https://dyslexialibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/file-manager/public/2564/english-learners-and-dyslexia.pdf

Please read to the very end of this posting to see what activities are happening in your area and additional trainings that are available on the internet. The information regarding dyslexia is becoming much more accessible than when I first began learning about it. I am so grateful for this advancement!

Much is happening at Successful Learning Educational Services!

While we recently downsized our footprint in our building a bit, our services are expanding to allow some of our tutors to work from home these days. We still believe in a collaborative approach to tutoring and tutors working from their homes are in close connection with myself or collegiate tutors here at SLES! We also will soon be offering online testing for dyslexia in the next several months. While COVID challenges have certainly been something to navigate, it has stretched us to determine how we can best continue to offer our services to those seeking support and assessments. We are almost there!

Some other changes have been some staffing changes. My son, Brian Anthony, resigned at the end of July. We greatly miss him, but he decided to dedicate more time in completing a writing degree through Washington State University. He hopes to pursue professional writing upon graduation. Way to go Brian!

We have some wonderful new employees! You can find out more about them on our website. Together we are now delivering more than 500 tutoring sessions per month! If you know of someone needing tutoring or testing (screening or diagnostic) have them give us a call!

Author Yasmin John-Thorpe

About 2 years ago now, I met author Yasmin John-Thorpe at an arts and crafts fair. I loved her children’s books about the desert southwest, where I have been living for the past two years. I knew my dyslexic students would love to learn about the desert southwest but would not be able to read her books for themselves. I approached her that very first meeting to ask if she had ever thought about uploading her books so that students could hear her stories. She was intrigued…and so our journey began!

Since our first meeting to discuss my question further, Yasmin and I have determined to somehow provide additional books and stories to young readers, especially for my beloved students with dyslexia. That day has finally come! Yasmin wrote a wonderful story over the spring months and asked me to revise the story to be decodable for students with dyslexia or students who have received instruction in reading that is systematic, and phonics based. We are so excited to announce the release of Pete the Pelican. It can now be downloaded (both versions) and is also available in hard copy. Check it out here. Yasmin’s other books are listed there too.

You can listen to our podcast about Yasmin’s writing and here her read aloud A New home for the Q’s. You can also visit her website.

Listen to Successful Learning Educational Services’ podcast interview with Yasmin.

Until ALL can read…

We are still so very passionate in helping ALL children read, especially those with dyslexia. We know that reading instruction that works for students with dyslexia works for many, many other children. We continue our work…UNTIL ALL CHILDREN CAN READ!

We are usually providing a dyslexia simulation in October, but due to COVID restrictions we are unable provide these currently. We hope to be able to offer another simulation in the future.

This October and November join with others in the dyslexia community at these events and learn more about dyslexia at these instructional events:

Go Red Scavenger Hunt for Dyslexia
Underway now! October 3-18th Decoding Dyslexia Oregon (more information)

Understanding Dyslexia Virtual Series, presented by Nancy Mather, PhD
Wed. Oct. 14th 4:00-5:30 pm Dyslexia 1010
Sat. Oct. 17, 12:00-3:30 pm Assessment and Dyslexia
Sat. Oct. 24, 12:00-3:30 pm Interventions and Dyslexia
Register here. 

Dyslexia Con IDA Annual Conference
Nov. 13-1, 2020 (more information) 

To help us bring awareness to Dyslexia – wear Red for Dyslexia!

I know you have received many emails and communications regarding the impact of the COVID-19.  I hope you will take a moment to read one more!

While so many tutors have been having to learn how to provide services in an online format, we have been doing so for several years now.  Our main thrust forward was to incorporate some additional technology to allow tutors to work from home. We’ve been ahead of this thrust and all tutors have access to what they need to continue our comprehensive reading, writing, and math tutoring from the safety of their homes. I must thank my incredible IT Manager, Shawn Washburn, for his intuitive skills in helping prepare us as needed!

We have several dyslexia diagnostic assessments that have been completed and with the collaboration of our clinical psychologist, Dr. Sharon Gavora, we are able to deliver our parent reports via our online platform as well.  We had already incorporated this approach for some out-of-town families, so we continue to move forward in providing the documentation and meetings for local families in this now-needed venue.

We have a contract with a distance learning program which has been online from the beginning and we have been able to continue serving these families as usual.

While some educators and parents have been concerned about having their students and children learn through an online platform, we have experienced success for the past few years with many of our students and are so grateful we were ready and will  continue to serve students uninterrupted during this crucial time.

