Reading disability

Changes are coming to Ontario’s kindergarten program — what parents and caregivers need to know

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

The Right to Read inquiry revealed Ontario’s public education system was not using evidence-based approaches to teach children with reading disabilities (and others) how to read.

Key Points: 
  • The Right to Read inquiry revealed Ontario’s public education system was not using evidence-based approaches to teach children with reading disabilities (and others) how to read.
  • The education minister also said curricular updates are in keeping with the Right to Read report’s recommendations.

Teaching reading isn’t basic

  • It is not surprising that this political strategy is being used to market updates to the kindergarten program.
  • It’s also important to note that the phrase “basics” is contradictory to what we know about the science of reading: teaching reading is anything but basic and involves understanding reading psychology and development, understanding language structure, applying evidence-based practices and using validated and reliable assessments to inform teaching.

Ontario’s full-day play-based kindergarten

  • Based on recommendations from Ontario’s special advisor on early learning, in 2010 Ontario began phasing in full-day play-based kindergarten for all four- and five-year old children.
  • Essential to the revised kindergarten program was the play-based structure of the full-day program.
  • Decisions to revise the earlier half-day kindergarten program acknowledged and leveraged research on the value of play and its role in supporting academic, social and emotional development.

The OHRC Right to Read report

  • Changes to the above model are now being made in response to recommendations from the Right to Read inquiry.
  • The inquiry’s report includes 157 recommendations directly tied to addressing systemic issues affecting children’s right to read.

Not an either/or conversation

  • There are many educators in Ontario who already offer meaningful play-based learning opportunities and direct and systematic instruction in their classrooms.
  • This research has, to date, also documented kindergarten educators using systematic instruction in combination with play-based learning.

Educators need development, resources


What’s needed is to ensure kindergarten educators are being provided with training and professional development to effectively lead classrooms utilizing both play-based learning and systematic instruction in reading, writing and math. This task is anything from basic — but is 100 per cent possible and necessary. As curricular revisions are made, we must ask:
Who are the stakeholders that are being invited to make the revisions to the curriculum?
Who is missing from the conversations?
What research is being used?
What type of training will be provided to educators?
Will this training include a focus on what it means to teach in evidence-based ways — and how to do so?
Will policymakers consider class size and sufficient resourcing for teachers so all students have the classroom supports required to ensure these changes will have real impact?
In updating a curriculum, we cannot merely add additional content for educators to cover each day. Instead, we need to consider what these changes mean and how we can best support educators in successfully supporting children’s learning — through both play-based learning and direct instruction.
Kristy Timmons received funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Queen's University, an Ontario Certified Teacher, and a Registered Early Childhood Educator.

Concerned about student mental health? How wellness is related to academic achievement

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 8, 2024

Supporting student mental health is important because students of all ages can experience stressors that negatively affect their well-being and sometimes lead to mental health diagnoses.

Key Points: 
  • Supporting student mental health is important because students of all ages can experience stressors that negatively affect their well-being and sometimes lead to mental health diagnoses.
  • However, some have suggested we can either support academic success or mental health — and that mental health is more important than academic achievement.

Well-being in education

  • Education policymakers, schools and educators must attend to student well-being holistically rather than targeting one area at the expense of other areas.
  • A great deal of research shows that early academic performance predicts mental health and well-being.


Recent reports from both Ontario and Saskatchewan human rights commissions highlighted the important role of strong reading instruction for student well-being, confidence and academic engagement.

Read more:
Reading disabilities are a human rights issue — Saskatchewan joins calls to address barriers

Stronger reading abilities, positive outcomes

  • In the example of reading and mental health, gaining reading skills increases positive student outcomes.
  • These positive outcomes are related to reading skill development, an important early indicator of academic success.

Poorer reading skills, worse outcomes

  • They also have poorer self-concept and self control, difficulty with relationships, shame, anxiety, depression, suicidality and delinquency.
  • Students who drop out of school are more likely to be poor readers, and poor readers are more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system.

