How does Kinestem Program meet each of the requirements of the Texas
Dyslexia Handbook?
According to
MANUAL SOBRE LA DISLEXIA (Procedimientos sobre la dislexia y trastornos
relacionados) Version 2018 by TEA and following Figure 3.4 on page 31, the
areas of assessment for dyslexia should be as follows.
1. ACADEMIC SKILLS
1.1. Letter knowledge:
1.1.1. Name.
K
1.1.2. Associated sound. PK
1.2. Reading single words. PK
1.3. Accurate decoding of unknown words.
1.4. Reading fluency is assessed as follows:
1.4.1. Speed
1.4.2. Accuracy PK
1.4.3. Pronunciation PK
1.5. Reading
comprehension PK
1.6. Writing
PK
2. COGNITIVE PROCESSES
2.1. Phonological/phonemic awareness PK
2.2. Rapid symbol or object naming PK
3. ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE
AREAS
3.1. Vocabulary PK
3.2. Auditory comprehension PK
3.3. Verbal expression PK
3.4. Written expression PK
3.5. Handwriting PK
3.6. Memory for letters or sequence of symbols
(orthographic processing) PK
3.7. Calculation/mathematical reasoning
3.8. Phonological memory PK
3.9. Verbal working memory PK
3.10. Speed processing
The time when the Kinestem Program has an
impact on it has been marked with PK (Prekinder) or K (Kinder).
THE INTERVENTION
PRINCIPLES OF THE KINESTEM PROGRAM
These principles follow the Texas Dyslexia
Performance Standards and we apply them to all children to reduce and prevent
reading disorders.
1.
Multisensory: In addition to using the classic multisensory pathways, Kinestem
Program uses strategies (the connector) so that the student can easily remember
the phoneme-letter relationships and write the letter without spatial
orientation problems.
2.
Systematic and cumulative: The teaching of letters follows the order of
learning suggested by all scholars of the subject. The learning of syllables is
structured in a progressive way.
3.
Explicit instruction on the alphabetic principle: The alphabetic principle is explicitly
taught to the student and reinforced through phonological awareness.
4.
Diagnostic instruction: From the beginning of instruction the teacher can assess whether a
student will require special help in reading. Moreover, the program teaches the
teacher to evaluate the student's progress in each letter.
5. Synthetic instruction: Synthetic instruction is carried
out to arrive at the word from the phoneme through the careful use of
syllables. It is essential for reading.
6.
Analytical instruction: The program develops it because it is essential for proper writing.
7.
Preventive intervention: With the use of the Kinestem Program, we avoid the difficulties of
learning to read in the early stages.
Although the pace of learning may be slower, we ensure that the teaching
will be similar to that used by specialists in reading therapy.
8.
Teacher training: Teacher training is the basis of the system. That is why the
instruction in the Kinestem Program does not end at the end of the classroom
course and we include hours of video conference assistance.
How many students can be
in a group?
1 to 3
students
What company guidance is
there regarding small group implementation?
The program
works well in groups of up to 3 students, as long as these groups are
homogeneous. Teachers can be provided with tests to assess the performance
levels of each student.
What ages is this
developmentally intervention appropriate for?
The Kinestem Program works by objectives. It is designed for mental ages
approximately 36 months and above. In
areas where preschool education begins at age 3, students are reading with
comprehension in 3- or 4-word sentences by the end of prekindergarten. It works by procedures independent of each
other. These are:
1.
Pointing
mechanism (directionality in reading and Rapid Automatized Naming).
2.
Word
identification (lexical awareness). Here, the teacher works with the vocabulary
and expressions that the student needs according to the Texas educational
program. In this way, inadequate pronunciation and faulty expressions are
corrected while the student acquires lexical awareness, so that later when
he/she is able to write, he/she will be able to separate written words.
3. Visual identification (grapheme
identification).
4. Auditory identification (auditory
discrimination).
5. Phoneme categorization (phonological
awareness).
6.
Syllabic
synthesis (creation of syllables and words from phonemes).
7.
Grapheme/phoneme
and phoneme/grapheme relationship (the relationship is established from the
body itself so that learning is fast and there are no spins when writing the
letters or alterations in reading).
8. Orthographic teaching begins before the student knows how to read and write
.
How much time does a
lesson take?
If all the
procedures are worked on, the time spent can be 30 to 50 minutes. There are
work procedures that are games for children, such as puzzles for letter
identification. This is possible because the letters used by the program are
modular, constructed by circles and straight lines.
