Dyscastia

What high-performing countries are doing in maths. With Liana McCurry

In this episode, we have Liana McCurry back to talk about her Churchill Fellowship findings on what the top PISA performing countries are doing with maths instruction and how we can use that information to improve outcomes for kids living with learning difficulties.
Show notes
Liana McCurry’s Churchill Fellowship has come just in time. Liana travelled abroad to investigate best practices in teaching mathematics that provide the best outcomes for all students.
Australia’s PISA ranking plummeted from 10th internationally in 2003 to 30th in 2018, where it fell below the average for the first time. How we teach mathematics in Australia is the prime suspect for this decline. 
Dyscastia Episode 14 was recorded prior to Liana’s departure, where we discussed intervention in Maths. 
Early in the conversation, constructivist learning theories are discussed as a big part of the problem in the context of how this approach to learning and teaching exacerbates cycles of social disadvantage. Anyone who taught in the late 80s and 90s in Australia has (tried) to work with curriculum frameworks that are broadly based on constructivist theories. 
In discussing the differences between the curricula of the countries Liana visited and Australia’s mathematics curriculum, Ben Jensen’s work was mentioned. The ERRR Podcast #77 is well worth a listen if you want to know more about the shortcomings of Australia’s curriculum. 
Greg Ashman gets a mention, as Greg is an outspoken critic of the direction of the Australian maths curriculum. Greg recently gave an excellent interview on the Science of Reading Podcast, where he gives a stunning account of cognitive load theory. Greg also sits on the other side of the mic in his own podcast, where he and Amanda VanDerHeyden talk maths instruction.  
 
 
Comments and questions are welcome!
We would love to hear about your experiences teaching mathematics directly and explicitly as opposed to other methods. We’re also interested in your experiences with bringing review and maths fluency into your instructional approaches. If you’ve taught in any of the countries Liana visited, we’d love to hear your reflections. 
 

The Importance Of Daily Review

In this episode, we chat about daily review with David Morkunas, current head of teacher efficacy at Brandon Park Primary School, previously a teacher at Bentleigh West Primary School.
 
David Morkunas is a primary school teacher from Melbourne and currently works at Brandon Park Primary School, where his role is to help support whole school improvement in maths. David first made a name for himself by speaking about the importance of Daily Review at conferences, including Sharing Best Practice and ResearchED. David is a fierce advocate for evidence-based teaching and learning, with a particular interest in how knowledge is transferred to long-term memory.
 
Bill first met David as a graduate teacher while running the Bentleigh West Primary School Study Tour for South Australian educators, and he and David have remained in touch since. 
Show notes
In this episode, Michael and Bill talk with David about something very close to all our hearts – review. Anybody working in the explicit (direct) instruction and evidence-informed instruction space has become familiar with the importance of deliberately planned and scheduled review of previously learned material. For educators new to review, it’s a case of “Where have you been all my life?” 
Once maligned as non-progressive  ‘rote learning’ or ‘drill and kill’ in teaching circles, review has come back to classrooms with a vengeance, and teachers are seeing the difference in student learning outcomes. 
Review is strongly supported by evidence and features in Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction. 
We cover a wide range of topics and ideas in this episode. David mentions EDI (Explicit Direct Instruction) as an instructional method used at his previous school, Bentleigh West Primary School. 
The conversation moves to the role of review for transferring new information into long-term memory. Bill mentions a Research Ed talk by Emeritus Professor John Sweller (the father of Cognitive Load Theory), which discusses the narrow limits of change principle, a master stroke of evolution which made working memory a protective mechanism for long-term memory due to its extremely limited ability to deal with novel information, thus making it very difficult for new information to change long term memory without multiple repetitions. 
Shortly after, David mentions Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, a famous model teachers use to explain the importance of spaced reviews to lessen the rate at which newly learned information degrades over time after being first learned (flatten the curve of forgetting). 
The importance of gaining and holding student attention first and foremost is discussed, and David mentions an episode of the ERRR podcast where the importance of having students pay attention is discussed and how this supersedes any other instructional/pedagogical considerations. OCHRE Education gets a few mentions from as a source of materials schools can use if they aren’t building their teaching materials in-house.
The difference between active review and students just reciting what is on a screen is discussed. David explains that students must actively pull something (retrieving) from long-term memory in active review. This distinction is explored, and David mentions a conversation with Ingrid Sealey from Teach Well that changed some of his thinking on how to structure the review. 
Spaced retrieval apps are mentioned as a way for us (grownups) to learn new things. One such app is Anki, which both David and Bill have used. 
Next, the question of when to review is tossed around, and David, Michael and Bill search for the holy grail – some rule of thumb or algorithm that tells us when the best time to review information is. Bill talks about how, in the Playberry Laser Literacy Program, he and his colleagues are always thinking about how to achieve the review sweet spot. 
Success comes up as the driver of student attention and genuine motivation. David, Michael and Bill discuss how Australia’s infatuation with making learning fun instead of focusing on effective teaching has had disastrous results. David talks about digital tech and books by Cal Newport, one being “Deep Work”, which talks about all of us (adults and kids) needing to cultivate the ability to concentrate for long periods to create good things in the world. David mentions a podcast episode by Greg Ashman on student motivation. 
David’s presentation for LDA is well worth a watch 
David’s Webinar on Spaced, Interleaved and Retrieval Practice for LDA is worth watching. Playberry Laser has some lessons up online where review can be seen in action, as well as some other excellent teaching at St Francis School Lockley’s South Australia. 
Comments and questions are welcome!
If you’re an educator, we would love to hear about your experiences with integrating structured daily review into your teaching. If you have a child in a classroom or school where daily review has been implemented, we’d love to hear about your impressions. 

