KUWAIT: A Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) program designed to help children with learning disabilities, especially those with dyslexia, has finally arrived in Kuwait. The MSL program was brought to Kuwait by the Center for Child Evaluation and Teaching (CCET). In Kuwait to help establish the program was the Executive Director of the Orton Gillingham Learning Center, Cory Zylstra and the Executive Director of the Canadian Academy of Therapeutic Tutors Marilyn Wardrop.

Zylstra started working with CCET three years ago and her program, 'I Read and Write,' is now near completion. The 'I Read and Write' project is being translated into Arabic under her close supervision. Meanwhile, Wardrop's multisensory approach to mathematics is currently being trained to educators in Kuwait.

MSL is a common sense approach simultaneously using visual, auditory and kinesthetic senses to enhance memory and reading. The MSL approach is systematic and very direct, first developed and produced by Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham in the 1960's. "We are helping CCET translate materials into Arabic," said Zylstra as she started sharing her views on the MSL program in Kuwait. "I am now at the tail end of the 'I Read and Write' project but the mathematics techniques have just began. The two projects are overlapping but both are using the same multi-sensory techniques. We are now currently training teachers to adopt this approach in Kuwait and will eventually share it with other countries in the Arab world.

Zylstra noted her excitement at seeing Kuwait adopt the work they've done for the past three years. "Dr Abdulsattar is now starting to share the project in theory with Arabic teachers. The practical training will follow soon and it's nice to see the materials coming out in Arabic print because we've been working with those materials for almost three years now," she said.

According to Zylstra, MSL is brand new to the Arabic world and she was hoping the same system would be taught to other countries in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) as well. "The project started in Kuwait so I think from here they should share the same techniques with other countries in the Middle East," she mentioned.

CCET initiated the reading and writing project but since math is just as important they also invited a mathematic multi-sensory MSL expert to the project. Marilyn Wardrop said that the multisensory math technique is an easy and enjoyable method once discovered and adopted by students.

Math is hard to some, but with a multi-sensory approach it is easier," Wardrop said. "If you know the concept and you know how to manipulate materials surely you can do and understand math easily, especially if you are using all your senses. It is possible for all students to learn and love math, you just need all the right tools to do that. We provide those tools with the MSL approach," she said.

The MSL math technique has specially designed textbooks. "What we did is we changed the concept and the way it is delivered to students with learning disabilities. Our concept works best in a smaller setting or a one on one approach," Wardrop said.

Wardrop explained that the concepts they use are taught in classroom with specially trained teachers and educators. "In order for students to really enjoy our math program we had to train teachers. The approach starts with a diagnostic examination and prescription. It works on three levels, the first one being manipulative.

Students love to work with their hands and they want to manipulate things, especially those who are dyslexic. The second level is representational, using images or photos. For the third level we connect the previous levels to traditional numbers, we call that an abstract level. The national council for mathematics developed the curriculum and that is what we are sharing with CCET here in Kuwait," she explained.

We believe that the manipulative level should come first and continue as students grow older because this kind of learning is especially important for students with learning disabilities," she pointed out. The technique is widely welcome in Kuwait, according to the visiting MSL experts. Teachers here have demonstrated a willingness and interest to adapt new methods and share it with their students. "Our mission can be considered successful, even at this early stage," Wardrop said. - Kuwait Times