If you know of a family wanting to take advantage of this downtime in public and private education to provide intensive support for their child, have them give our office a call.  My Office Assistant, Jordan, is taking calls Mon-Thursday from 12:00-5:00 p.m. 360-326-4739, Hopefully we will be able to schedule some sessions for the much-needed support in math, reading, or writing composition.  Several of our families have even increased their tutoring weekly sessions to move progress forward at a faster pace.  

We are thankful for your support in the past and ask that you support us during this unprecedented time when many small businesses are struggling.  Our hope is that we will be able to thrive in supporting our local community and even beyond during the days ahead!

Look at our Facebook page where I am posting many free or trial online supports for our students.

Stay Well Friends,

Cheryl Anthony, MS Ed.

President

360-326-473

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month

The month of October is set aside each year to raise Dyslexia Awareness. Governors across the country sign proclamations stating they support this attention in their respective states. Washington and Oregon are states included in this growing list of proclamations.

How SLES Contributes to Dyslexia Awareness

We began our focus on Dyslexia Awareness in September with our Dyslexia Simulation and Dyslexia 101. We were happy that a table full of Washington state teachers and a school psychologist, as well as parents and siblings, attended this season’s event. Our very own Karen Brown presented the 101 information, with excellent information on the current laws across our nation. One of the most poignant scenes was that a former student of ours’, Andrea, led one of the Walk A Mile in My Shoes stations. She did a great job of leading the groups and answering the attendees’ questions. Our knowledgeable and helpful staff made this event memorable!

I have been intrigued to personally interact with students who have been receiving dyslexia support through one-on-one tutoring over the past few months. I still work with just a couple of students personally, and some of the comments they have made have set my heart singing.

More Dyslexia Success Stories

Abby, one of my students now in working on the foreign influence of languages upon the American language, tells me about the lengthy books she is reading and enjoying. She has shared that she uses a combination of eye and ear reading to help her through the lengthy books she wants to read – as in the lengthy Harry Potter series, as well as other books of choice and classroom assigned reads. She often tells me about the good reads she is enjoying. Abby recently began our session by excitedly telling me she had surpassed her grade level reading benchmark when assessed by her school! We are also working on writing and the importance of writing descriptively. She stated that not writing descriptively would be like being in a white room with nothing on the walls. I love this thinking!

Olivia, my other student, is working on the variations of Vowel-R patterns. She too shares about her choosing to read books on her own and the freedom she feels in choosing books to read depending on her interests. It is so amazing to watch students grow in their capacity and confidence to read, spell, and write as interventions continue!

We had a number of students complete various levels of our intervention programs over the summer months. We enjoy posting their pictures and sharing just a little bit about them. We are seeing more and more of our families choosing to complete the programs offered. I attend their End of Level meetings where we discuss their progress throughout the level of work, and in this case the end of the program. In one recent meeting the student Gavin, shared that he never thought he would get to this place. But he did, and successfully too! These students and parents consistently tell me about the good grades they are now receiving in school and the difference the instruction has made in their reading and spelling abilities. We are so proud of our students! It takes a considerable amount of dedication and fortitude for them to attend tutoring consistently to make these gains. We are also proud of the parents who make these sessions a priority at this point in their lives!

We Can All Contribute to Dyslexia Awareness

As we continue through the month of October, let us share these good stories, or your own personal story of your child’s progress after receiving an appropriate assessment/diagnosis of dyslexia and intervention with your family, your neighbors, and your child’s teachers, and classmates’ parents. There are still too many people with a misunderstanding of dyslexia. You can share your personal story or send them to our website where they can learn about the symptoms of dyslexia…and then learn more.

Learn more about the symptoms of dyslexia.

We invite you to attend any or all of the October Dyslexia Awareness events in your area. Here is a listing of several within the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

Perhaps most importantly, I want to invite our former students to send me their stories to share. Where are you now? What has been your experience since receiving tutoring services at SLES? What has been your experience at college or training schools? Do you find the support needed at these next steps? We would love to hear your stories and even receive a picture of you, if you’d like us to share! Parents, you can also share your stories with me! Our goal is to encourage those who are still in the process or considering support for their child. Email me here.

Help us spread the word!

❖ Dyslexia is not rare but is common–1 in 5!

❖ 85% of those receiving instruction and still struggling to read.

❖ With the right support, those suffering dyslexia can experience a difference that leads to great things!

Warmly,
Cheryl Anthony

Introduction

Sometimes you know that a meeting is just meant to be.  When you have a passion for helping students read and write.  When you are looking for just the right reading materials for struggling readers.  When you have a drive to find the “Just Right” text that they can read. When you want to share that motivating drive to get kids reading and you find someone else that shares that passion.

That is how I feel about meeting author Yasmin John-Thorpe last November in Green Valley, Arizona.

