UNDERSTANDING DYSLEXIA FOR EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS Presented by Decoding Dyslexia MO and Springfield Center for Dyslexia and Learning Jennifer Edwards Noel Leif, CALT YOUTH President, Co-Founder Executive Director MENTAL HEALTH A Whole-School Approach What is Dyslexia by Kelli Sandman-Hurley YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH MYTHS ABOUT DYSLEXIA MYTH: Dyslexia is an eye tracking problem. Therefore, vision therapy, eye tracking exercises and/or colored lenses will solve the problem. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH MYTH: •People with dyslexia see things backwards. •Dyslexia is something you can out grow. •The way to help children with dyslexia is to expose them to more reading, or have their reading practice increased. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH MYTH: If a child doesn’t “mirror write” (or reverse letters and numbers) he/she does not have dyslexia. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH FACTS ABOUT DYSLEXIA FACT: • Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels • Dyslexia runs in families • Dyslexics may excel at connecting ideas, out of the box thinking, 3D thinking or seeing the big picture • Dyslexia is not tied to IQ • Dyslexia does not discriminate • Dyslexia affects 1 in 5 people, about 20% of Americans are dyslexic YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH FACT: No two people with dyslexia are the same. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH Two Paths: Supported vs. Unsupported YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH SUPPORTED PATH • Early Identification • Full Remediation • IEP/504 Accommodations • Embrace dyslexia as a strength • Has family support and encouragement YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH UNSUPPORTED PATH The unsupported child with dyslexia is often prone to: • Anger • Anxiety • Poor self-image/self- esteem • Depression • Family problems *Dr. Michael Ryan, PhD. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH AMERICAN LITERACY FACTS: • Dyslexia is the leading cause of reading failure and school dropouts in our nation. • Of students who are reading disabled at the end of third grade, 74% remain disabled at the end of high school. • Nearly 85% of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. More than 60% of all inmates are functionally illiterate. • 75% of Americans who receive food stamps perform at the lowest 2 levels of literacy, and 90% of high school dropouts are on welfare. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH DYSLEXIA AND SELF-ESTEEM: • In grade-school children, this may be expressed as a reluctance to attend school, moodiness, or expressions such as “I’m dumb” or “I get teased a lot” • Adolescents may develop feelings of shame and work hard to hide their reading problem by avoiding school, “forgetting” assignments, etc. • Adults can harbor deep pain and sadness reflecting years of assaults to their sense of self-worth “Pain is always there, near the surface, ready to assert itself in demeaning, shameful memories, but I know now that this isn’t a matter of low intelligence, as it isn’t for all the other children and adolescents who struggle to decode language. It’s a matter of neurology, science, and pain.” --Philip Schultz from My Dyslexia YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH “Dyslexia is an island of weakness in a sea of strengths” -Dr. Sally Shaywitz, Overcoming Dyslexia YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH Mind Mapping A guide to showing strengths HeadstrongNation.org YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH HOW TO HELP NOW: Encourage students to: • Embrace dyslexia • Learn to self-advocate • Build relationships and seek out dyslexic success stories/mentors • Pursue leadership opportunities • Learn to use technology to maximize abilities/productivity • Reward the effort not just the product • Set attainable goals, not perfectionist goals • Recognize success and strengths • Find a passion! YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH Career Advice The Dyslexic Advantage by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, MDs, subdivide dyslexia into four categories that can be very helpful for choosing career paths and areas of study. More information can be found at: www.dyslexicadvantage. org/ YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH Harnessing the “M.I.N.D. Strengths” • “M” Strengths - (Material Reasoning) abilities to reason about the position, form, and movement of an object’s 3D space Examples: Engineer, mechanic, mathematician, architect, artist, filmmaker, pilot • “I” Strengths - (Interconnected Reasoning) abilities to spot, understand, and reason about connections and relationships (e.g., analogies, metaphors, systems, patterns) Examples: Computer/software designer, scientist, dancer, nurse, therapist • “N” Strengths - (Narrative