The Delphi papers have been submitted to academic journals for peer review. The study aimed to establish ‘areas of consensus among a wide range of experts’ and to reduce ‘confusion and misinformation’ about how dyslexia should be defined.
The SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC) has advised that assessors are free to use the Dephi definition but advised to look out for any relevant updates if and when the Delphi papers are accepted for publication. Their briefing paper summarises key points from the framework, its rationale, gives links to the full paper and a note on how to reference to the definition. SASC Briefing Paper Delphi Dyslexia Study May 2024
Two papers summarising the findings of Delphi study into the definition of dyslexia have now been published in draft format on the Open Science Framework.
Julia Carroll, Caroline Holden, Philip Kirby, Paul Andrew Thompson and Margaret J. Snowling (2024). Towards a consensus on dyslexia: Findings from a Delphi study. https://osf.io/preprints/osf/tb8mp
Philip Kirby, Caroline Holden, Paul Andrew Thompson, Maggie Snowling and Julia Carroll (2024). Towards a consensus for dyslexia practice: Findings of a Delphi study on assessment and identification. https://osf.io/preprints/edarxiv/g7m8n
The British Dyslexia Association (May 2016) reported, ‘It is important to note that the proposed definition identifies the same or similar underlying cognitive indicators of dyslexia, alongside recognition of its impact on individuals. For this reason, there is no suggestion that anyone diagnosed under the previous definition would not continue to meet the criteria for a diagnosis.’ Findings from the Delphi Dyslexia Study – British Dyslexia Association (bdadyslexia.org.uk)
Many children with autism struggle with reading comprehension abilities throughout their school years.
In language development, narrative skills are a pre-reading skill, such as retelling the events of a story in order and understanding how the parts of a story work together. Inference skills develop early in reading and include the ability to link the ideas in two sentences together.
For children with autism, challenges with these two early skills were linked strongly with reading comprehension challenges as they got older. (Grimm, McIntrye and Mundy, 2020)
The Reading Framework Report published by the Department of Education in July 2023 emphasises the value of reading comprehension in supporting SEN pupils. Their suggestions for mainstream classroom teaching adaptions include group or peer reading, utilising audio, visual aids such as picture books, graphic organisers, flow charts and diagrams; multi-sensory stimulation of several senses to help convey meaning and dedicating enough time for reading for pleasure at school and at home.
“Without forgetting, we would have no memory at all,” said Oliver Hardt, who studies memory and forgetting at McGill University in Montreal. The process is necessary for the functioning of a healthy brain—just as important as the ability to remember.
Read this fascinating article on the latest research into the theory of ‘forgetting’ as an active component of the long-term memory process.
Josie worked as a Careers Advisor and librarian before starting the Home Ed Life blog. Her website is full of current advice, unpicks the legal requirements and points you in the direction of free resources to teach the way you want to, enrich your child’s learning but also prepare them for statutory examinations.
Linda Hall and Tracey Grant from the Language, Literacy and Communication Team led training on Word Aware, a structured whole school approach to promote the vocabulary development of all children. Focused on whole class learning, the resource is of particular value for those who start at a disadvantage – including children with Developmental Language Disorder, Special Educational Needs and those who speak English as an additional language, but it will extend the word learning of all students.
Practical, inspiring and fun ideas were explored that can be easily applied by busy classroom practitioners to develop both spoken and written vocabulary.
Remi Atoyebi (Headteacher), Helen Vail and Tracey Grant (Language, Literacy and Communication Team Learning Advisory Service Advisory teacher for inclusion).
Contact linda.hall@towerhamlets.gov.uk for further information if you are interested in booking this training for your school.
Enjoy a light-hearted illustrated children’s book about climate change and caring for our animals that is perfect for inspiring the next Greta Thunberg or David Attenborough.
Homeschooling your child may be challenging if your child has Special Educational Needs (SEN). But there’s online support and a range of educational and fun activities to help you.There are plenty of online resources, from teaching packs and activities to apps and online games.
Know the law
If your child has SEN and attends a special school, you’ll need to get the council’s permission to educate them at home. You do not need the council’s permission if your child attends a mainstream school, even if they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
‘The 2023 analysis of Key Stage 2 SATs scores showed a correlation between levels of affluence and success on the tests. Schools in poorer areas did less well – an ongoing trend.This year, teachers and parents voiced concerns regarding the perceived unfairness and difficulty of the KS2 Reading test. These concerns centre on the length of the texts used, but some pointed out that the content reflected middle class experiences and language.
If the desire is to continue with an end-of-key stage reading test then greater thought needs to be given to the content of the texts used. One option would be to provide Year 6 teachers with a theme at the start of the academic year which will eventually be used in the SAT. This would create a more universal knowledge base, and also mitigate against teaching to the test to some extent.
Alternatively, topics should be chosen which a greater number of children are likely to have knowledge about. Over a million children in the last year have been supported by food banks. Perhaps texts about visiting food banks might reveal more about children’s actual reading ability than texts about visiting caves in Derbyshire.’
Great learning at Arnhem Wharf Primary School led by LLC advisors Alison Haines and Tracey Grant. Staff delved into current theory and innovative practice leading to classroom success!
