Resources for Teachers
Accommodations for Dyslexia
To reduce Fear & Anxiety:
• Never force them to participate in a spelling bee
• Never force them to read out loud in class
• Never have them write on the board
• Don't pass papers down the row
• Don't allow other students to grade papers or tests
• Never call on them unless they volunteer
• Make sure your classroom is a safe place to make mistakes
Accommodations for Reading
• Provide all books on audio tape
• During silent sustained reading, allow students to either just read or to listen and read
Accommodations for Spelling
Our students can't learn to spell by memorizing, nor can they learn to spell by writing a word 50 times. So:
• Don't grade their spelling tests
• Don't put a spelling grade on their report card. Leave that area blank.
• Ignore spelling mistakes on written assignments. Grade on content, not mechanics
• Don't force them to use a traditional dictionary, allow electronic spell checkers instead
Accommodations for Dysgraphia
Reduce
Reduce the impact writing has on learning or expressing knowledge without substantially changing the process/ product by changing the following:
Modify
Change assignments/expectations to meet the student’s individual learning needs. If accommodations are inadequate, modify assignments in the following ways to remove the barriers without sacrificing learning:
Use options such as these to provide instruction and opportunity for improving handwriting:
A Model of Written Work
Provide the student with a three-ring writing binder that includes:
Structuring Alternative Assignments
Give dysgraphic students the opportunity to substitute an oral report or visual assignment for a written one. Be sure to establish a rubric to define what the assignment should include. For instance, if the original assignment is a three-page description of one aspect of the Roaring Twenties (record-breaking feats, the Harlem Renaissance, Prohibition, etc.) you may want the written assignment to include the following:
Accommodations for Handwriting
No note taking. Instead:
• Provide a peer notetaker with Carbonless Notebook paper
• Or teacher provides photocopies of her notes and whatever was on the board
• Or tape record the class
No copying out of the book. Instead:
• Someone else copies problems out of the book
• Or photocopy the page of problems. Student writes answers on the photocopy
No handwritten assignments:
• Have student dictate written assignments:
portable keyboard (AlphaSmart Pro), laptop computer, or classroom computer
Permission Statement
This article is reprinted with permission from the 2e Newsletter and the author.
This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visitwww.DavidsonGifted.org.
Accommodations for Dyscalculia
*Use graph paper for children who have trouble organizing problems on regular lined paper
*Teach different ways to learn math facts, instead of memorizing basic addition facts, show students strategies on how to solve them quickly, strategies such as drawing circles and adding the circles together to get the number.
*Teach the child how to estimate. Practice it with the child; this is a good way to start solving number problems
*Teach any new concepts by starting with the concrete and slowly moving to more abstract examples.
*Provide work areas that are quiet and free from distractions. Often times, if taking a test, a child with a math disability may be allowed to take the test in the presence of a special education teacher, in a separate room
*Use manipulatives when teaching new concepts. Children with math disabilities find working with his or her hands helpful in learning a new skill
*Children with dyscalculia should be offered more time to complete tests and other large assignments
*Allow scratch paper for in-class work, this helps when solving problems
*Any pre-written assignments should not have problems on it that are written close together or have too many on a page. When too many problems are written too closely together it can cause confusion and upset for the child with dyscalculia
*One-on-one assistance to aid in learning of skills and practice
To reduce Fear & Anxiety:
• Never force them to participate in a spelling bee
• Never force them to read out loud in class
• Never have them write on the board
• Don't pass papers down the row
• Don't allow other students to grade papers or tests
• Never call on them unless they volunteer
• Make sure your classroom is a safe place to make mistakes
Accommodations for Reading
• Provide all books on audio tape
• During silent sustained reading, allow students to either just read or to listen and read
Accommodations for Spelling
Our students can't learn to spell by memorizing, nor can they learn to spell by writing a word 50 times. So:
• Don't grade their spelling tests
• Don't put a spelling grade on their report card. Leave that area blank.
• Ignore spelling mistakes on written assignments. Grade on content, not mechanics
• Don't force them to use a traditional dictionary, allow electronic spell checkers instead
Accommodations for Dysgraphia
Reduce
Reduce the impact writing has on learning or expressing knowledge without substantially changing the process/ product by changing the following:
- The rate of producing written work
- Allow more time for written tasks, including notetaking, copying, and tests.
- Allow students to begin projects or assignments early.
- Build time in the student’s schedule for catching up or getting ahead on written work, or doing alternative activities related to the material being learned.
- Encourage keyboarding to increase the speed and legibility of written work.
- Have the student prepare assignment papers in advance with required headings (name, date, etc.), using a template like the one below.
- The volume of the work to be produced
- Instead of having the student write a complete set of notes, provide a partial outline to fill in.
- Allow the student to dictate some assignments or tests to a “scribe.” Train the scribe to write what the student says verbatim; then have the student make changes without the scribe’s help.
- Remove neatness and spelling as grading criteria for some assignments, or design assignments to be evaluated on specific parts of the writing process.
- Allow abbreviations in some writing (such as b/c for because). Have the student develop a repertoire of abbreviations to use in note-taking.
- Reduce copying. For example, instead of having the student copy math problems, provide a worksheet with the problems already on it.
- The complexity of the writing task
- Provide a model of written work. [See "A Model of Written Work" below to find out what the model should include.]
- Break writing into stages (brainstorming, drafting, editing, and proofreading, etc.) and teach students to do the same. Consider grading each stage separately.
- Do not count spelling on rough drafts or onesitting assignments.
- Encourage the student to use a spell-checker and to have someone else proofread his/her work, too. Speaking spell-checkers are recommended, especially if the student may not be able to recognize the correct word. (Headphones are usually included).