SLDs And Individual Learning Plans

Sue Griffith
Sue is a registered teacher with many years of experience in primary teaching. She has specialist Maths training in programs designed to support students experiencing difficulties or delays in Maths skills, including students with dyscalculia and/or dyslexia.
QuickSmart Numeracy Intervention
Ron Yoshimoto Multisensory Maths program – based on the Orton-Gillingham principles
Singapore Maths
Sue designs individual courses that are explicit, structured, multisensory and manipulative-based for students who are underachieving in Maths. Programs utilised are all evidence-based interventions. Students learn to think mathematically and develop understanding beyond rote memorisation. Programs focus on fostering a positive attitude towards Maths and the foundational skills, including but not limited to:
Place value and the decimal system
Basic Mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
Basic number fact knowledge and multiplication tables
Fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios
Problem solving strategies
Application of Number knowledge to concepts of Time, Money and Measurement
Sue also offers young people support in Literacy.
She has specialist training in ‘Teaching Students with Dyslexia’ and follows the Multi-Sensory Playberry Dyslexia Program which is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach.
Sue also has a Graduate Diploma in Education, specialising in Literacy and Language.
Sue designs literacy support programs such as ‘The Writing Process’ to suit individual student needs.
Sue believes all children can succeed in improving their reading, writing and mathematical skills. Please contact her to discuss how she can best support your child in their learning.
Lilly Shanahan
Lilly Shanahan is a dedicated Year 12 student at Sacred Heart College in Adelaide, South Australia. As someone who lives with dyslexia and dyscalculia, Lilly has navigated a variety of educational settings and individual learning plans (ILPs) throughout her academic journey.
Her varied experiences in different school environments have given her a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by learning with specific learning disabilities (SLDs). Lilly’s personal insights into effective ILP strategies are invaluable.
As a guest interviewee in this episode, Lilly shares her firsthand experiences and offers practical advice for kids, parents, and teachers. Her contributions provide a relatable and insightful perspective on how to navigate and optimize ILPs, making her story a source of inspiration and guidance for those facing similar educational challenges.
Show notes
During the episode, we mention a few things that may not be familiar to every listener. We always try to be as accurate as possible about what we say in all Dyscastia Podcasts. However, things do change, and if we have accidentally omitted information or something we have said is no longer the case, particularly in regards to policies in the individualised education plan space. 
Here are some links that might help.
Special Provisions in Exams: 
Students can apply in all states of Australia for special provisions in tests and exams. Different authorities generally for a documented history of special provisions for timed assessments. IEPs that document special assessment provisions will be an important part of this evidence.
South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE)
Currently, South Australia looks to have the best information page of all the states and territories. This section of the SACE Board website provides information on how students can apply for the types of special provisions discussed during this episode.
A quick look took me to these pages for other States and Territories:
Victoria: Special provisions Fact Sheet
New South Wales: Disability provisions for exams
Queensland: Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) — formerly known as special provisions
Australian Capital Territory: Equitable Assessment and Special Consideration
Northern Territory (it seems the NT have adopted SA’s approach) : Special provisions in the SACE
Western Australia: Special Provisions
Tasmania: Reasonable Adjustments for TASC External Assessments
USA We live in Australia, so we are not familiar with US processes, but these links seem like a good place to start:
The 13 disability categories under IDEA
Understanding IEPs
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Special Provisions Mentioned – What to consider when deciding what to offer a student.
Below are some of the topics discussed in the episode. A key takeaway is that any provision or accommodation that might make its way into a student’s plan will have upsides and downsides that need to be balanced. A glaring omission from our conversation was assistive technology. Unfortunately, the conversation just didn’t take us there. Assistive tech is an incredibly important part of the picture for students with difficulties and the possible topic of a future episode.
As you read these,  you may notice that these are options that can be made available to all students. Many ideas discussed in this episode make a difference for all students and get teachers thinking about what exactly is being assessed. 
 
