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This study contains a theoretical article and an empirical article to investigate and discuss an intervention programme for dyslectic learners with regard to their reading and spelling problems. The following discussion also serves as summary of the findings and conclusions reached by the researcher in each article. The literature study focuses on the causes of dyslexia by referring to neurological, genetic, teratogenic, and environmental and educational causes. In the discussion of the identification and assessment of dyslexia, the IQ discrepancy theory is discussed. The discussion of the cognitive, academic and behavioural characteristics of dyslectic learners illuminates the identification of these learners for the sake of using the correct intervention strategies. From the literature study, it is clear that dyslectic learners do not benefit by current teaching programmes following the phonological method. Neuro-imaging techniques have shown that dyslectic learners activate the right hemisphere of the brain (which is normally not suitable for language use) to execute phonological instructions. Therefore, better results are obtained when dyslectic learners' strong point, namely their visualisation ability, is used during language exercises. An overview is given of the various kinds of dyslexia, where it has been found in the literature study that a large majority of dyslectic learners have a strong visualisation ability. Researchers differ about the way in which dyslectic learners should be taught, however, and a variety of intervention programmes found in the literature are discussed. This study focuses on the Ron Davis program as an intervention programme, because the programme focuses on the learning preference of the dyslectic learner. It is a multisensory programme that focuses on visual, kinaesthetic and cognitive strategies. In the empirical article, the development and implementation of a remedial intervention programme, which is based on the Ron Davis program, for intermediate Afrikaansspeaking dyslectic learners is investigated and discussed. The research study has been completed at a school for learners with learning disabilities in the Motheo district in the Free State. Dyslectic learners in the experimental group (N = 18) were exposed to the remediation intervention programme that is based on the Ron Davis program, while dyslectic learners in the control group (N = 18) were receiving their normal remedial teaching. Research results in this empirical investigation have demonstrated that the reading and spelling achievements of Afrikaans-speaking intermediate dyslectic learners (experimental group) were significantly better after exposure to the remedial intervention programme that is based on the Ron Davis program than the reading and spelling achievements of the Afrikaans-speaking intermediate dyslectic learners (control group, N =18) that were not exposed to this programme. The conclusion the researcher reached after completing the study is that the word recognition and spelling achievements of Afrikaans-speaking intermediate dyslectic learners can improve significantly by exposing these dyslectic learners to a remedial intervention programme that is based on the Ron Davis program. |