- The tools used to produce the written product
- Allow students to:
- Use graph paper for math or turn lined paper sideways to help with lining up columns of numbers.
- Find a favorite pen or pencil (and then get more than one like that). Many students have difficulty writing with ballpoint pens, preferring pencils or pens with more friction in contact with the paper, such as mechanical pencils.
- Use paper or writing instruments of different colors.
- Use cursive or manuscript, whichever is most legible, and consider teaching cursive early. Some students find cursive easier to manage, and this will give a student more time to learn it.
- Encourage primary students to use paper with raised lines to keep writing on the line.
- Allow older students to use the line width of their choice, but remember that some students write small to disguise messiness or bad spelling.
- Have some fun grips available for everybody, no matter what the grade. High school kids can enjoy the novelty of pencil grips or even big primary pencils.
- Make word processing software available but remember that learning to use it will be difficult for the same reasons that handwriting is difficult. Look for keyboarding instruction programs that address the needs of learning-disabled students.
- Consider the use of speech recognition software. Learning to use to use it may take time and effort, especially if the student has reading or speech challenges; but it can ultimately free the student from writing or keyboarding.
Modify
Change assignments/expectations to meet the student’s individual learning needs. If accommodations are inadequate, modify assignments in the following ways to remove the barriers without sacrificing learning:
- The volume of the work to be produced
- Reduce copying in assignments and tests. For example, instead of asking students to answer in complete sentences that reflect the question, have them do it for three questions you select, then answer the rest in phrases, words, or drawings.
- Reduce length requirements on written assignments, stressing quality over quantity.
- The complexity of the writing task
- Grade individual parts of the writing process so that for some assignments spelling doesn’t count, and for others grammar doesn’t count.
- Develop cooperative writing projects where students play different roles such as the brainstormer, organizer of information, writer, proofreader, and illustrator.
- Provide extra structure and intermittent deadlines for long-term assignments. Help the student arrange for someone to serve as “coach,” ensuring the student doesn’t get behind. Discuss with the student and parents the possibility of working after school with the teacher if the student seems unable to meet an approaching deadline.
- The format
- Offer alternatives to written assignments. [See "Structuring Alternative Asignments" below for ideas on how to structure an alternative assignment.]
- Evaluate how well the student presented the required information in the alternative format.
Use options such as these to provide instruction and opportunity for improving handwriting:
- Build handwriting instruction into the student’s schedule. The details and degree of independence will depend on the student’s age and attitude, but many students would like to have better handwriting if they could.
- Consider occupational therapy or other special education services if the writing problem is severe.
- Because handwriting habits become entrenched early, consider whether enforcing a change in habits will eventually make the writing task a lot easier for the student, or whether this is a chance for the student to make his or her own choices.
- Teach alternative handwriting methods such as Handwriting Without Tears®.
- Consider balancing accommodations and modifications in content area work with continued work on handwriting or other written language skills. For example, a student for whom you are not going to grade spelling or neatness on certain assignments may be required to add a page of spelling or handwriting practice to his portfolio.
A Model of Written Work
Provide the student with a three-ring writing binder that includes:
- Writing paper
- A model of cursive or print letters on the inside cover of the binder. Having his/her own copy is easier to refer to than one on the wall or blackboard.
- A laminated template, like the one shown earlier in this article, of the required format for written work. Cut out a space where the name, date, and assignment should go and model it next to the cut-out. Three-hole punch the template and put it into the binder on top of the student’s writing paper. The student can copy the heading information in the holes and then flip the template out of the way to continue with the assignment. The template can work with worksheets as well.
Structuring Alternative Assignments
Give dysgraphic students the opportunity to substitute an oral report or visual assignment for a written one. Be sure to establish a rubric to define what the assignment should include. For instance, if the original assignment is a three-page description of one aspect of the Roaring Twenties (record-breaking feats, the Harlem Renaissance, Prohibition, etc.) you may want the written assignment to include the following:
- A general description of that aspect (with at least two details)
- Four important people and their accomplishments
- Four important events – when, where, who and what Three good things and three bad things about the Roaring Twenties.
Accommodations for Handwriting
No note taking. Instead:
• Provide a peer notetaker with Carbonless Notebook paper
• Or teacher provides photocopies of her notes and whatever was on the board
• Or tape record the class
No copying out of the book. Instead:
• Someone else copies problems out of the book
• Or photocopy the page of problems. Student writes answers on the photocopy
No handwritten assignments:
• Have student dictate written assignments:
- to a classroom aide
- to a parent or volunteer
- into a tape recorder
- into a PC using voice recognition software
portable keyboard (AlphaSmart Pro), laptop computer, or classroom computer
Permission Statement
This article is reprinted with permission from the 2e Newsletter and the author.
This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visitwww.DavidsonGifted.org.
Accommodations for Dyscalculia
*Use graph paper for children who have trouble organizing problems on regular lined paper
*Teach different ways to learn math facts, instead of memorizing basic addition facts, show students strategies on how to solve them quickly, strategies such as drawing circles and adding the circles together to get the number.
*Teach the child how to estimate. Practice it with the child; this is a good way to start solving number problems
*Teach any new concepts by starting with the concrete and slowly moving to more abstract examples.
*Provide work areas that are quiet and free from distractions. Often times, if taking a test, a child with a math disability may be allowed to take the test in the presence of a special education teacher, in a separate room
*Use manipulatives when teaching new concepts. Children with math disabilities find working with his or her hands helpful in learning a new skill
*Children with dyscalculia should be offered more time to complete tests and other large assignments
*Allow scratch paper for in-class work, this helps when solving problems
*Any pre-written assignments should not have problems on it that are written close together or have too many on a page. When too many problems are written too closely together it can cause confusion and upset for the child with dyscalculia
*One-on-one assistance to aid in learning of skills and practice