Am I
Dyslexic?
Dyslexia can seriously undermine progress at school, at work and in other areas of your life. This often leads to anxiety, frustration and low self-esteem and the longer it is left the worse it will become.
Our
Signs and
Symptoms of
Dyslexia checklist
will help
you decide
whether you
or someone
you know is
dyslexic.
If you require any further information please Contact Us. We are here to support you.
Dyslexia Diagnosis
It is essential to receive a professional diagnosis to accurately identify what exactly is causing your problems, and put in place intervention programmes and strategies to help you, or your child, gain confidence and reach your full potential. Please Email us for more information about our assessment service. This information is provided free, with no obligation.
Extract: email from a parent
Hello Karen
Harry is doing
really well.
The second half
of last year
Harry's reading
and writing
improved
considerably
and, in his
December school
report he got a
D for both
reading and
writing, a big
improvement.
Harry did a
great job with
all other
subjects, mostly
receiving B and
A.
I believe the
hand-over from
last year’s
teacher to this
years was good.
Ms X seems very
enthusiastic and
interested in
continuing all
the good work
that was started
last year. In
fact, Ms X told
me that she will
have a
lesson/training
with you this
evening! That’s
fabulous and I'm
sure it will
benefit Harry.
So, all in all,
since your
assessment last
year, Harry has
taken big steps.
It has made a
huge difference
in his, the
teachers and my
understanding of
his learning
difficulties. I
am so glad that
we had the
chance for you
to work with
Harry.
Best regards; IP
*Child’s Name changed
ADULTS WHO SUSPECT THEY ARE DYSLEXIC-
If you suspect that you are dyslexic there is a simple checklist that you can complete. You simply answer 20 questions and can rate them according to how significant they are.
New Events, Resources or Courses
The Proposed
Phonic
Reading
Screening
for
Australia;
What is it,
Why do we
need it and
will it be
helpful?
EMPLOYERS: Create a
Dyslexia
Friendly and
Inclusive
Workplace to
Support all
Employees &
produce an
Open &
Productive
Work
Environment
Read more
Evidence Based Interventions- Which to choose?
Advice for schools and for parents
Comprehensive
resource of
over 120
pages for
every
special
needs
co-ordinator,
class
teacher and
support
assistant in
the primary
setting.
Packed with
practical
and easily
accessible
information,
everything
you need to
know to help
you plan
class,
individual
and group
lessons.
It is
recognised
that the
most
effective
schools are
those that
rigorously
self-review
and
self-evaluate. The
aim of this
Audit is to
promote
excellent
practice in
schools
seeking to
improve
accessibility
to learning
for all
students.
Helping
schools
identify
areas of
strength &
areas for
development.
click here
to find out
more
Simon Birmingham's 'excellent proposal': a phonics test for year 1 students
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND ADDITIONAL NEEDS. Government reponse to the PSD review
In 2016,
the PSD
panel
reviewed
their
provision
for students
with
Disabilities,
which would
include
dyslexia. 5
members from
Speld
Victoria
including
myself were invited
to spend a
morning with
PSD Review
Advisory
Panel to
argue for
students
with
dyslexia. We
argued
intensely
for a great
number of
changes,
including
dyslexia
being
formally
recognised
in all
schools, increased
funding & improved
training for
schools. We
felt that we
had been
listened to
and are
pleased with
the report
findings; this is
a huge step
forward
Teachers in Victoria must complete PD about teaching learners with disabilities including dyslexia each year:
Book a PD with us soon to avoid long waits
How to Improve a child's reading Comprehension
Repeated
Reading
Exercises to
Improve
Reading
Fluency:
Research
over the
past two
decades has
identified
Repeated
Reading as
the key
strategy for
improving
students'
fluency
skills.
Read more
Auditory
Processing/Phonological
Awareness
Checklist
for
Teachers
How to Produce Dyslexia-Friendly Handouts
FREE APPLE FIELD TRIPS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.
Click here
Disability Discrimination Education Standards
Uupgraded NDCO Disability Discrimination Education Standards website http://www.ddaedustandards.info/ Standards are formulated to assist educators understand and comply with their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and became federal law in August 2005.