Students with dyslexia

  • The relationship between dyslexia and poor well-being and mental health further reveals the interaction between academic success and mental health.
  • Students with dyslexia, which is characterized by difficulties gaining reading skills, have more difficulty making friends, and having friends is an integral part of mental health.

Equity, reading instruction and well-being

  • Further, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are at greater risk both of not gaining adequate reading skills and of worse mental-health outcomes.
  • Language and literacy researchers Joan F. Beswick and Elizabeth A. Sloat contend that adequate access to strong reading instruction is a social justice issue.
  • Their research, and other findings, document how students from poorer neighbourhoods are less likely to receive adequate reading instruction.

A two-way relationship

  • It is important to note, nevertheless, that the relationship between academic achievement and mental health is bidirectional.
  • The relationship between academic success and mental health is complex and likely interactive with both poor achievement and excessive competition for high marks contributing to poor mental health.

Unhealthy academic competition

  • Strong academic performance supports mental health and well-being, but unhealthy levels of academic competition negatively impact mental health and well-being.
  • Reining in this unhealthy focus on intense academic competition is important.

Need to support both

  • If we want to support student well-being and mental health, we need to support mental health directly by developing healthy school climates, teaching social emotional learning, and providing psychological services in schools.
  • We don’t have to choose: we can and should support students’ academic success and mental health.


Gabrielle Wilcox is affiliated with Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta and the Learning Disabilities & ADHD Network Calgary Region.

A Magic Scanning Pen That is Revolutionizing Language Learning: Youdao Dictionary Pen 3 Global Version

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 20, 2022

After more than a year of R&D work, Youdao, China's leading AI-learning company, has recently launched Youdao Dictionary Pen 3 Global Version, a one of its kind device that helps global language learners, people with reading difficulties and children who are learning how to read.

Key Points: 
  • After more than a year of R&D work, Youdao, China's leading AI-learning company, has recently launched Youdao Dictionary Pen 3 Global Version, a one of its kind device that helps global language learners, people with reading difficulties and children who are learning how to read.
  • With its powerful self-developed technology, the pen can scan multi-line sentences and translate them in 1 second without using the internet.
  • The device is also equipped with OCR technology with up to 99% of accuracy scanning rate, Neural Machine Translation and Text-to-Speech technology.
  • For English learners, the pen provides Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and also US/UK accents to choose from.

EarlyBird Education Introduces Game-Based Screener to Help Schools Identify Children at Risk for Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties — Even Before They Learn to Read

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 14, 2021

To help schools identify children at risk for reading difficulties before they start struggling with reading, EarlyBird Education today announces the nationwide release of the EarlyBird game-based screener.

Key Points: 
  • To help schools identify children at risk for reading difficulties before they start struggling with reading, EarlyBird Education today announces the nationwide release of the EarlyBird game-based screener.
  • It helps educators identify and support children at risk for dyslexia and other reading difficulties even before they learn to read.
  • Reading difficulties such as dyslexia are generally diagnosed in second or third grade, after repeated failure to learn to read and after the most effective intervention window, said Carla Small, co-founder and CEO of EarlyBird Education.
  • With EarlyBird, educators can identify children at risk for reading difficulties in the window when intervention is most effective before they formally learn to read.

Dyslexia Awareness Month Study: Canadians Calling for More Funding to Support Children

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The study, conducted by Pollara on behalf of Dyslexia Canada, found the following:

Key Points: 
  • The study, conducted by Pollara on behalf of Dyslexia Canada, found the following:
    The majority of Canadians (86 per cent) want more government funding to support children with dyslexia and to raise awareness of the learning disability.
  • More than nine-in-10 Canadians (92 per cent) believe it is important that educators receive training about dyslexia.
  • Mr. Gray noted that with proper early identification, instruction and support, children with the disability can minimize the impact dyslexia has over their lives.
  • "All children deserve a fair and equal education, and that means better support in the classroom for students with dyslexia."