Asking what’s helped in the past
This is often missed in the mess of creating an individualised plan for students. Even though a student may have never had a formalised plan, they may have had teachers make day-to-day accommodations that have helped. Secondary students are more likely to know what helps them! Primary students may not; however, when schools ask students, “What have teachers done that has helped you learn?”, students do feel more supported. 
It is important also to understand that there will be times when adults have noticed that one approach has made a big difference, but the student has not. Students will probably be aware of approaches that have helped them to worry less about schoolwork, but adults may be more aware of what has improved the quality of student work. I guess what we’re saying is students won’t always be right about what has made a difference, and nor will adults. The conversation is what makes the difference. 
Be prepared to try different approaches
Something that makes a big difference for one student may not be so effective for another. This is a result of how students are differently affected by learning difficulties. As well as this, some approaches will be more effective for different types of work. There’s no shortcut to finding out what makes a difference for a student. We just have to try different things and make sure we are candid with students about how they’ll need to give approaches a decent try before writing it off. Instant success, although wonderful, is rare. 
Additional time to complete assignments
Being given additional time can be a lifesaver; however, Lilly and Michael made the important point that sometimes additional time can be a curse. If a student has received additional time for an assignment from all teachers, it can just create a due-date bottleneck. Part of having a SLD (and ADHD) can be difficulty managing time and task and we all, in spite of our differences, need to learn approaches that help us meet deadlines. Some students will need explicit coaching on lining up due dates with available time. Typically, parents pick up this task, but it can be exhausting. Anything schools can do to help students pace themselves toward due dates is appreciated by families.
Some of the best tips on this comes from a book called Teaching Tough Kids by Mark LeMessurier. It’s a highly recommended resource. 
Reduced word count
This is perhaps the best-known addition to individualised plans for students who have difficulties with the volume and quality of written output. Reducing the volume of written work can make a big difference. Here’s the difficulty – reduced word count can create its own set of challenges as it requires students to condense what they know into fewer words! It’s important to remember that SLDs like Dyslexia or Dysgraphia make it harder to get what you know onto paper in a coherent way. They don’t limit a student’s depth of understanding about a topic. As well as this, regardless of the word count, students will still have to go through the scut work of sequencing their ideas and deciding on what order to lay them out. 
Exemplars of student work
A long-standing piece of good practice for all students is showing them past work from other students that shows what exemplary work looks like. Different students use these differently; however, students with SLDs often pay particular attention to the sequencing (layout of paragraphs) and also some of the language choices used in exemplars. Plagiarism must always be taken into consideration; however, borrowing a particular arrangement of language is really how we all learn to write more effectively. If you are not sure where to start with providing samples, this might help the Australian Curriculum work samples resource.
Alternative ways students can show learning
We discussed a range of other ways students’ knowledge of a topic can be assessed other than through lengthy written assignments. When deciding on accommodations like this, we need to think very hard about what we are assessing. One student famously said about a History teacher, “
“What doesn’t this teacher get? If he keeps insisting that I write heaps, all he’s testing is my learning disability, and I’ll just keep proving that I’ve got a really big one.”
If we are assessing how well students can follow the conventions of a particular written form, then absolutely, students need to write to show evidence in writing. If we are assessing students’ understanding of the factors that led to WW1 then for students with SLDs, the writing will become a barrier to them showing what they know and understand. 
It pays to think carefully about what alternatives to offer students and whether these will suit what you are assessing. Here is a list of some alternatives to long-form written tasks: 
Heavily scaffolded writing frames (usually a feature of good teaching anyway)
A PowerPoint presentation with embedded audio where the student goes into greater depth than the on-slide print
Some information in paragraph form
Some in dot-pointed form
Captioned Illustrations (cartoon style) where appropriate
Dual-coded infographic
A well-captioned timeline to show a series of events
Recorded oral presentation – video themselves explaining/teaching the concept to a family member or a fictional class
A recorded session where they teach someone else the content
Live oral presentation
PowerPoint with embedded audio
A combo of the above modes
It is important to note that regardless of which alternative is chosen, a student will always have to know the content and put that knowledge into a sequence that makes sense. We are not modifying in regards to what a student knows; we are modifying the ways in which that can demonstrate that knowledge. If students don’t know the topic, there’s just nowhere to hide! 
A note on good old sticky notes: some students benefit from being taught how to write one concept or idea on a sticky note and do this for all the ideas they wish to include in their assignment. They then place these on a surface and arrange and rearrange until they have a sequence they are happy with. Then, they can think about how they will connect these ideas to form a complete piece of work.
Recorded oral assignments
A game changer for many students is the chance to record themselves talking about a topic or teaching someone else (and even answering questions from the person they’re teaching) can be a much better way for them to show what they know.  The sky is the limit here. Again, students still need to know the content, cover what’s expected in the assessment rubric and have a coherent sequence of ideas. 
Interview with the teacher (In place of or supplementary to written assessment)
Bill once worked with a great dyslexic student called Charlie. Charlie was doing year 12 and was probably one of the best students of History Bill had worked with. In the lead-up to an exam, Bill and Charlie revised key dates and factors that led to the event that would be assessed in an essay question in the exam. Charlie knew the content forward and backwards. His analysis was sharp, and his knowledge was deep.
Two weeks later, Bill has a crestfallen Charlie in his office. His exam result was disappointing. Charlie had lost a significant number of marks due to not being able to pull it all together in essay form under the pressure of time. Dyslexia had robbed Charlie of time, and the additional 10 minutes he had been provided just hadn’t been enough to make up for the processing time that dyslexia took from him. It was too late to change the mark, but Bill lamented that if that teacher had pulled Charlie aside for 10 minutes after the examination (unannounced, so Charlie wouldn’t have any preparation time) and asked him to expand on some aspects of the essay, Charlie’s grade would have gone from a C to an A. 
This could have been an option in Charlie’s IEP. Of course, in high-stakes assessments, an accommodation like this may need to be approved by a higher power. However, the option of a student interview, where a teacher asks students a set of prepared questions or asks students to elaborate on points that may not have been expressed as they’d have wished to under timed conditions, can make a huge difference. 
Timed homework
With an understanding of how much angst and heartache homework tasks can cause for students with learning difficulties, many teachers have set time requirements (and ceilings) for homework rather than setting tasks that need to be completed.
As Lilly and Michael discussed, although this can reduce meltdowns, teachers do need to consider that a student without learning difficulties will get much more done in a set time than a student with an LD. It can also be very difficult to walk away from a homework task after a set time just when the penny has dropped and a student has finally started making headway. 
 

