The Beat Dyslexia series of books has been designed to help any child, teenager or adult who is struggling to read, write or spell. the books may be used by parents, carers, teachers, teaching assistants or tutors working on a one-to-one basis or with small groups. Books 1-3 work on the basics, introducing all the consonants, blends (e.g. pr, pl) and digraphs (two letters representing one sound: ng, th, sh, ch) and short vowels. High frequency words, the alphabet, basic punctuation and grammar (the verb, noun and adjective) are all taught using presentations that are clear and also interesting and entertaining. Books 4-6 deal with long vowels and other spelling patterns and provide literacy support through primary and early secondary-school level. The main features of the programme include the following:. A carefully structured programme that helps the learner understand the linguistic and phonological structures that underpin literacy. Pupils learn letter-sound relationships, how letter make words, the significance of vowels and consonants, how to recognise rhyme and syllables in words and how to recognise spelling patterns in the English language. A conventional multi-sensory approach that encourages the pupil to use the most senses in order to learn letter-sound relationships. Looking and saying as well as hearing and writing reinforce learning through visual, auditory and kinaesthetic approaches. Wooden or plastic letters offer the chance to feel the shape of letters and to link this with speaking the sound, hearing the sound, looking at the shape of the letter and creating a neuro-muscular memory of the movement required to write the letter by hand. This approach is based on the earlier work by Orton, Gillingham, and Stillman and Hickey, who established the principles of multi-sensory tracing for dyslexic pupils. A controlled vocabulary, which means that in the early stages of the scheme learners are presented with reading passages made up from words which only contain letters and letter combinations that they have already learned. The steady introduction of the high-frequency words of the English language is continued throughout the series. The Reading and Spelling Pack is an integral part of the programme. Their regular use in the earlier books offers reinforcement learning of the basics of sound-letter relationships as well as practice in the sequencing of the alphabet. The CD provides the auditory input of the programme, with exercises on sound recognition in words, short-term memory training, dictation and listening comprehension. Beat Dyslexia 1 covers: i, t, p, n, s, st, sn, sp, a, d, c, o, r, cr, tr, dr, pr, m & e. All the material has been trialled by students and teachers and is devised to be of immediate practical use in teaching sessions. Also includes an audio CD and a pack of full colour reading/spelling cards. All material is photocopiable including a blank Certificate of Merit to praise pupils.
