deafsqrrl

I teach ASL 2 class. This is my first time for teaching an ASL class. Anyway,
at the end of my first class, one student came to see me saying that he has dyslexia. He has difficulty reading the fingerspelling, but has no problems reading the signs.

What is your advice about that? How do you grade the student with this disability?

Thank You.

Sqrrl

Deafness

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Interpretrator

You should find out, if teachers are allowed to do that, whether this student is receiving assistance from the office of students with disabilities (or whatever it's called at your school). If he's getting extra help from his other classes then that would be a consideration in your class. Not to be cynical, but I would want to be sure the student really had dyslexia before adjusting any grades. You could talk to the student directly if you're comfortable with that, and find out how he's handling this with his other teachers. The OSD should also be able to give you guidance as far as how to grade this student. That's a challenge I haven't heard of before.

SJCSue

Did you receive a note about this student from the OSD? My teachers for this upcoming semester will receive a note/letter from the Career and Counseling Office (they handle the students with disabilities at my small college). I would check with the coordinator of services for students with disabilities.

Reba

That's a new one for me, too.

At our college, if a student has a disability and requires extra testing time, assistive technology, terps, note taker, tutor, etc., the student MUST go thru the disabilities office. The teachers are not allowed to make any adustments without a letter outlining what is allowed, specific to that student. They aren't allowed to adjust grades.

Perhaps you can research some techniques that would fit that student's learning mode. The local college special ed teaching department head might have some suggestions or resources.

I think there is a least one Deaf ADer who has mentioned having dyslexia; maybe that person has suggestions.

Have tried searching the threads/posts for "dyslexia"?

HoneyShot

What is the difficulty he's having with fingerspelling??? I'm dyslexic, and I can't imagine much, seriously!

The issues with spelling that dyslexics face are related to written text and the reversals/transposing of letters on the page. When fingerspelling, the letters don't change from one to another depending on reversal (ie left vs right handed) or anything. Unlike written letters for example b d p q n u etc. I think he probably just needs more practice and is blaming the dyslexia, everyone struggles with some things sometimes this is just something he might need to work on more. The only way I can imagine dyslexia could be impacting on his fingerspelling is if he hasn't yet had help learning to overcome the basic early-childhood type effects and his literacy skills are so poor so he can't spell/read much in general.... but there are plenty of Deafies whose spelling isn't their strongest point and they still communicate fine by sign ofc!

Regardless, he needs to talk to the school dissability support person about accomodations, not the teacher. It's fine if he just wanted to make you aware that he has the issue so you understand where he's at, but if he wants specific help, accodations etc, he needs to supply the dissability support people with the appropriate doccuments etc and work with them on this one. He shouldn't be graded differently, but things like extra time on tests, help with reading material etc should be put in place so he can learn the material like everyone else and earn a regular grade.

I'd encourage him to keep trying, to work on his spelling in general, and to talk to the dissability support people at the school!

ismi

There's more than one type of dyslexia. The student might also have another reading disability; they're sometimes misdiagnosed as dyslexia, or people with a non-dyslexic reading disorder will refer to their order as dyslexia, because that's what people are familiar with.