Q: What is Dyslexia?

A: The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek dys (meaning poor or inadequate) and lexis (words or language).

Webster defines dyslexia as:
dys*lex*ia (noun)
[New Latin, from dys- + Greek lexis word, speech, from legein to say
First appeared circa 1888
: a disturbance of the ability to read; broadly : disturbance of the ability to use language -- dys*lex*ic (adjective or noun)

• Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by problems in expressive or receptive, oral or written language. Problems may emerge in reading, spelling, writing, speaking, or listening.
• Dyslexia is not a disease.
• Dyslexia describes a different kind of mind, often gifted and productive, that learns differently.
• Dyslexia is not the result of low intelligence. Intelligence is not the problem. An unexpected gap exists between learning aptitude and achievement in school.
• Dyslexia is not behavioral, psychological, motivational, or social.
• Dyslexia is not a problem of vision; people with dyslexia do not see backward.
• Dyslexia results from differences in the structure and function of the brain.
• People with dyslexia are unique; each having individual strengths and weaknesses. Many dyslexics are creative and have unusual talent in areas such as art, athletics, architecture, graphics, electronics, mechanics, drama, music, or engineering.
• Dyslexics often show special talent in areas that require visual, spatial, and motor integration.
• Their problems in language processing distinguish them as a group. This means that the dyslexic has problems translating language to thought (as in listening or reading) or thought to language (as in writing or speaking).

Q: What Characteristics Accompany Dyslexia?

A: Few dyslexics exhibit all the signs of the disorder. Some common signs are:

• Lack of awareness of sounds in words, sound order, rhymes, or sequence of syllables Difficulty decoding words - single word identification
• Difficulty encoding words - spelling Poor sequencing of numbers, of letters in words, when read or written, e.g.: b-d; sing-sign; left-felt; soiled-solid; 12-21
• Problems with reading comprehension Difficulty expressing thoughts in written form
• Delayed spoken language
• Imprecise or incomplete interpretation of language that is heard
• Difficulty in expressing thoughts orally
• Confusion about directions in space or time (right and left, up and down, early and late, yesterday and tomorrow, months and days)
• Confusion about right or left handedness
• Similar problems among relatives
• Difficulty with handwriting
• Difficulty in mathematics - often related to sequencing of steps or directionality or the language of mathematics

Q: Who Has Dyslexia?

A: The National Institutes of Health estimate that approximately 15% of the U.S. population is affected by learning disabilities.

• Of students with learning disabilities who receive special education services, 80-85% have their basic deficits in language and reading.
• Every year, 120,000 additional students are found to have learning disabilities, a diagnosis now shared by 2.4 million U.S. school children.
• Many children are never properly diagnosed or treated, or fall through the cracks because they are not deemed eligible for services.
• Dyslexia occurs among all groups, regardless of age, race, or income.
• Many successful people are dyslexic and many dyslexic people are successful.
• Recent research has established that dyslexia can run in families. A parent, brother, sister, aunt, or grandparent may have had similar learning difficulties.

Q: How is Dyslexia treated?

A: Dr. Isi Beller of Paris, France, after more than thirty years of research, has developed a new treatment of developmental language disorders, in particular dyslexia. This treatment uses a device called the Lexiphone.

Q: What is the Lexiphone Method?

A: It is a remedial approach designed to retrain dyslexics auditory attention and processing of speech information. Key components of the training, or reeducation, involve use of an amplifier-like audio device, the Lexiphone, to:

• acoustically highlight the melodic contour of the speech, and
• draw attention to sound-, syllable-, and word-level segments of speech through auditory feedback of an intermittent speech signal. We refer to this as "auditory re-education therapy".
• Auditory re-education therapy uses the "Lexiphone" device to produce acoustically modified auditory input (via headphones) which is designed to re-educate structural elements of early language, that is the detection and processing of acoustic signals at the intra syllabic (phoneme) and inter syllabic (word) levels. The device affects prosodic sensitivity by highlighting acoustic differences at the syllable level. These structural elements of early language acquisition are the perceptual deficiencies implicated in the person with dyslexia and are the rehabilitative focus of this method.
• The first elements of the Lexiphone method were developed in the 1970s by a French psychiatrist and teacher, Dr. Isi Beller. The method is now used by approximately 200 speech-language therapists in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Israel and the United States.

Q: Why did Landmark offer Lexiphone Expressive Language (EL) classes?

A: Controlled studies in France and Belgium, as well as clinical evaluations from speech-language therapists in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Israel and California indicate that the Lexiphone method results in significantly improved oral and written language skills. Parents of children receiving Lexiphone therapy have consistently reported improvements in students self esteem and behavior - a possible consequence of children's improved ability to understand and use language.

Since Landmarks founding in 1972, the school has supported and encouraged practical and theoretical research into dyslexia. Landmark School is committed to examining and comparing the Lexiphone method and the schools standard Expressive Language methods. If the Lexiphone method proves to be superior, or if certain children benefit more from the Lexiphone method, these findings will help the school fine tune its curriculum.

Q: What does the student do during Lexiphone EL class?

A: The method is directed at retraining auditory attention and speech awareness during selected listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities. In initial phases of reeducation, students engage in nonlinguistic activities, like drawing or solving a jigsaw puzzle while listening to intonationally highlighted music or speech. Students also engage in listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities that are more obviously related to language learning. Intonational highlighting is employed throughout the program. A sampling of activities includes: listening to segmented and non-segmented speech, repeating words, phrases and recorded texts, reading aloud, and writing from dictation. Students are actively involved in selecting the materials they listen to, read, and write.

Q: Who will teach the Lexiphone EL classes?

A: Lexiphone classes are taught by a certified speech-language pathologist who is trained in the Lexiphone method by a master Lexiphone therapist from Dr. Beller's clinic in Paris.

Q: Where has the Lexiphone method been evaluated?

A: As noted above, the efficacy of the Lexiphone method has already been studied systematically in France and Belgium. During school year 1997/98, Dr. Charles Haynes of MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, supervised a study at the Landmark School in Prides Crossing, Massachusetts. Drs. Ian Peers and John Locke of University of Sheffield along with Dr. Peter Lloyd of the University of Manchester in England, have just completed a series of more detailed studies to examine the effects of key aspects of the Lexiphone Method. This will allow us to better understand exactly how the Lexiphone affects listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities.

Q: Can the Lexiphone Method harm children with dyslexia?

A: No harmful or negative effects have been observed in more than twenty-five years of Lexiphone use with more than 20,000 dyslexic individuals undergoing treatment in Europe.

Q: Can you guarantee that the Lexiphone Method will work?

A: There is no form of language therapy that can remedy all children's language disabilities. For example, it is well-documented that the Orton Gillingham method - a respected, proven program of reading instruction familiar to most parents of dyslexics -- does not help all children. We anticipate the Lexiphone method will produce similar results: depending on the student, areas of improvement and lack of improvement are likely to vary. Some children may make outstanding progress in multiple skill areas while other students progress may be limited. We can guarantee to deliver a promising method of individualized instruction in a supportive learning environment.