how to read. However, it can be done and the dEcode® system will help. The dEcode® reading system has been continually developed for over twenty five years and continues to develop. It has proven to be fast, easy to use and effective.
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How does a Visual Processing Problem affect school work?
It can affect it in a number of ways:
- In the early grades - difficulties with number and letter reversals. For example, the child thinks and sees "6" but writes "9"; or thinks and sees "b" but writes "d".
- In the higher grades, it can directly affect the factoring of numbers in algebra, specifically when having to shift like and unlike terms around. This requires seeing the relational patterns within the subject.
- When having to study, take exams or handle assignments, the ability to pull out facts and retain them becomes overwhelming. As a result, it is very difficult to write a coherent essay without a structure in place. This is usually due to the difficulty of knowing how to organize the material in such a way as to see the relationships between the facts.
- At any grade level, the student will have difficulty accurately copying information from the board, taking notes from lectures and writing essay answers to tests.
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Is a Central Auditory Processing Deficit (CAPD) the same as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)?
No, and it is not an easy diagnosis to differentiate between the two. Because so many of the symptoms are similar and affect language, it is difficult to always differentiate true ADHD and CAPD.
Individuals may in fact have either CAPD or ADHD, and in some cases both CAPD and ADHD.
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How does Central Auditory Processing Deficit affect learning?
In normal development, a child learns to interpret language through imitating sounds they hear, beginning with single sounds through to combinations of sounds into words, and ultimately into complex sentences. This ability requires AUDITORY PROCESSING.
If there is some delay in the development of this auditory pathway to the brain in a child with normal hearing and intelligence, this could be caused by a Central Auditory Processing Deficit or Dysfunction (CAPD).
In other words, when auditory processing abilities are disrupted for any reason, a series of consequences are likely to occur. First, the child may not have the neurological and sensory potential necessary to develop and organize a linguistic system. The more links that are unformed, the slower the development and organization of a linguistic system. The more severe the auditory processing abnormalities, the greater the effect on language, and thus the greater the potential effect on reading.
At risk: some presenting features of Central Auditory Processing Deficit are:
- says “huh” or “what” frequently
- gives inconsistent responses to questions
- often misunderstands what is said
- is easily distracted
- has reading, spelling and other academic problems
- has poor attention and misses incidental information
- has difficulty following oral instructions (listening)
- has difficulty listening in the presence of background noise
- has poor receptive and expressive language
- gives slow or delayed responses to verbal instructions
- exhibits behaviour problems
- speech and language problems, for example reversing the internal sounds of words, like “bizgetti” for spaghetti, or not speaking clearly beyond the age when this should have rectified itself.
The process of learning to read, even in normal development, is much more difficult than learning to speak. This is due to the fact that the mastery of the sounds learned in early childhood now have to match the combination of letters that make up our language, i.e. the internal phonological structure of syllables and the mapping of the sound(s) onto the letter symbols. For an individual with Central Auditory Processing Deficit, this process is even more difficult.
Initially developed to teach reading, it was discovered that ABC dEcode® has been highly successful in helping the student with a Central Auditory Processing Deficit. In its systematic, progressive method, it helps connect the missing links bit by bit in the auditory pathways so that the student cannot only learn to read, but improve their intake of general information. Through several years of pre/post test studies utilizing validated normed testing, we have found that individuals have improved significantly over a four to eight month period of time on tests of auditory processing skills. The implication is that their intake of instruction and language development will improve as well.
One of the beneficial features of ABC dEcode® is that it requires only 10 to 15 minutes per day, 4 to 5 times per week.
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What about attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD)?
Some symptoms are:
A definition is difficult because the symptoms of ADD/ADHD are similar to other disorders. Our extensive testing can help determine the underlying causes and prevailing symptoms as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV®).
One essential feature of ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattention. This affects the ability to finish things once started.
This inability can affect school work or other tasks involving sustained attention. Therefore, important information within subject areas can be lost. When asked to answer a question, the ADHD student may either answer it incorrectly or be so way-off topic that they feel embarrassed.
Since attention cannot be sustained, very often reading comprehension is affected and often this inability to "understand" written material because of missing essential facts has been interpreted to mean that the individual could be 'Dyslexic' rather than ADHD.
