The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents and Teachers (J-B Ed: Checklist) [Paperback]

Sandra F. Rief M.A. (Author), Judith Stern M.A. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047042981X | ISBN-13: 978-0470429815 | Publication Date: January 12, 2010 | Edition: 1

Essential advice and resources for helping kids with dyslexia

The Dyslexia Checklist is a valuable guide for parents and teachers that can help them better understand children and teenagers with dyslexia and other reading- and language-based disabilities. The book relays the most current research available and is filled with practical strategies, supports, and interventions. Using these tools teachers and parents can accommodate the needs and strengthen the skills of students with reading and writing disabilities across all age levels. The book is presented in a simple, concise, easy-to-read checklist format and is filled with useful advice and information on a wide range of topics.

• Explains what we now know about dyslexia from decades of research
• Contains games to strengthen a child's literacy and language skills
• Provides important information for hooking in reluctant and struggling readers
• Offers suggestions for enhancing skills in vocabulary, comprehension, composition and written expression, spelling, math, and more

The book also provides information on the educational rights of students with dyslexia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[The Dyslexia Checklist] is an excellent resource on dyslexia that will help busy parents and teachers quickly find the information they need to meet the needs of children with dyslexia. The book is a quick read, which is a must for today's classroom teachers." (About.com, April 2010)

From the Back Cover

The Dyslexia Checklist offers parents and educators an essential guide for understanding children and teenagers with dyslexia and other reading and language-based disabilities. The book is filled with the most current research available on the topic and contains a wealth of practical strategies, supports, and interventions. The book's hands-on tools are designed to help strengthen the skills of students across all age levels.

Educational consultants Sandra F. Rief and Judith M. Stern offer myriad down-to-earth suggestions for enhancing dyslexic students' skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, composition and written expression, spelling, and math. To help teachers and parents advocate for their children, they also include useful information on the educational rights of students with dyslexia. Presented in a concise, easy-to-read checklist format, The Dyslexia Checklist is filled with useful advice and information on a wide range of topics.

Praise for The Dyslexia Checklist

"A valuable and unique contribution to the field."
—Louisa C. Moats, EdD, nationally known authority on literacy and author, Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers

"This straightforward guide [is] indispensable as a resource compendium and as a professional development tool."
—Esther Klein Friedman, PhD, director, Academic Intervention Services, New York City Department of Education

"The authors' knowledge, practical focus, and down-to-earth strategies make this book an essential read for educators and parents."
—William N. Bender, PhD, co-author, Reading Strategies for Elementary Students with Learning Difficulties, 2nd edition and Response to Intervention: A Practical Guide for Every Teacher

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (January 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047042981X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470429815
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs > Disabilities

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handy reference for educators - NOT an introduction to the subject, February 19, 2010

By 

A. D. Boorman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents and Teachers (J-B Ed: Checklist) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I'm a special educator. I have other books on this subject area (dyslexia, reading problems and language-related disorders.) This one is very useful for a couple of reasons. Although it is not exhaustive and it is nowhere near comprehensive, it is well organized and can be used quickly. The bullet-point outline format makes it easy to find things. I also really like the bibliographies and reference sections.

I really see this more as a reference for teachers than parents. The authors use a lot of jargon in the book. They do take time to define a lot of the terms, but to a reader who is using this as a reference rather than reading it cover-to-cover, that could be a hindrance.

This is a very handy reference for special educators. It can help when you're looking at differentiating instruction, thinking about accommodations and modifications for individual education plans, and even when you're planning lessons. This could also be a useful reference for content-area teachers who have special education students main-streamed into their classrooms. I also think content-area teachers of co-taught classes might find this useful. Parents who are already familiar with dyslexia and related conditions could benefit from this book.

I would NOT recommend this as a first book on the subject area. Although it covers a lot of material, it does not cover it in great depth. I would NOT recommend this as your only book on the subject area. There are places where the authors do not provide complete information. They provide extensive reference lists and bibliographies section-by-section. This is a very useful approach to references, and I have already used many of them.

I showed this to some friends of mine who were special educators. Most of them really liked it. I showed it to some parents. Some of them found the book difficult to use. They noted the jargon and the fact that the book was incomplete in some areas. I gave it four out of five.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars helpful overview/reference for teachers, parents, March 23, 2010

By 

Eric San Juan (Brick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents and Teachers (J-B Ed: Checklist) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

The Dyslexia Checklist is not going to be your go-to book on Dyslexia. It's not an introductory volume, nor is it a comprehensive look into Dyslexia. It shouldn't be, nor is it intended to be, your only book on the subject. Rather, it's a handy, diverse, understandable reference for all things Dyslexia, geared towards being helpful for teachers and parents alike.

And it succeeds in being exactly what it intends to be.

No, you're not going to become an overnight expert with this book, but what the book WILL do is useful, easy to grasp information that will help adults better understand and identify Dyslexia, how it impacts a child, what parents and teachers can do to cope with it, and an array of resources for more information. It's all organized in list format; the presentation is very much "at-a-glance" in nature -- and that's perfect.

The Dyslexia Checklist is, as it states in the subtitle, a reference book. And in that respect, it succeeds wildly. Recommended -- but not as your only book on the subject.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dyslexia Checklist, March 29, 2010

By 

L. A. (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents and Teachers (J-B Ed: Checklist) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

This is a great book! I wish this had been around when I was in elementary school. I've had dyslexia all my life and overcome the challenges all on my own. This helpful book of checklists might have been useful in figuring out what was going on at the time. This is certainly not a deep, authoritative book on dyslexia and does not claim to be. It is simply a tool for use by educators and parents that can help determining if your child may have these problems and recommending some things that can be done to help. This is a great resource guide. I will be sure to pass this along.