I was attending a community arts and crafts show in my new community with my long-time friends, Deb Nesbitt and Terri Gutierrez, who had also recently moved there.  I happened to walk by a table loaded with children’s books. Being a former classroom teacher and still having a love of children’s books, I had to stop and browse. Yasmin had her colorful children’s books about the desert southwest on display.

I was intrigued by the delightful pictures and fun stories about animals and life in the Sonoran Desert. Originally from the northwest and recently transplanted to the desert southwest, I immediately thought of all the students attending Successful Learning Educational Services back in my home state of Washington and nearby city of Portland, Oregon.  I wanted them to be able to learn about the amazing creatures and life here and as I browsed through the texts, I knew that many of my young dyslexic friends who would love her books, would not be able to access the print.

I introduced myself to Yasmin, shared my love of her books  and explained my dilemma of wanting to purchase her books for my students and yet knowing they would not be able to read them.  I asked if her books were in a digital format. She said that they were not. I wondered if she would be interested in talking more  about that. As I talked with Yasmin, I learned that she lived in my community. I gave her my business card, took hers, and asked if I could possibly meet with her to discuss this more.  To my delight, she said yes. And that is how this journey began.

Sharing Our Passion for Literacy

Upon meeting Yasmin a couple of weeks later over lunch, I learned of her amazing  journey into authorship. Yasmin is a self-published Canadian author, who has written books on Canada’s place in WW II, adult novels, and several amazing children’s books on the desert southwest.  She has worked with children in a number of schools to help them become better authors, has conducted summer writing workshops for children in years past, has mentored budding authors, and was now taking time to listen to my plea to turn her books into a digital format for easy access for MY students.  I explained that most dyslexic students would not be able to read her books, but that they would be very interested if they could learn about these amazing creatures of the desert southwest, if only they could ear read her books.

January 7, 2019  Our first meeting at the The Grill in Quail Creek, Green Valley, AZ

Yasmin was intrigued.  She promised that she would have her assistant look into what it would take to do this.

More Introductions

A short time later, another friend of mine, Connie Leinhos, visited me.  She, like my staff and I, tutors students with dyslexia. We visited Yasmin in her home.  Another great visit, and another plea to help make accessible books for Connie and my business’s students.  Yasmin was listening and becoming more intrigued by this need for decodable books. Yasmin gave a few of her books to both of us, which we took to read aloud to our students.

Cheryl Anthony, Connie Leinhos, and Yasmin John-Thorpe  March 2019

The Planning Begins

We had such a good visit Yasmin and I  decided to meet again.

At this meeting Yasmin shared that she would work with her assistant to get a couple of her books digitally recorded so that our dyslexic students could access them.  True to her word, she did just that. It wasn’t long and a couple of her books became available on Amazon.

At our next luncheon meeting, Yasmin agreed to let me interview her in a podcast on my website so that she could share her story and tell more about her amazing stories.  So, before the holiday season ended, we had recorded two short podcasts and two of her books were available digitally.

Yasmin John-Thorpe reading A New Home for the Q’s, a first attempt at recording her book.

This was great progress!

To check out Yasmin’s books, click the photos below.

If you are interested in listening to our podcasts, they can be found here:

Part One

Part Two

Watch for my blog next week to learn what we are up to NOW!

Cheryl Anthony, MS Ed.

Dyslexia Consultant

President, Successful Learning Educational Services

Nicole has been a professional Pastry Chef for 13 years, and is very passionate about her work.  She has worked in a wide range of establishments from a patisserie to restaurants, from a chocolaterie to catering, and from a boulangerie to an Asian-inspired American bakery.  She has learned and grown along the way as a pastry chef and leader.

Nine years ago she was blessed to find out that she was going to have a baby boy; she has been single from the time of his birth.

In order to afford Edward with the same opportunities as a dual parent home, she has worked a lot!  Having multiple jobs and long hours have been the norm.  However, with her hard work, she has been able to send Edward to a reputable pre-school and a private elementary school with some financial assistance.  She has also been able to provide him the opportunity to play in sports and school clubs, as well as with tutoring for his dyslexia.

Edward is making good progress, but it is slowed significantly when a family can only afford one session per week.  We are offering the extra sessions at our cost.

We have awarded Edward Peters with $750 from the Roberts Scholarship, which will provide an additional 26 sessions, lasting about 6 months.  We would love to offer him 52, or a full year’s worth of extra sessions.  Nicole will continue to pay for one session per week.