Maths and learning difficulties

In this episode, we chat with math teaching expert Liana McCurry. We delve into best practices for all students when teaching maths. We hope Liana's insights will help create inclusive learning environments where every child can succeed.
For the full show notes, including Liana's R-6 scope, sequence and content breakdown, visit our website.
https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-14-maths-and-learning-difficulties/

ADHD and learning difficulties

In this episode, we talk with Psychologist Benita Ranzon about one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized conditions that affect kids and adults - ADHD.
About Benita
I have been working in private practice at Fullarton House since 2005. The focus of my practice is on educational issues for students and adults.
I offer diagnosis of specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.
I provide learning and support strategies for home, school and work to enable people with reading, spelling, writing or maths difficulties to be successful.
I offer diagnosis and advice to parents of children with ADHD, as well as adults with ADHD.
I identify students with high intellectual or academic potential, sometimes called ‘gifted’ students, using the WPPSI-IV or WISC-V cognitive tests. I provide recommendations on curriculum differentiation and other supportive strategies at school and home
 
Show notes
While ADHD is not a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, it does have a high association with these difficulties. Approximately 40% of people living with ADHD will also be living with dyslexia. This has big implications for parents and teachers in terms of being vigilant about ADHD symptoms in our kids and being knowledgeable about how ADHD and learning difficulties may impact on each other.
ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that typically begins in childhood and may continue into adulthood. It is characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that can impact various aspects of a person’s life, including academic performance, work productivity, and relationships. 
ADHD is typically identified based on specific criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). They have a PDF fact sheet about AHD available to download. You can see that the last time this was updated was in 2013! These criteria include the presence of symptoms in multiple settings, impairment in daily functioning, and the exclusion of other possible causes for the symptoms.
 
ADHD related links and resources we mention
 
Additude magazine
ADDitude is an online resource for families and adults living with ADHD and related conditions and for the professionals who work with them.
They have great resources about kids living with ADHD.
For teachers
For parents
For adults
They also have an excellent YouTube channel.
Jessica McCabe - How to ADHD
Jessica runs a YouTube channel that she describes as an ADHD toolbox. It’s mostly aimed at adults but has great tips and resources for understanding ADHD from a lived experience perspective.
 
Jessica’s TED talk sharing her ADHD success story.
 
Dr Russell Barkley
We referred to Dr Russell Barkley a number of times during this podcast. YouTube is scattered with lots of bits and pieces of Dr Barkley’s numerous talks. Dr Barkley talks about ADHD from a medical perspective, and the video below goes into the clinical details of ADHD for parents. He is engaging, compelling and highly knowledgeable.
 
Comments and questions are welcome!
We would love to hear about your experience with ADHD and any tips you can share about supporting kids living with ADHD. Please leave a comment on our website https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-13-adhd 

The Teaching Morphology Rabbit Hole and Word Cracking

Show notes
In this episode, Bill, Michael and Sally discuss morphology teaching and begin to demystify a body of knowledge that sometimes feels like the next frontier for teachers. Most of us have got our heads about the importance of phonemes and training young brains to work with them at a highly proficient level (phonemic awareness), and how to teach synthetic phonics in more effective ways.
Most teachers also get the importance of explicit and highly structured modes for teaching how phonemes map onto graphemes and the additional important stuff to do with English spelling conventions. However, because our language is influenced by other classic languages such as Latin and Greek, our spelling system has inherited some odd spelling rules and strange strings of letters that mean things, but don’t seem to make any sense alone and certainly don’t stand alone as words like the ‘iatr’ in psychiatrist (meaning to heal) or the ‘cracy’ in democracy (meaning to govern). So, what we have ended up with is a spelling system with two important parts to it – letters standing for sounds and morphemes standing for meanings, and both are as important as one another for reading, comprehension and spelling. Our language is morphophonemic.
Phonics teaching alone isn’t enough to get many students across the line to be at-year-level readers, spellers and writers. Alongside phonic knowledge, learners must also develop an awareness of how words are made up of units of meaning called morphemes (or morphographs). This is where morphological awareness comes in. Morphology is the study of how words build up and come apart in ways that alter their meaning and it’s a rich vein to be mined. Some students just seem to develop morphological awareness by themselves, but all students benefit from explicit teaching and for many, without it, they’ll flounder.
This sounds daunting for teachers but the truth is that we can actually start to incorporate morphology instruction into our teaching anytime we like. The only thing that holds many of us back is that we worry that we don’t know enough about morphemes and what they mean for spelling, word knowledge and complex subject-specific words – vocabulary. Trust me, nobody feels like they know enough! Sally, Michael and I are always learning, as our meanderings in this episode will attest to! So dive in with us as we go down the morphology rabbit hole!
The Word Cracker Resources
This is the resource originally created by Sally and Bill and then brought into the online world by Michael. A few of the free useful morphology resources are listed below:
If you are new to morphology, you can do the Word Cracking morphology training course online or read our introduction to morphology.
If you already know how important morphology is but need to convince your school leadership, we have a morphology explainer for school leaders.
We have an article on when to start teaching morphology.
If you are a parent, we have an article explaining what morphology is and how to teach it at home.
Blog Post: TEACHING SUFFIXES: STARTING WITH THE SUFFIX ‘S’ This was mentioned during the episode in the context of all the other knowledge (meta-language) needed to teach suffix ‘s’.
 
