Multisensory Education
and the Dyslexic Child
Presented by Cindy Hagemann
Reading Coach & MSLE Certified Teacher
August 1, 2013
MSLE Overview
• Multisensory Structured Language
Education
• Dyslexia Therapy
• Shelton University, Nancy Coffman
• Scottish Rite Hospital
Dyslexia…what it is &
what it is not!
We will begin w/ what it is NOT…
-Something kids can “outgrow”.
-Something that is best diagnosed w/
reversals being the BEST indicator.
-Something “eye exercises” & a few
colored overlays can’t cure!
What Dyslexia is…
• Unexpected!
• Intellect intact!
• Not the result of poor or lacking
instruction/curriculum
• Difficulties in written language (reading,
spelling, & writing)
• Underlying difficulty w/ the sound system
of our language
Who’s my kid?!
• Average to above average IQ
• No other health problems preventing
the MSLE instruction
• ADHD managed when applicable
• As w/ all students, must be
consistently present to learn
You must keep in mind…
• Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is
neurological in origin. There is a difference in the
way the brain is formed AND functions.
“While no two brains are alike, the brains of
people with dyslexia are distinctively different
compared to those without dyslexia.”
Dr.Gordon Sherman
HUGE flags…
-Misread common words
(Misread them in a variety of ways!)
-Reading is “choppy” and hesistant
(lacks flow)
-Spelling
(OH, MY!)
But, he’s so smart!!!
• Listening comprehension is stronger
than reading comprehension
• Often times breadth of verbal
knowledge but lacking in strong
vocabulary because reading is so
difficult the student reads less
therefore vocabulary suffers
Other related
characteristics/disorders…
• Very often accompanied w/
ADHD/ADD
• Can also see other related disorders
such as reading comprehension, math,
coordination, handwriting (poor motor
skills), social skills and oral language
disorders. (actually have a list of 25)
Dyslexia is not new or changing, we
are getting better at
understanding & identifying!!!
• Rudolf Berlin of Stuttgart, Germany was
the first one to use the term “Dyslexia” in
1887!
disorder.
He saw it as a language
• Dr. Pringle Morgan of Seaford, England was the first one to
document a child w/ Dyslexia in 1896.
• In the early 1900s, Hinshelwood documented dozens of
cases of “word blindness” where smart kids couldn’t get the
words off the page!
Guess what they discovered
worked for these kids over 100
years ago?
• Individualized, explicit reading
instruction
• Small group, short lessons
• Relief from reading aloud in a whole
group class setting
So my elevator definition
of Dyslexia is…
• It is a specific learning disability,
neurological in origin, written
language disorder, characterized by
poor single word decoding, poor
spelling, poor word recognition, poor
writing, poor fluency, phonological
awareness is the core deficit, w/
unexpected intellect in tact!
Since phonological awareness is
the core deficit of Dyslexia,
that is where we shall begin…
• These kids struggle w/ auditory
discrimination!!! The inability to rhyme is
often one of the first indicators.
• This is why the Dyslexic child is absolutely
dependent upon you to provide
multisensory phonics instruction! So what
does that look like?
What we KNOW works!
• Rigor when it comes to phonemic
awareness…MULTISENSORY! It
can’t be when we “think” to include
it…it must be a MUST and it MUST
be every single day!
Multisensory…what it
looks like…
-VAKT…visual, auditory,
kinesthetic, & tactile
• These kids HAVE to have VAKT in
every part of your language arts
instruction!!!
Specifically
• Kids MUST write in small group! (dry erase, sticky
notes, magna-doodle, paper/pencil/marker/colored
pencil, etc.)
• Kids MUST touch in small group! (wikki stix, shaving
cream, rough board, sand paper, flash cards, “touch &
read”, etc.)
• Kids MUST see in small group! ( your mouth making the
sounds & be dramatic, their mouths making the sounds
w/ a mirror, see the print on the board, in text, on
cards, etc.)
• Kids MUST hear in small group! (hear YOU, hear
themselves, hear each other, hear songs, etc.)
Two BIGGIES…
• Reading has two major components:
decoding & comprehension…a
weakness in phonological awareness
interferes w/ decoding which
interferes w/ comprension.
We have to begin teaching
kids at a young age…
READING begins with what you
SEE and SPELLING begins with
what you HEAR! This is very
important for the Dyslexic
learner!
If you take nothing else
from today, take this…
–Proper articulation
of the correct
sounds of graphemes
is crucial!
The 6 Syllable Types…Know
them for your kids!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
VC
V V
VV VV
VCe
FSS
Vr
Spelling…
• The MSLE way…
• The best way in the classroom…
Instant Words aka Sight
Words…
• Progression of learned words…
-flashcards, rows, columns, phrases,
*sentences
*Show sentence graphic organizer!
Cursive Handwriting…
• The MSLE way…
• The making the most out of whatever
program way…
The goal of reading is
ALWAYS comprehension!
• The “W” chart…my new love! 
-Preteach the Ws.
-Choose appropriate text
-Must teach vocab
-It’s only multisensory if you give the
kids part ownership.
The goal of multisensory
education…
• To give their brains
multiple ways to grasp and
recall the knowledge!
What soothes the
Dyslexic learner?!
• Predictability of routines and
procedures!
• Socratic questioning! Guessing is
bad!
• Visual prompts and anchors!
• Organization!
YOU hold the key!
• They are counting on YOU! YOU have the
power to change their lives as learners
which will DIRECTLY impact their success
in school as well as quality of life as an
adult! Feeling the pressure?! GOOD, we
all should!
School is a puzzle and you are charged w/ the assembly. If
you discount any component, you will regret it one day!”
Dr. Joy Harbin, Elementary Teacher of the Year 2012
Final thoughts…
“When you teach for dyslexia, you
also reach other areas of learning
difficulty. Get it right for the
dyslexic kids and you get it right for
every kid in the class!”
Courtney, 2009