Sugarfix isn’t only just knowledgeable about potentially profitable moonshot coins, but is also conversant about dyslexia. Here’s an article inspired by one of his comments.
Recently, a friend whom I consider to be knowledgeable about all things dyslexic mentioned that many dyslexic people are polychronic (able to do multiple things simultaneously). I wanted to verify if his statement was true and sought clarification on the Orton Gillingham moodle site.
Ms Sheri Edwards, the site administrator, debunked the statement as the dyslexic students she has worked with get cognitively bogged down when doing too many things at once.
But she pointed out that this need to multitask is true of people with ADHD. Apparently, there is a comorbidity (aka the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions in a patient) between dyslexia and ADHD. I subsequently borrowed a book titled “Coping with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and ADHD”; it states that 25-40% of those with dyslexia also have ADHD.
I combined insights from both Ms Sheri’s answer and the book. If a student has both dyslexia and ADHD, we need to understand that:
- being easily distracted and disrupting others is a sign of ADHD and has nothing to do with dyslexia
- teacher instruction must not only include fluent and accurate word recognition, but also have general strategies for staying focused and engaged during lessons
- students with ADHD typically process better when doing something else (usually moving), and preventing them from moving actually prohibits their brain from processing information in a timely way.
- Hence, integrating movement into lessons would be better than fighting their desire to move
- Methods could range from standing at the back of class to having an exercise band around their chair for them to kick to even listening to music to keep themselves focused by the extra stimulation
- For words that are especially difficult to spell, have students practise typing over and over again on the keyboard. This strengthens their “muscle memory” as they would know how it feels in their fingers to type the words
