Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurological, based brain difference that causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling. It is typically an impairment in the phonological component of reading.

This deficit in phonological awareness, phonological processing and/or phonological memory interferes with decoding, rapid naming, and word identification. It typically presents itself though poor spelling, slow & choppy reading, and/or poor decoding. Children will often compensate by guessing, using context clues, or pictures to read. These are all are all strategies poor readers use and should not be encouraged.

Poor decoding skills prevent dyslexic readers from applying higher order intellectual abilities necessary for comprehension that are completely intact! In reading fluency is needed in order to apply comprehension skills. With the proper instruction and practice, children with dyslexia can learn to read, write and spell well!

The younger the child, the more plasticity the brain has. Therefore early intervention is the most effective. And remember . . There is always a solution, therapy, or treatment for dyslexia that will make your child feel whole.

Learn the Early Signs

(Children 5 and Under)

  • Difficulty with rhyming
  • Difficulty remembering letter names and sounds
  • Difficulty identifying words that begin with the same sound
  • Difficulty learning to write his/her name
  • Difficulty remembering or reciting the days for the week
  • Trouble with word retrieval (not being able to think of the correct word to use)
  • Difficulty pronouncing multi-syllabic words
  • Mixing up words that sound similar (potion & lotion) even though the child clearly understands the meaning of each word
  • Trouble following multi step directions
  • Many have difficulty learning to tie shoes
  • May have balance or coordination difficulties

Signs in School-Aged Children

(Children 5 and Older)

  • Cannot decode unfamiliar words (#1 biggest sign)
  • Can say the individual sounds /p/ /i/ /g/ but can’t tell you the the word at the end
  • Reading is inaccurate and errors are visual – horse for house, chip for chop, pig for peg
  • Spells words phonetically with vowels and silent letters missing
  • Handwriting is hard to read – letters are very big or small, mixes capital and lowercase, letters are reversed and or start at the bottom
  • Reading is slow and choppy
  • Reads a word on one page but can’t remember the same word on the next page
  • Omits or reads sight words incorrectly
  • Avoids or complains about reading
  • Great comprehension when a story is read aloud but not when the child has read something himself out loud
  • Reads slowly and frequently complains of being tired when reading