Reasoning) abilities to reason using fragments of memory formed from past personal experience (i.e., using cases, examples, and simulations rather than abstract reasoning from principles) Examples: Poet, novelist, screenwriter, psychologist, teacher, sales, marketing • “D” Strengths - (Dynamic Reasoning) abilities to accurately predict using patterns derived through experience, the future, or the unwitnessed past Examples: Entrepreneur, CEO, Finance, Logistics, CPA, Economist, Medicine, Farmer YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH SUGGESTED RESOURCES Books: ◆ Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz ◆ The Dyslexic Empowerment Plan by Ben Foss ◆ The Dyslexic Advantage by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide Websites: ◆ Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity www.dyslexia.yale.edu ◆ Headstrong Nation www.headstrongnation.org ◆ Dyslexic Advantage www.dyslexicadvantage.org ◆ International Dyslexia Association www.dyslexiaida.org ◆ Understood (NCLD) www.understood.org ◆ Decoding Dyslexia Missouri www.decodingdyslexia-mo.org ◆ Springfield Center for Dyslexia and Learning www.scdlmo.com Movies: ◆ The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia written and edited by Kyle Redford ◆ Journey into Dyslexia by Alan and Susan Raymond ◆ Dislecksia: The Movie by Harvey Hubbell YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH QUESTIONS? YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH A Whole-School Approach THANK YOU YOUTH MENTAL JENNIFER EDWARDS / PRESIDENT, CO - FOUNDER DECODING DYSLEXIA MO 417.849.4748 / JEDWARDS@DECODINGDYSLEXIA - MO.ORG HEALTH NOEL LEIF I EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SPRINGFIELD CENTER FOR DYSLEXIA A N D A Whole-School LEARNING Approach 417.269.0259 / [email protected] NETWORKING & VENDOR BREAK YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH A Whole-School Approach Thank You SPONSO RS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH BREAKOUT 2 1:45-2:45 YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH: A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH Get Your School Mental Health System Into SHAPE! Dr. Elizabeth H. Connors Yale University and University of Maryland Dr. Betsy Kindall AR Department of Education Agenda • The SHAPE System – Backgound – Why Use SHAPE? – School Mental Health Quality Assessment – SHAPE Demonstration • State Example: Arkansas School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System www.theshapesystem.com SHAPE your School Mental Health System! • The School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System is a free, interactive system designed to improve school mental health accountability, excellence, and sustainability. • SHAPE is the web-based portal by which comprehensive school mental health systems can access the National School Mental Health Census and Performance Measures. • SHAPE is hosted by the Center for School Mental Health and funded in part by the US Department of Health and Human Services. www.theshapesystem.com Schools, Districts and States Use SHAPE To: • Document the service array and multi-tiered services and supports at the school or district level • Advance data-driven school mental health team processes • Systematically assess, prioritize and track progress toward local improvement goals • Access targeted resources to help advance your school mental health quality • Achieve SHAPE recognition to increase opportunities for funding www.theshapesystem.com The School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System www.theSHAPEsystem.com (NCSMH, 2019) School Mental Health Quality Assessment – District Version School Mental Health Quality and Sustainability Assessment: Initial Development Process (2014-2015) • Phase 1: Expert consensus • Phase 2: Project advisor nominal group decision- making • Phase 3: School mental health stakeholder modified Delphi process • Phase 4: Revision via feedback from Cohort 1 CoIIN sites (Connors, Stephan, Lever, Ereshefsky, Mosby, & Bohnenkamp, 2016) School Mental Health Quality Assessment Revision Process (2018-2019) • Phase 1: Revision feedback from former CoIIN sites and National State Coalition for Advancing School Mental Health • Phase 2: Initial revisions via Phase 1 and other feedback from the field during 2014-2018 SHAPE use • Phase 3: School mental health stakeholder modified Delphi process • Phase 4: Further revisions • Phase 5: Key stakeholder interviews • Phase 6: Pilot test of paper-and-pencil SMHQA-D Demonstration The SHAPE System Homepage Sign Up Account Types Complete Registration Create a Password Account Homepage School Mental Health Profile School Mental Health Profile School Mental Health Profile Reports State School Mental Health Profile Quality Assessment Introduction Slide Questions and Best Practices Domain Reports Strategic Planning Guide Monitor Progress Quality Assessment Summary Report