Dyslexia is more than reading and spelling problems…

Dyslexia is considered a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by the difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.

These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.

Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Contrary to popular belief, the core problem in dyslexia is not reversing letters (although it can be an indicator).

Rather, the difficulty lies in interpreting the sounds in words (referred to as the phonological sound component of language) and then matching those individual sounds to the letters and combinations of letters in order to read and spell.

Signs of learning difficulties

A child with learning difficulties may have problems:

• Talking about his ideas. It may seem like the words he needs are on the tip of the tongue but won’t come out. He might use vague words like “thing” or “stuff” and may pause to remember words.
• Learning new words that he hears in class or sees in books.
• Understanding questions and following directions.
• Remembering numbers in order, like in a phone number.
• Remembering the details of a story plot or what the teacher says.
• Understanding what he reads.
• Learning words to songs and rhymes.
• Telling left from right. This can make it hard to read and write.
• Learning the alphabet and numbers.
• Matching sounds to letters. This makes it hard to learn to read.
• Writing. He may mix up the order of letters in words while writing.
• Spelling.
• Doing math. He may mix up the order of numbers.
• Memorizing times tables.
• Telling time.

Testing for learning difficulties

Your child will have testing done at school to see why she has trouble learning. A speech therapist can test how well your child listens, speaks, reads, and writes. The speech therapist may test different skills with younger and older children.

The speech therapist will also test your child’s speech, language skills, and thinking skills. Thinking skills include planning, organizing, and paying attention to details

What methods a speech and language therapist uses?

1. The Phonics Method

The Phonics Method is concerned with helping a child learn how to break words down into sounds, translate sounds into letters and combine letters to form new words.

The Phonics Method is one of the most popular and commonly used methods. In the beginning progress may be slow and reading out loud halting, but eventually the cognitive processes involved in translating between letters and sounds are automatized and become more fluent.

2. The Whole-word Approach

This method teaches reading at the word level. Because it skips the decoding process, students are not sounding out words but rather learning to say the word by recognizing its written form.

Reading via this method is an automatic process and is sometimes called sight-reading. After many exposures to a word, children will sight-read the majority of the vocabulary they encounter, only sounding out unfamiliar terms.

3. The Language Experience Method

The Language Experience Method of teaching reading is grounded in personalized learning where the words taught are different for every child. The idea is that learning words that the child is already familiar with will be easier.

What parents can do?

No matter which method or methods you use, keep these tips in mind:

1. Read as often as possible. Develop a routine where you read a book together in the morning or in the evening. You may start by reading aloud but have the child participate by running a finger along the text. Make reading fun, include older children and reserve some family reading time where everyone sits together with their own book to read for half an hour—adults included!
2. Begin with reading material that the child is interested in. If he or she has a favorite subject, find a book full of related vocabulary to boost motivation.
3. Let the child choose his or her own book. When an individual has agency and can determine how the learning process goes, he or she is more likely to participate. Take children to libraries or bookstores and encourage them to explore books and decide what they would like to read.
4. Consider graded readers. As a child develops his or her reading ability, you will want to increase the challenge of books moving from materials that present one word per page to longer and longer sentences, and eventually, paragraph level text. If you’re not sure a book is at the right level for your child, try counting how many unfamiliar words it contains per page. You can also take the opposite approach and check to see how many Dolch words are present.
5. Talk about what you see on the page. Use books as a way to spur conversation around a topic and boost vocabulary by learning to read words that are pictured but not written. You can keep a special journal where you keep a record of the new words. They will be easier to remember because they are connected through the story.
6. Avoid comparisons with peers. Every child learns to read at his or her own pace. Reading is a personal and individual experience where a child makes meaning and learns more about how narrative works as he or she develops stronger skills.
7. Don’t put too much pressure. Forcing a child into reading when he or she is not ready can result in negative reactions and cause more harm than good.
8. Do speak with your child’s teacher. If your child doesn’t enjoy reading and struggles with decoding and/or sight reading, it may be due to a specific learning difficulty. It’s advised you first discuss it with your child’s teacher who may recommend an assessment by a specialist.

Conclusion

Dyslexia is not a disability – it’s a gift.

With strategically-designed remediation that includes direct instruction, and with support and a positive attitude, dyslexics learn to read, spell, and write; go on to attend college and lead productive, fulfilling, and extraordinary lives.