We would like to help Nicole celebrate her newest endeavor, as she has been able to follow one of her lifelong dreams of opening her very own shop: Galette Pastry and Cafe, aptly named after Edward’s favorite pastry, a galette.  Here is her new shop’s information:

Galette Pastry and Cafe
Downtown Vancouver
309 E. 15th St. Ste. B
Vancouver, WA 98663

Would you like to help fund more sessions for Edward?
Check out our Go Fund Me Campaign:

Edward Peters Go Fund Me

Because children with dyslexia are not at the same level of literacy as their peers, we must approach some literacy aspects differently.  I’ve often heard and read teachers comments about how to increase reading skills.   Generally, the comment is, “Read more.”  While reading more will develop additional literacy skills for the average reader, most dyslexic students cannot decode the words they are being tasked to read. If they are reading, generally they are guessing at unknown words.  Reading more, incorrectly, is not going to create a more apt reader.

Contextual reading is only going to frustrate the reader, and the intended goals are NEVER reached.  In fact, most students tasked to read more (wrongly) simply give up.  Teachers, you know these students.  They are in your classroom.

So, during this year’s Read Across America event, let’s try a few things.  Pay attention to those students who just flashed before your mind. See how they react to the action items you put into place in your classroom this year.

#1:  Ear Reading

Actually, if your Kindergarten or 1^st grade students are reading Dr. Seuss books, you already know that most are really not decoding every word in his books.  While Dr. Seuss based his stories on rhyme and repetition, many of the words in these books are not decodable by young readers.  But, they are fun to listen to!

One of the best ways for the student with dyslexia to gain literacy skills, while they are receiving appropriate interventions is to “Ear Read”.  This method of “reading” is gaining popularity in the general population and is a perfect match for students with reading challenges.  Why?  It allows for several areas of growth at a student’s grade level.

  Prosody – When students hear written language read with appropriate intonation and expression, they learn the cadence of our language.

Learning about the world – Learning about the world continues to develop at an appropriate age/grade level, while the student’s decoding skills are being brought up to a more appropriate grade level.

Classroom Teacher/School Librarian Action Item:

Purchase (or get parents to donate) audio Dr. Seuss books  (provide Amazon link).  DO NOT ask the dyslexic student to peer read.  There is nothing more embarrassing than asking these students to show their weaknesses to peers (ask any adult dyslexic and they will share their classroom memories of these kinds of activities).  Allow small groups of students (even good readers) to Ear Read in the classroom/library during reading time to make this an acceptable practice for all students.

Our Action Item:

We are asking our reading proficient students with dyslexia and some staff members to read aloud several Dr. Seuss books, and are creating an Ear Reading Library, available only to families at Successful Learning Educational Services.  To check out our SLES Ear Reading Page, please click HERE.

Read more next week about our next action item!

Action Item #2: Create friendly classroom activities

As you can see from the NEA Read Across America video, Bella’s Story, it is important to develop a love of learning at an early age.  Our schools work hard to develop this interest…and have some fun while doing so!

As a classroom teacher, I also loved helping my students develop a love of learning.  I too celebrated literacy in a variety of ways, for a variety of learners.  And then, I learned about dyslexia.  I learned that most classrooms do not support the dyslexic learner in the way they really need to be supported to foster and develop that love of reading.  So, I chose to do something different!

For the past 15 years I have been supporting those students with dyslexia, first in the classroom, and then in the broader community.  I did so by serving in the community as a board member of the Oregon Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, by leading school intervention teams as a reading specialist, and for many years now, operating an independent business supporting those with dyslexia through assessment and effective instruction.  Early on, I helped to introduce a law to support learning about dyslexia in Washington state. More recently, I have served on several advisory councils for rule development of several Oregon dyslexia laws.  I am closely watching the process of new proposed Washington dyslexia laws.  I have learned a LOT about dyslexia and how to support our dyslexic learners during those years.

This year, I am bringing the NEA’S Read Across America’s celebration to Successful Learning Educational Services.  Why?  Because I believe in fostering a love of literacy.  Our children must be literate to be successful in our society.  I believe we can do better for this population of amazing, creative, and innovative students.  I want to explore how we can do things differently…in the classroom.  I want to show my teaching colleagues how.  So, I’ve decided to start with this celebrated event!

The two, new limited-edition prints of Dr. Seuss illustrations.

The new artwork is featured in a Successful Learning office alcove.

Goodies with a Dr. Seuss twist!

While Dr. Seuss’ birthday is tomorrow, March 2nd, and many schools will be celebrating with a one day event, we are going to celebrate his birthday next week, and experience this celebrated focus on literacy in a dyslexia friendly way.  Watch for our posts next week, that begin to discover how we can enjoy this event in a way that supports learners who may not be as literate as their peers….just yet.