Blue Ridge Dyslexia Notes

Breaking sounds apart within words, down to the smallest unit of each individual sound called a phoneme, is the foundation of language structure. This is referred to as phonological processing, and is key to effective reading & spelling.

The phonological loop within our brain is responsible for holding sounds in short-term, working memory. The working-memory portion of our brain holds these auditory-verbal sounds until they can be effectively processed.

In a dyslexic brain, more time is often required to process sounds in words. This overloads the phonological loop holding the sounds in working memory. Bits of sound are then lost before a word can be completely read or spelled.

Growing up, Dr. Carol Greider was always a poor speller and couldn't sound out words. She says, "I certainly felt like I wasn't as good as the other kids. I would memorize words and how they were spelled rather than try to sound them out. That taught me that if I want to do something, I just put blinders on and I go forward and I do it."

"Struggles in school helped me later on be able to focus." Thanks to a science professor mentor who shared her love of Biology, Dr. Greider found her place in the biology laboratory. After many long hours of lab research, over several years, her hard work paid off when she discovered telomerase (an enzyme that is part of our DNA) which has led to new understanding in the fight against cancer.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

Licensed Dyslexia Therapist

District Dyslexia Coordinator

Blue Ridge ISD

Email: leslie.patterson@brisd.net
Website: http://www.brisd.net/
Location: 318 W. School St., Blue Ridge, TX
Phone: 972-752-5554