Some additional reading on teaching morphology
Suggestions from Felicity at Seelect Educational Supplies
Vocabulary Through Morphemes Student Workbook 
Morpheme Magic
‘Beneath the Surface of Words’ was mentioned by Bill in this episode as an excellent resource that teaches us to think morphologically!
Etymology Online (Etymology Online Dictionary)
Every teacher who has been teaching morphology has this tab continuously open in their browser. This is where Bill went looking for the root in ‘swagger’ among other deep dives during this episode. Etymonline is an incredible resource that is kept going by one, solitary fellow! So if you want to support this resource you can, make a small donation or support the author on Patreon where you get access to extra articles and resources.
Dictionary of affixes
The Dictionary of Affixes contains more than 1,250 entries, illustrated by 10,000 examples, all defined and explained. It’s based on the book Ologies and Isms: Word Beginnings and Endings, published by Oxford University Press in 2002.
Like Etymology Online, it is run by a single person, Michael Quinion, and you can donate to support him on his homepage.
Morphology helping with Mathematical and Scientific terms
Late in the episode, Bill talked about the importance of Greek and Latin roots to scientific words. A great download summarising these can be found at:http://www.jdenuno.com/PDFfiles/RootWords.pdf
We also have a blog post on the Word Cracking website, When Do I Start Teaching Morphology, that, among other things, talks about how morphology helps if you are a secondary teacher.

The Importance of Handwriting, with Debbie Draper

In this episode, we chat with educational consultant Debbie Draper about handwriting, why it's back and what we need to do to set kids up for successful writing.
 
About Debbie
When Debbie was in year five at primary school in rural South Australia, she decided she wanted to be a teacher. After 17 years in the classroom, Debbie decided to switch her focus to assisting educators to do the best for their students. 
Debbie now works as a specialist consultant with the goal of reaching out to school leaders and teachers who need guidance in planning and evaluating their learning programmes. 
Debbie aims to provide quality learning for various school contexts and tailor new approaches and strategies that address the needs of the students, teachers and leaders of the institution she serves.
Debbie has spent her career helping educators to recognise and solve the unique challenges they encounter in their schools.
Debbie co-wrote the DECD Unlocking the World "Gifted Education and Higher Order Thinking: Improving Learning Outcomes for every Student" tutor training programme and teacher development courses. Those materials were delivered to various South Australian sites as well as to international schools and the public education system in Hong Kong.
Additionally, Debbie co-developed a support model in response to the needs of the overwhelming number of sites involved in the comprehension strategy in Northern Adelaide.
"Stories from the Field" attests to the impact of the professional learning programme on teacher capacity and efficacy as well as student learning outcomes. Leaders, later on, report on the quality and positive impact of the professional learning and resources that I co-developed to support teacher learning.
Email: Debbie.draper@gmail.com
Website: https://debbiedraper-educationalconsultant.vpweb.com.au/
 
Show notes
Handwriting has made its way back into schools that have embraced evidence-based teaching of reading, spelling and writing.
The multisensory nature of the delivery of structured synthetic phonics programs requires that students are handwriting as they store grapheme-phoneme correspondences, and there's a plethora of evidence to support this approach.
Now, as schools insist that students write more, the expected questions have popped up.
Cursive or manuscript?
One then the other or cursive from the get-go?
Which font shall we teach schoolwide?
Are there better ones than others?
Dotted thirds, lines or no lines?
What types of writing implements – pens or pencils?
Do we correct poor grip? How?
Do we let them rub out?
Writing in books or on individual whiteboards? If both, when?
How should students sit as they write?
At tables, sitting on the floor?
Lying on the floor?
Do we insist on a set letter formation?
What about students with Dysgraphia?
In this episode, we explore these issues and more with Debbie and tap into her vast expertise and experience. 
 
Debbie made us a shared folder!
Click here to access the Google folder that Debbie has created for Dyscastia listeners. It is chock-a-block with great articles and instructional aids. 
 

Mental health and specific learning difficulties

In this episode, we chat with clinical psychologist Kirrilie Smout about the emotional challenges of living with specific learning difficulties. Kirrilie givestopert advice for parents and teachers on how to set kids up for success and support them when things get tough.
Show notes
Not keeping up at school and feeling like you aren’t able to do what the other kids can do is soul-destroying for young people. It’s also incredibly hard for those who care for them, most obviously parents and caregivers, but also educators who are in the lives of kids who struggle to learn to read, spell and do maths.
In this episode, we sit down with Kirrilie Smout, in our minds, one of Australia’s leading clinical child/adolescent psychologists and the director of Developing Minds. With the benefit of Kirrilie’s down-to-earth style, well-researched opinions, years of experience and incredible humanity, we delve into a range of issues that clutter the already complex landscape of being a kid with learning difficulties or parenting/teaching one.
When Life Sucks for Kids
One of Kirrilie’s books “When Life Sucks for Kids” is the centerpiece for this episode and sets us off on an incredibly interesting conversation about all sorts of stuff, including:
The very real correlation between having an SLD and mental health difficulties – is it fate that a kid with SLDs will have an associated mental health problem?
How to talk with young people about the challenges and strengths that come with an SLD and how to remain believable when trying to keep kids buoyant
Fostering hope for the future but also being frank and honest about the challenges ahead
Understanding mood, its impact on learning and cleverly helping kids to regulate mood to best set them up for work that is going to be challenging (like homework)
Talking to kids about the importance of hard work and struggle in building a strong and flexible brain
The importance of peer-connection for kids with learning difficulties and balancing homework and a social life
What to consider when deciding on whether to use tough-love or to back off for a bit – balancing empathy and toughness
School refusal – the slippery slope
The mental health implications of parenting a kid who will at times feel hopeless, helpless and like it’s all too hard.
Where to get some help
Calm Kid Central is a wonderful resource that had been developed by Kirrilie and the staff at Developing Minds. It contains over 25 interactive and animated educational lessons for children to learn to: cope with frustration, manage anxiety, improve peer relationships, manage conflict constructively, help themselves get to sleep, use calm words, re-direct their attention onto positive topics, ask for help – and many more.
Kid’s Helpline 1800 55 1800 can also be a wonderful help when young people just need someone to talk to – any time, for any reason.
 
