Research

Review of Literature

According to Berninger et al. (2008), dyslexia is a common learning disability that is known for causing not only reading difficulties, but also writing difficulties. The writing difficulties could either be in the physical act of writing, or putting thoughts into writing. Berninger et al. emphasize that the students affected by dyslexia have trouble in the physical act of writing and are characteristically unable to write or copy written texts. As general education teachers note, the students have trouble in recognizing and making sense of written words. This therefore implies that, inability to make sense of written words or recognize them, makes the children have difficulties in expressing their thoughts in writing those words. Berninger et al. note that the kids or students who struggle with writing usually have one or more of these conditions.

Similarly, like Berninger et al., Lyon, Shaywitz, S., and Shaywitz, B., (2003) note that the general education teachers say that students with Developmental Dyslexia (DD) portray a deficit in the phonological component of language. The deficit occurs in vocabulary or grammar making the students to have difficulties in putting meaningful elements together into words that should be written. Lyon et al. assert that dyslexia makes the students to be poor spellers thus making their writing a challenge something affirmed by the general education teachers. The researchers just like Berninger et al note that the handwriting of the students affected by dyslexia may be slow, and this makes them have a hard time getting their thoughts written down on paper.

Another research by Reid, (2007) reveals that that dyslexia makes students have a messy writing. He goes on to note that the students affected by dyslexia write slowly and painstakingly. Many times the students with dyslexia disability are easily overwhelmed by writing assignments or altogether refuse to write or do work that involves writing. They do not want to be ridiculed or because they definitely know that their written products will have a mix up of words or have some of the required words, and letters left out. This as Reid found is the result of the students’ poor grasp of spelling and punctuation. He notes that, the students write letters too close together or too far apart. They also mix print, cursive, uppercase and lowercase letters as also noted by most of the general education teachers. Peculiar to the students with dyslexia disability is spelling words correctly orally, but not writing them correctly on paper thus the trouble in putting their thoughts on paper. These difficulties are affirmed by Berninger et al. and Lyon et al and the general education teachers.

Moving on to more recent research results by Vandermosten et al. (2017), seconding Reid’s findings is that, dyslexia as a disability makes students have both spelling and writing difficulties. The writing difficulties are the resultant effect of the students struggling to spell words phonetically. Although they may spell the words correctly, they may have some inconsistencies that make it face challenges in transferring those words to paper through writing. According to Vandermosten et al., dyslexia affects the fine motor skills used by students in writing, drawing and tracing. Vandermosten et al. however asserts that dyslexia should be tested so as to rule out the possibility of having dysgraphia another learning disability which could make the students find it hard to visualize how letters should look on the page whenever they are writing. Vandermosten et al. just like the general education teachers opine that, dyslexia disability among students makes the students see non-existent movements when copying texts or writing which could explain their writing difficulties.

As noted from the existing literature, dyslexia is a topic of concern to the school system because of the negative impact it has not only to the reading, but also the writing skills of students. It is undeniable that a majority of the past studies were involved in understanding how dyslexia affects the reading skills of students, and few on writing. Therefore, a further study will provide more insights, and a better understanding of what general education teacher describe how dyslexia really affects writing among students. Therefore, the involvement of general education teachers will prove helpful to this study. The pertinent research question that the study will aim to answer is:

1. How do general education teachers describe dyslexia affects writing of students with dyslexia disability?

2. How significant is the effect of dyslexia on the writing of students with dyslexia disability?

References

Berninger, V. W., Nielsen, K. H., Abbott, R. D., Wijsman, E., & Raskind, W. (2008). Writing problems in developmental dyslexia: Under-recognized and under-treated. Journal of school psychology, 46(1), 1-21.

Lyon, G. R., Shaywitz, S. E., & Shaywitz, B. A. (2003). A definition of dyslexia. Annals of dyslexia, 53(1), 1-14.

Reid, G. (2007). What is Dyslexia? (pp. 1-20). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vandermosten, M., Correia, J., Wouters, J., Ghesquière, P., & Bonte, M. (2017). Phonetic representations in young children with dyslexia.