Another major feature of ADHD is impulsivity. This means that very often either one will act before they think, or be constantly interruptive. The inability to sit still is part of the impulsivity and very often creates disruption. Not only do these behaviours interfere with others but they interfere with the ADHD sufferer's learning process.
In terms of language, one can have difficulty following a train of thought and miss the subtle and inferential cues of a passage. Socially, an individual could begin conversations at awkward moments, switch topics abruptly, miss conversational terms, and not learn how to adapt the message to the listener.
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Can a Learning Disability affect my child's behaviour in school or at home?
Most definitely. The classroom is one of the most critical locum for the development of the child's sense of self. If he/she is struggling with subjects that peers appear to be handling effortlessly (i.e. reading or math), self-esteem plummets, frustration increases and the child can become depressed, even though the child may not be able to clearly articulate what the problem is.
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Can people with Learning Disabilities be helped?
Yes. But early identification is very important. As soon as you, the parent, feel that something may be wrong with your child, please get it checked out. The most efficient method is through an appropriate testing procedure that should be given or supervised by an educational psychologist. You can inquire either through your family physician or call the Psychological organization within your own jurisdiction. If you believe that your child or yourself may have a Learning Disability, it is important to understand that help must be given through a remedial approach, not through tutoring.
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Remediation vs Tutoring - What is the difference?
Remediation is the focusing on the development of a skill or process, rather than the teaching of content within a particular subject, which tutoring addresses. Within remedial instruction, the emphasis is on teaching processes and strategies whether in reading, writing, spelling or math. For example, if a student is having difficulty with math word problems, it is important to determine whether these difficulties stem from a missed lesson (just not being taught new work) or basic foundation skills, or whether difficulties stem from Dyslexia involving reading comprehension problems, organization difficulties involving sequencing the information or having a conceptual understanding of when to use the appropriate computational skill.
With remedial instruction, once the processes and strategies are in place, the learning of content knowledge becomes much easier.
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Is Dyslexia a form of Learning Disability?
Yes. The word Dyslexia is derived from the Greek 'dys' meaning 'ill' or 'bad' and 'lexia' meaning 'words'.
It is a term used to describe the difficulties in learning to read, which includes decoding (deciphering the printed word) and comprehending what is written, despite traditional instruction, average intelligence and an adequate opportunity to learn, and affects anywhere from 8% to 12% of the student population. Within the broader category of Learning Disabilities, it covers about 80% of all sub-types.
Since it does not result from any apparent visual or hearing problems, Dyslexia can go undetected in the early grades.
As a result, very often it is not detected until the child is at least age 8 or older.
Many adults are dyslexic.
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What are the symptoms of Dyslexia?
- Letter and number reversals.
- Sound reversals.
- Difficulty with sound/symbol matching.
- Word substitution - either wrong word or similar word.
- Difficulty with word or sentence comprehension.
- Parts of words or parts of whole sentences may be missed.
- Visual processing - tracking or skipping lines.
- Inability to segregate words, and sequence sounds within words, as well as sentences within paragraphs.
- Difficulty remembering new words.
We are reading that the latest statistics are a much higher percentage of poor readers, anywhere up to 30% or more. Does this mean that more and more individuals are Dyslexic or that the methods used to track poor reading in the schools are inadequate?
There is a difference between Dyslexic individuals and poor readers - readers who are not achieving literacy due to inadequate teaching or lack of exposure to teaching in the schools.
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What is literacy?
Literacy is the ability to read (decode) and write as well as comprehend written material beyond a Grade 6 level.
Functional Literacy is when an individual can perform reading (decode), writing, as well as comprehending written material between a Grade 4 and Grade 6 level.
Illiteracy is when an individual cannot achieve these minimum standards.
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Is there a difference between Illiteracy and Dyslexia?
Illiteracy, or the inability to read and comprehend, can be the result of a number of underlying factors - one of which is Dyslexia. Other causes include lack of opportunity, whether due to poor education, lack of motivation to read, or never having been exposed to the building blocks of learning.
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Criteria for Diagnosis
There is diagnostic testing to evaluate the differences.