Full show notes available at https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-10-mental-health-and-specific-learning-difficulties/

NDIS funding for specific learning difficulties

In this episode, we chat with Kate Cole, a determined parent who managed to secure NDIS funding for her child living with dyslexia. Kate tells us exactly how she did it!
 
In this episode, we chat with Kate Cole, who tells her NDIS funding story. Kate tells us why she applied and how she navigated multiple rejections to ultimately have her funding approved.
It’s a story we hope you will find encouraging, useful and enlightening, as we did. So, if you live in Australia and know or support somebody living with a specific learning difficulty, this episode may be a game changer.
What is the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is for people in Australia under 65, living with permanent and significant disability.
Permanent means the disability will not go away.
Significant means the disability affects how you live every day.
Both of these criteria can apply to people living with specific learning difficulties.
 
NDIS and Dyslexia – Kate's story in her own words
Our daughter is a bright, happy, funny girl who is just a joy to be around. We began to have concerns about her literacy skills when was quite young. While her peers were able to recognise letters of the alphabet, she struggled to recall common letters, including those in her name from a young age. This was in contrast to the skills she displayed when performing other tasks as part of daily life – which she really excelled at!Our daughter settled well into school but struggled with basic literacy tasks from the beginning. By the end of Year 1 we requested her school to allow her to repeat Year 1 again. We were told that repeating her would only be allowed upon completion of a psychometric assessment, an assessment by an independent speech pathologist, an assessment by an occupational therapist. We arranged the necessary tests.
Through Year 1 and 2, her school provided some support – Reading Recovery and MiniLit. In addition, we organised speech pathology & tutoring to help her. But by the end of Term 3, Year 2 it was evident that the support available within her school was insufficient to enable her to continue learning in that environment. We had had our daughter “tested” for countless things based on recommendations from the school – ADHD, eyesight problems, intellectual delays etc. None were really helpful. Our daughter is very well behaved, is a gun at ball sports and excels at mathematics. It was as though her school really did not understand her strengths at all.
We made the decision to enrol our daughter in a different school commencing in Year 3. From the start, her new teacher contacted us to discuss concerns with her literacy. She was great. A further assessment by a speech pathologist was recommended, as was a referral to a Neuropsychologist. We were blown away with his findings. Essentially it showed she had a Specific Learning Disorder that impacted reading and writing only (dyslexia). It was also very clear that this was not related to an intellectual disability and that there were certain interventions were never going to work given her condition. The Neuropsychologist also provided very specific and clear recommendations for both school and for at home which were very useful.
From that point onwards, her new school helped by providing in-class support, free access to evidence-based literacy interventions, MaqLit, assistive technology (e.g. “C-pen”), and access to learning support and a scribe. We supplemented this with regular speech pathology every week. This is all amazing while our daughter is at school. But what I think some fail to realise is that children also need to access texts and write things down when they are not at school – supports are still needed outside of an educational setting. This is why we applied to the NDIS.
Here is our Timeline:
May 2019
We applied for access to the NDIS for our daughter’s primary impairment of a Severe Specific Learning Disorder with impairment with reading and written expression. We explained that our daughter had received evidence-based treatment from speech pathologist(s) since the age of 4 targeting literacy development, all with minimal improvement. She had also participated in multiple literacy interventions at school. I sought access to the NDIS for continued targeted evidence-based literacy programs to lift basic literacy proficiency as much as is possible within the context of her SLD. In the context of functional impairments, I sought access to the use of assistive technology for her learning.
July 2019
We were informed that our NDIS Access Request was not successful. Specifically, the requirements that were stated not to be met were:
Section 24(1)(c) relating to an impairment” that results in substantially reduced functional capacity; and
Section 25 relating to whether the early intervention supports are most appropriately funded by the NDIS.
Those familiar with NDIS may know that in order to meet the Access Criteria, you have to satisfy the NDIS on many criteria.
Our application was targeted at Section 21(1) which includes:
21(1)(a) age requirements (Section 22); and
21(1)(b) residence requirements (Section 23); and
21(1)(c)(i) disability requirements (Section 24); OR
21(1)(c)(ii) early intervention requirements (Section 25).
The first 2 items above (Section 22 & 23) were easy for us. It’s Section 24 or 25 that presented the challenge.
August 2019
I applied to the NDIS for a review of the outcome of our Access Request. In response to the items noted above, I wrote the following:
“In contrast to what has been stated, (Name’s) SLD significantly impedes her functional capacity to both learn and communicate in society. This is a lifelong disorder which negatively affects her ability to read and write. The ability to do so is a skill that we need to function in life and society. Her disorder has demonstrated impacts on educational and occupational attainment, as well as limiting participation and productivity. (Name) needs ongoing help and assistance, and we want to be able to help her to function in society. (Name) requires assistive technology aids to allow her to access written texts and express herself in written format. In addition, she requires speech pathology intervention to limit the detrimental impacts of her Specific Learning Disorder. Without such, (Name’s) ability to communicate is severely compromised, and she will be unable to fully participate in society. As such, I request a review of the access decision for (Name) “
October 2019
I received a phone call from the NDIS seeking more information. Nothing specific was requested, just an overview of her daily life which I provided. The NDIS also contacted my daughter’s Neuropsychologist. A few weeks later, I received a letter informing me that the earlier decision to reject our request was upheld and that we were not successful. What was great about this rejection letter was that the NDIS went into much more detail on each of the Access sub-criteria on what had not been met. For example, we were informed that she did not meet the following criteria:
21(1)(c)(i) disability requirements (Section 24)
Criteria (c) which means that the impairment must result in substantially reduced functional capacity in one or more areas;
Criteria (e) which whether the condition is likely to require lifetime support of the NDIS.
21(1)(c)(ii) early intervention requirements (Section 25)
Criteria 25(3) that the NDIS is the most appropriate support system.
Therefore, based on this knowledge, I applied to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), requesting a further external review of the decision.
December 2019
Our first case conference with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was scheduled, and in preparation, I was sent a “Respondent’s Statement of Issues” (SOI), which summarised the decision under review.
My daughter’s Neuropsychologist attended the Case Conference by phone, which was a huge help. I used the Case Conference as my first opportunity to directly ask the NDIS what it was that they wanted or expected to be provided as evidence to satisfy the 3 areas that were deemed to be unacceptable.
I explained what her daily life is like, and I was told I needed to provide a Statement of Lived Experience on what her life is like now and what it would be like if she was granted access to the NDIS.
