As speech-language pathologists, many of the students on our caseloads have dyslexia. Using StoryWhys book companions can help.
According to the International Dyslexia Association,
“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological 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.”
As speech-language pathologists, many of the students on our caseloads have dyslexia. This is because of the interdependence between spoken and written language, such as the role of phonological awareness in decoding, and the roles of vocabulary and syntax in reading.
The StoryWhys book companion system helps to support many of the language skills that will support better reading and writing skills, including:
vocabulary development
phonological and morphological awareness
comprehension strategies
sentence and narrative formulation
and much more!
While all StoryWhys book companions will help to support our students with both oral and written language difficulties, I want to bring your attention to two of the book companions that feature protagonists who have difficulties with reading.
Aaron Slater, Illustrator, by Andrea Roberts, is about a boy who cannot wait to get to school to learn to read so he can read all the books he's curious about. When he discovers that reading is difficult, he struggles. But his teacher, Ms. Greer, helps him to fin his voice through art and Aaron finds the strength to work through his difficulties.
Negative Cat, by Sophie Blackall, is about a boy who would do anything for his family to adopt a cat. He even promises to read for 20 minutes a day, even though reading is difficult for him. When he finally gets a cat, Max, he is disappointingly grumpy. But the boy finds that Max loves to curl up in his lap while he reads.
You can use these book companions this October in your language therapy, while also sharing the broader message that reading and writing can be especially tricky for some kids. Hopefully these books can lead to some supportive discussions as well!
What is StoryWhys?
StoryWhys is a one-of-a-kind, literature-based system that combines high-quality storybooks with book companions that contain a set of clear and consistent visual/graphic supports, and that targets the following skill areas:
✔️Comprehension and use of Tier 2 vocabulary
✔️Critical thinking and higher-level comprehension (categories, cause & effect, compare/contrast, main idea & details, etc.)
✔️Perspective-taking/social inferencing with specific feelings/emotion vocabulary
✔️Comprehension of figurative language
✔️Morphological knowledge
✔️Complex/compound sentence building
✔️Sequencing and formulation of organized narratives
And, the best part is, the more you use StoryWhys, the better it works!
Explore all of the StoryWhys book companions in my store. You'll find comprehensive ones that target many different skills, or you can choose book companions in the Spotlight Series, which drill down on a specific skill, like cause & effect, perspective-taking, figurative language, and more.
And try a FREE, 71-page book companion on the Special Offers page.
Have fun!