Individual Learning Plans (ILPs)
Helping teachers and parents write helpful ILPs to aid effective teaching and learning for students with additional needs. Resources 4 Teachers section
Read Out Loud; free Text to Speech to read Adobe documents
Go to View- Read Out Loud and click on ‘Activate Read out Loud.’ Click on a paragraph for document to be read aloud
Early Screening and Assessment in-school Training
Early screening and assessment allows schools to accurately identify students at risk for reading failure. I have worked with a number of schools to help them set up effective systems for screening and to carry out further, comprehensive assessments where necessary. Please contact me for details :
Oh... So much to do but how exciting!!!! Anne Italiano Kerrimuir Primary School
click here for details of the workshop
Wanted tutors with Special needs training and qualifications in Australia
If you would be happy for me to add you to a list available to parents and teachers please contact me with some information: email
A GREAT SITE TO HELP CHILDREN UNDERSTAND THEIR DYSLEXIA Click Here
NEW DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY FONT- FREE TO DOWNLOAD
Children and adults who are dyslexic find some fonts difficult to read. OpenDyslexic is a new open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. http://opendyslexic.org/
FREE VOICE
RECOGNITION
SOFTWARE ON
WORD
Many dyslexics would benefit from Voice recognition software that types what you dictate. This is particularly helpful in schools as the workload increases and also in further study or at work. To find out how to install Voice Recognition software free on Word click here
Check the Reading Age of your Word documents
There is
often a
significant
difference
between the
reading ages
in one
class.
Check the
readability
of any
documents
that they
produce in
Word.
Advantages of Dyslexia.
A great video to watch. Leading to others including a Click Here
Hank
Zipzer Books
for children:
Inspired by
the true
life
experiences
of Henry
Winkler,
(the Fonz)
who is
dyslexic, a winning
series about
the world's
greatest
underachiever.
Funny,
touching,
& deals
with
learning
differences
in a gentle
and humorous
manner.
Read More
Workshops for Teachers!
See what teachers think of the workshops
Updated and Brand New Professional Development opportunities for 2019
Inservice 1 (full day, half day or after school):
Creating an Inclusive Class for all students with Learning Difficulties including Dyslexia click
Inservice 2- (half day)
RESPONSE TO
INTERVENTION:
Implementing
a whole
school
approach to
meeting
students’
varying
needs.
Supporting
the needs of
Students
with
Learning
Difficulties
in Class,
Small Groups
&
individually
Developing
Oral
Language and
Vocabulary;
a whole
school
Approach
Supporting
Students
with
Learning
Difficulties/Disorders:
Curriculum
Modification
at Secondary
School
Supporting
Students
with
Learning
Disabilities
in Your
Class
Inservice 8: THE BIG 5 OF READING
Research has shown that The Big 6 of Reading are essential elements when teaching Reading. Contact Karen to organise a workshop for your school/group.
Inservice 9; For Parents
How to
Support your
Child with
Dyslexia and
other
Learning
Difficulties
at Home and
at School
Small
schools: why
not invite
staff from
other
schools to
share the
cost
of the
workshop?
Training for
Class
assistants
works well
when a whole
network or
group of
schools join
together
RTI Workshop Inservice 2 (above)
During
2015/6 Karen
presented
RTI training
to almost
300 school
Principals
and senior
managers on
behalf of
Speld Vic
and the
Department
of Education
and
Training.
In-Service Courses for schools and colleges
So many
staff felt
so
empowered
and excited
after your
PD and are
implementing
many of your
resources in
the
classroom
and seeing
some great
results. Our
teachers aide
in
Prep
is working
with
children
individually
every day
and using
your ideas;
the
results are
so exciting!T
Your school could become an Inclusive and Dyslexia-Aware School Contact Karen to discuss how she can help your school. The types of support may differ according to the needs of the individual school it may include:
-
Whole staff training
-
Training for support staff about providing individual programs using multi-sensory instruction
-
Advice on resources and programs
-
Training in the use of assessment materials
- Workshops for parents/carers
Karen has
already
worked with
a number of
schools in
Victoria and
Canberra see
Testimonials
or contact
Karen who
would be
pleased to
provide
references
MAKE YOUR SCHOOL Inclusive for all students with Learning Difficulties including Dyslexia
I will travel to any schools throughout Victoria or anywhere in Australia to provide training. Some groups of small schools join together to pool financial resources. Click here to see a report about this.
-
See a Video Clip of my Workshop
-
I presented to the Wodonga CRT Support Network and here is a snapshot of my course and the comments made by the teachers. Check it out here.
Phone 0402225051 to discuss individual needs or email me for course details and a registration form.
Karen Starkiss � 2019||Important Information, Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policyy