When it came to the discussion around how significant her disability affects her life, her Neuropsychologist was amazing at articulating the research available that demonstrates the need for early intervention for this SLD and the positive impacts on day-to-day life it brings. He explained the long-term outcomes of people who have a history of reading disorders or learning disabilities and how the literature shows that children and adults with reading difficulties have established poorer functional outcomes across a range of domains, and as such, need support to be able to participate in society. He was asked to provide a summary of that research. He also provided context to the need for supports around the use of assistive technology and the use of evidence-based literacy support.
I went through what the education system provides and asked specifically what the NDIS expected “mainstream services” to provide to support her. I explained that I had already consulted with our GP on this and had access to all mainstream services available, including through a GP management plan and such were insufficient. I was asked to provide written evidence of this.
The grounds on which I argued included that her SLD does have functional impacts and such is beyond mere educational needs in the classroom. While it is true that it is the role of education to support for her in the classroom, education is not responsible for providing her assistance when she is not in class. For example, her school is not responsible to provide a C-Pen for her when she is reading at home, to assist with reading a bus or train timetable, or provide talk-to-text at home. She requires tools to navigate the written world long term.
I was specifically asked what support she needed for her daily life outside of school. Here is an extract of what I provided:
“Every-day activities that rely on reading or writing restrict her ability to participate, unless she is provided with someone to read or scribe for her or if she has access to the use of assistive technology. As parents, we have tried to support her independence by providing a C-Pen Reader for use outside of school. The C-Pen Reader enables her to scan a line of words so that they can be read back to her. While the C-Pen Reader enables her to understand some written texts, it is limited in its support when the words she needs to read are on a noticeboard (behind glass), if they are on signage (such as for pedestrian access), if they are on the TV (such as words to a song, or a warning sign etc.), or on packaging where the colours behind the words change. The latter is a good example of the challenges presented if she tries to “shop” for something, as labels on products are typically written over multi-coloured backgrounds.
Some examples of day-to-day things that she requires support for that she is unable to perform independently include:
Unable to read the ingredients and the methods to follow in a cookbook;
Unable to read cereal boxes, so if the packaging changes to unfamiliar colours, she cannot ascertain what is inside;
Unable to decipher from shampoo, conditioner, or any other product such as body wash (or other products in the bathroom) unless she has become familiar with the coloured branding on the packaging over time;
Unable to read packaged items from grocery shopping that she is not familiar with;
If we go out for dinner, she is unable to read from the menu;
Unable to participate in after-school extra-curricular activities such as drama or speech, as participating relies on creating texts and reading lines;
Unable to decipher or create text messages or emails;
Unable to read the bus or train timetable;
Unable to read Christmas cards, birthday cards, or letters from family members;
Unable to read notes that she brings home from school or permission slips;
Unable to read sign-ups for community days at the local shopping centre;
Unable to read road/pedestrian signs.”
I was also asked to approximate the level of support (in dollars) that we were after. I sought support for participation in evidence-based literacy interventions to build her literacy skills; and provision of assistive technology for reading and writing. Such should include technology that enables her to read from text, but also read words encountered in everyday life. Examples include a C-Pen Reader and technology that enables words to be read in any format, such as the OrCam MyReader. Based on these items, I estimated then to amount to approximately $10,000, consisting of ongoing weekly speech pathology ($3,500) and assistive technologies such as the Orcam MyReader ($5,695).
We were given until February to compile all requested information. The respondent (NDIS) was given around 2 weeks to respond afterwards, and another case conference was scheduled for March 2020.
February 2020
I sent the following info to the ATT:
 Statement of Lived Experience
Medical report from our GP (who was fabulous). Her letter explained the support available through mainstream services for children with dyslexia through Medicare consisted of 5 x subsidised Speech Therapy or Occupational Therapy sessions per year – and that such was totally inadequate to deal with the complex issues involved.
Summary report from our Neuropsychologist
Progress reports from my daughter’s school.
We were contacted in late Feb from the lawyers representing the NDIS to ask us if they could have more time to review our documentation.
I refused.
I figured I have 3 kids and work full time – why am I giving lawyers who are paid to do this more time?
Soon after, we received an email stating that the NDIS agreed that our daughter now met the access criteria under Section 21(1)(a); 21(1)(b) and 21(1)(c)(i) disability requirements (Section 24).
The key things that helped me throughout this process that I think made the most difference:
1. An amazing Neuropsychologist who specialises in this area and could be called upon to provide independent information to the NDIS at any time.
2. Keeping very detailed records of every phone call with the NDIS, taking the time to read the Operational Guideline behind the NDIS (Becoming a Participant) Rules…and not giving up.
I had countless conversations where I was told that it’s a good idea to “get a lawyer” to help me because Disability law can be complicated. The idea of paying for legal advice on top of everything else was a really big deterrent. But I did all of this without any of it. Yes, it took time, but I actually think it probably took less time (definitely less money) than if I had to explain it to someone else all the time and review everything they wanted to send out. This way I felt (marginally) in control.
3. Knowing that if the situation was different, and it was actually me that was dyslexic, that it would have been very unlikely that my parents could have afforded the sheer amount of therapy, assessments, intervention, and private school fees that we have spent to help our daughter with her condition…and that my adult life would be very different. I feel very lucky that I was able to go to University. It infuriates me that help for dyslexia mainly relies on parents that can afford it. Every child deserves support for dyslexia – and such should be supported through the NDIS.
I really hope this post helps someone else access the NDIS for their child, or for themselves.
From: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220307061381034/search/?q=ndis
Since then
This is just a follow-up to my post on April 16, where I went through the process we took to get our daughter on the NDIS (which was recently accepted). I had lots of questions on what was included in her plan, and I couldn’t answer them because it hadn’t been approved yet.
I’m very happy to say that her plan has now been approved and is made up of the following:
CORE/Consumables budget= $200 – For the purchase of low-cost Assistive technology to assist with her communication support needs
Capacity Building- Improved Daily Living – $8,373.36 – Access to Speech therapy support + parent training.
I can’t tell you how much of a difference this makes to us – the ability to have funded speech pathology is absolutely amazing. I hope this post further inspires others to seek funding through the NDIS for themselves or their children, and please don’t give up.
I’m happy to help anyone on their journey.

