Samantha Brooks is an Instructor with Brainspring Educator Academy. Laminating a copy of the b/d posters and using an expo/dry erase marker to practice writing the b-“bat before ball” and d-“drum…stick” will strengthen the correct recall for letter formation.ĭOWNLOAD Brainspring’s b-bat and d-drum posters! Check out another Multisensory Monday tip for b/d reversals HERE! Placing a visual cue on the student’s desk or in front of the classroom can also help. This will provide a cue that the stick is formed first while writing the letter. A common auditory script cue is to form the “b” as a “bat before a ball”. Use visual and oral scripted auditory cues to cue correct letter formation.This creates a neurolinguistic pathway in the brain that will aid in memory. “b” says /b/ while tracing the letter-repeat multiple times. Be sure the child says the letter name and sound while tracing the letter. Use multi-sensory materials while teaching the letter(s).For example, if you are addressing the b/d reversal, over-teach writing of the “b” before introducing the “d”. Address one discrimination at a time and over-teach one of the letters before introducing the other.However, this is likely due to delayed development in reading rather than a separate issue with how the child “sees” and replicates letters in their writing. Some children with dyslexia continue to reverse letters longer than children without reading difficulties. Backwards writing and letter reversals are very common in the early stages of writing when the orthographic representation (forming letters and spelling) is not fully developed. There is no evidence to suggest that dyslexia is directly correlated to seeing letters and words backwards. Direction now matters.Ĭurrent research tells us that the root of dyslexia lies in the way the brain processes sounds. Up until this point, the child knows that an object is an object no matter if it’s upside down or turned about. The 26 letters of the alphabet consist of a series of sticks, circles and curves that are combined to make up these letters. The child must also understand that sounds are represented by letters, which are joined together to form words. This means that a child must attach a label or name to a letter. In our system, learning to read is based on the alphabetic principle. To uncover this mystery, we must understand what we are asking children to do when we are teaching them to read. It is very important for educators and parents to understand why such reversals occur. Again this leads to the misconception that for a Dyslexia diagnosis, a child must reverse letters in writing or “see” words backwards. Shaywitz points out that because these beliefs regarding the correlation between reversals and Dyslexia are so prevalent, many children who do not make reversals, yet have dyslexia, are often undiagnosed. Research on ReversalsĪccording to Sally Shaywitz, MD, one of America’s premiere paediatricians and expert researchers on Dyslexia, “one of the most enduring misconceptions is that dyslexic children see letters and words backwards and that reversals (writing letters and words backwards) are an invariable sign.” Dr. It is no wonder they feel a sense of panic, as reversals have become strongly associated with dyslexia. Parents and teachers may become alarmed when looking at their child’s writing and see that they are confusing letters such as b/d, p/q or m/w. Why do some students reverse b and d when writing and reading? Why do other students read words such as “was” as “saw”? Samantha Brooks takes a deeper look at reversals and dyslexia.
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