First, early detection is important. With young children, watch for those who are not paying attention, are having difficulty writing their names, following directions, printing simple letters or who are reversing numbers. For older individuals, a proper history is essential, and look for whether they want to read or avoid it at all costs, even though they appear to have no difficulty decoding words.
Second, a proper diagnosis must be given to evaluate the underlying symptomatology. Such a diagnosis should include tests that are standardized and considered highly reliable - they should tap into the following skill levels:
- Reading decoding - what type of errors are being made - visual or auditory.
- Comprehension - can they draw inferences?
- General verbal knowledge.
- Vocabulary - fluency and word recognition.
- Verbal conceptual ability.
- Visual spatial skills.
Third, once a diagnosis is in place, a proper program should be given tailored to that individual's needs.
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How does one decide on what program is best suited to teach reading?
It is best to answer this question by considering what the ultimate goal of reading is. I would think it is to enjoy what you are reading. In order to enjoy reading, it should be easy to do and the content be understandable.
Depending upon the nature or severity of the reading problem, here is a guideline:
- First and foremost, one must be able to decode (i.e. the ability to decipher the words and read them fluently) in order that one can then concentrate on the text or meaning of the content.
- If 'reading' is not the problem but poor vocabulary, general knowledge or language problems related to ADHD or other Learning Disabilities is hampering you, then programming utilizing contextual cues focusing on specific individualized direct instruction needs to be given.
- If indeed decoding is the problem, then a phonologically based program is necessary to develop the individual's ability to associate each sound with its letter symbol. All recent literature indicates that phonological awareness is the necessary tool to teach Dyslexic's to read.
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What is phonological awareness?
This is the ability to analyze and connect, to combine the smallest units of discernible sounds with their graphic symbol (letters) and then learn how to combine each individual sound in a variety of ways.
Dyslexic individuals have difficulty with this process and must have direct and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness.
Without it, these individuals experience chronic reading, writing and spelling failure, which severely erodes self-esteem, which further impairs learning.
"Research also indicates that few teachers in the United States know how to address the role of phonemic awareness in reading. (Only 10% of the teachers assessed were, themselves, phonemically aware). Currently, few college courses offer teacher training in phonemic awareness."
"The scientific and educational research on reading is so compelling that the question is not, should we teach phonological awareness, but how can we best incorporate it into the particular approaches currently being used to teach reading? Phonemic awareness must be included in all reading programs if all children are to learn to read and spell."
Taken from Stanovich, Keith E. "Romance and Reality." The Reading Teacher Vol. 47, No. 4. December 1993/January 1994.
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Why dEcode Works!
In my 25 years of clinical practice with both children and adults, as an Educational and Developmental Psychologist, I found it frustrating that all the methods for teaching reading/decoding – whether that program be whole language based or phonics based – assumed that all students could ultimately develop a phonological awareness in reading without intervention.
A number of my students were severely dyslexic, and these programs were not able to address their particular needs.
These existing programs assumed the students could retain rules and exceptionalities, which they could not.
ABC dEcode® is a pre-phonics program, which firmly establishes sound/symbol phonemic awareness to the point of becoming automatic to the student. Once these rules are fully ingrained, and only then, the dyslexic student is able to learn the exceptions to the rules.
With students of normal intelligence and hearing, we have repeatedly demonstrated significant reading improvement averaging 3 grade levels in 3 to 5 months.
This is ABC dEcode®.
Each student's strengths and weaknesses are unique. Within my clinic, each student's learning path is custom-tailored to present the optimal sequence for that student's needs. To facilitate this, I have developed thousands of individual pages of exercises from which I extract those required to develop that student's personalized program.
Until recently, ABC dEcode® has been available only within my clinic. This limited the number of students we could help to those within a restricted geographic area, and as our programming is custom-tailored to meet each individual's needs, working one-on-one restricts the number of students to available times.
Now, ABC dEcode® has been electronically formatted and is available on CD-ROM. ABC dEcode® guides the student through the various decision points to establish each individual custom-tailored program. Students around the world may now benefit, and at far less cost than the travel and expense of getting to our clinic.
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