How well do universities prepare teachers for literacy instruction?

Show notes
In this episode, we chat with two wonderful pre-service teachers, Lara (left) and Robert (right), who have just completed level one of Teaching Students with Dyslexia (TSD1). We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to ask Lara and Robert to reflect on what they’d just learned at TSD and how this contrasted with what they were learning about teaching literacy at University.
Lara
Lara is currently a student at Flinders University, undertaking a Bachelor of Primary of Education. She has previously been a Police Officer here in South Australia, as well as a Teacher of English as a second language in Switzerland.
Robert
Educational Support Officer and fourth-year student studying a bachelor’s degree in Primary and Middle School education at the University of South Australia. Robert also works as an educator in an out-of-school hours care program. He takes great pride in supporting students with learning disabilities and has recently taken on Tier 3 support through the completion of the Playberry Multisensory Literacy Program.
Selected links and extras related to the episode
Greg Ashman
At the beginning of the episode, Bill mentions a blog written by Greg Ashman – here it is!
Criticism of teacher education is not a criticism of teachers – It is unhelpful spin
Mark Seidenberg
Bill mentions Mark Seidenberg’s book Language at the speed of sight and his views on teacher education institutions keeping the science of reading at arm’s length. Mark has an excellent blog called Reading Matters that’s worth looking at.
Below is a clip from an interview where he is discussing reasons why there are problems in teacher preparation.
S.A. Evidence-Based Teaching of Literacy Study Tour:
At the end of this episode, we invite anyone involved in teacher training to join us at Salisbury Primary School in 2023. There is, of course, an ulterior motive – to showcase the power of explicit, structured teaching of core subjects and the incredible impact this has on student learning, behaviour and self-esteem in the most complex of educational contexts. This is a call to action to those brave and dedicated folks who pull teacher training courses together to engage with us to see what we can do to better prepare our next generation of teachers to teach kids to read, spell and write. Excellent teaching of literacy is one of the best antidotes we have to social disadvantage!
Salisbury Primary School
Using evidence-based teaching to unlock literacy for all students
An invitation to Salisbury Primary School,
*Study Tour dates for 2023 are coming soon – email bill@hansberryec.com.au to express interest