Navigating the remedial maze

NAVIGATING THE REMEDIAL MAZE: MAKING INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT WHAT WILL HELP A CHILD WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

When parents see their child struggling with school work, the natural response is to help in any way they can. 
 
There are, however, a myriad of support services available which can make choosing the best way to help a confusing and potentially costly process.
 
There are a number of ways in which parents can ensure they make informed decisions about how best to support their child. Some suggestions are outlined below:

(1) Arrange for an assessment:  An accurate assessment by the School Counsellor or a private Psychologist can help with planning the most appropriate support for a child who is struggling to learn.  Knowing exactly what the nature of the problem with learning is can help a teacher or tutor to put together a targeted teaching programme. For example, a child with reading comprehension difficulties may be struggling for a number of different reasons. They may be experiencing difficulties because their language skills are poor, they are not able to read fluently, or because they are unable to accurately decode new words. The focus of remedial work will be different in all three instances. Parents should be sure to ask lots of questions following any assessment and leave with a clear understanding about why their child is finding it difficult to learn.  If there are multiple areas of concerns, an assessment can help parents to prioritise remedial support. 

(2) Think critically about what is being offered.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Organisations that make sweeping claims and offer a 'cure' for learning disorders are often very costly and may produce little improvements in skills. 
 
(3) Use reliable sources to help make your decisions.  Talk to your child's Paediatrician, the School Counsellor, or a Psychologist if you are having trouble making decisions. There are also a number of reliable and independent resources available on the internet.  For example, the Macquarie University Special Education Centre has put together a series of "briefings" which explores the evidence base for many widely available remedial approaches. From Irlen Lenses to Sound Therapy to Cogmed, MUSEC has examined whether there is independent research to support particular therapies and makes recommendations about how likely these approaches are to help.  http://tiny.cc/95vqex
 
(4) Choose programmes or remedial support programmes that use evidence based approaches to remediation.  There is a well established research base that tells us what works in helping children with learning difficulties.  In Australia, a National Enquiry into the Teaching of Literacy in Australia was conducted (also known as the Rowe Report) and this identified five key areas as being important for literacy instruction:

1. Phonemic Awareness – the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken language;
2. Phonics – learning the relationships between letters and sounds, and how to use these for reading and spelling new words;
3. Fluency – the ability to read quickly and naturally, to recognise words automatically, and to group words quickly;
4. Vocabulary – to learn about new words and their meanings;
5. Comprehension – to understand what is being read and developing higher order thinking skills.

These recommendations mirror those made in international investigations into best practice literacy instruction by the International Dyslexia Association and the Independent Review of Teaching of Early Reading in the United Kingdom (aka the Rose Report).

Examples of commercially available evidence based programmes following these principles include MultiLit, MiniLit, Alpha to Omega, Toe by Toe Reading programme, Fitzroy Reading Programme,  and Ants in the Apple. Teachers with Special Education experience may also use the same principles to create individualised remedial programmes for children with complex learning needs following an educational assessment completed by a Psychologist.

(5). Have realistic expectations.  Children with learning difficulties may find most literacy and learning tasks very challenging -- even when those children have otherwise adequate intellectual ability. Explicit instruction and repeated practice is essential for children to make sometimes even small or modest gains in progress.

Children learn at different rates -- but by choosing remedial programmes and approaches wisely and being consistent in providing support, parents can optimise their child's chances of improving their skills.