Support Services For Middle And High School Students With Dyslexia

Dyslexia can make it difficult for older students to intake the vast amounts of information needed to acclimate to the middle and high school experience. However, boarding schools, such as Brentwood-based Currey Ingram, that focus on learning disabilities, offer a vast array of services for these students. 

According to educators at Currey Ingram, older students with dyslexia enjoy all of the benefits the school has to offer. The Brentwood campus provides small group classes, executive functioning training, and courses on emotional intelligence skills development for all students. Further, day and boarding school students at the Brentwood campus have access to even more hands-on assistance.

When a student has dyslexia but performs within the average range, he or she will be offered classroom accommodations. This might include:

• Word processors with a spell check function
• Oral testing
• Smart speech-enabled devices
• Scaffolded (guided) notes
• Additional instruction or work time
• Access to audiobooks

Young adults with severe dyslexia or excessive language difficulties may require even more assistance. Like many learning-difference-focused boarding schools, Brentwood’s Currey Ingram provides systematic instructions for upper-grade students with broad language deficiencies.

Currey Ingram uses the Structured Literacy approach, which is accepted as effective by the International Dyslexia Association. For older students, this can include:

• Direct and explicit instruction. Teachers and tutors will offer one-on-one assistance with spelling and decoding, phonology, and other foundational skills. At the high school level, students may also be provided instruction on text composition, morphology, and reading comprehension.
• Self-regulated strategy development for written language expression. This is a six-step process wherein an educator provides background knowledge, organization tips, and other knowledge resources to the students. It ends in the young scholar applying their strategies independently to create a written essay. Boarding schools for students with learning disabilities use this method with much success. 
• Language and comprehension support. At the discretion of boarding school staff, a speech-language pathologist may be present at Currey Ingram’s Brentwood campus to assist in training and guidance.
• Corrective and constructive feedback.
• Regular progress monitoring so that the student can see their progress in real-time.

There is no one program the IDA recommends over another. There are many that have been proven to assist children and adolescents with dyslexia in overcoming their learning disabilities. The day and boarding school at Brentwood’s Currey Ingram Academy uses Language! Live literacy intervention program, which was created by Louisa Moats, Ed. D., who also authored LETRS.

Does my teen have dyslexia?

Young children may have signs of dyslexia that are missed by parents and educators. Late talking, problems remembering names, and reversing sounds all fall under the scope of both dyslexia and normal speech/language development. Teens, however, often present with concerning behaviors including significant problems with spelling age-appropriate words, excessive frustration when reading and writing, and an inability to understand common idioms. 

If you suspect that your adolescent child may have a learning disorder, talk to their teachers and pediatrician. They may have recommendations and, if diagnosed, can provide your student with an individualized education plan (IEP). There is the possibility, however, that your child’s public or private school may not be fully equipped to meet their needs. In this situation, you may wish to begin researching boarding schools that can. Contact Brentwood’s Currey Ingram for more information if you live in the Nashville area and want to remain local.

Currey Ingram, located in Brentwood, just south of Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the only boarding schools in the southeast to cater to students with disabilities. Our Residential Life Program for high school students provides the perfect balance of academic and social opportunities and support.