General Information
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. (Adopted by the IDA Board, November 2002)
Programming
The RISD Dyslexia programs provides reading interventions that incorporates all the components of instruction and instructional approaches described in The Dyslexia Handbook.
Critical, evidenced-based components of dyslexia instruction include:
- Phonological awareness
- Sound-symbol association
- Syllabication
- Orthography
- Morphology
- Syntax
- Reading Comprehension
- Reading Fluency
Delivery of dyslexia instruction include all of the following:
- Simultaneous, multisensory (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile)
- Systematic and cumulative
- Explicit instruction
- Diagnostic teaching to automaticity
- Synthetic instruction
- Analytic instruction