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dys·lex·i·a

dəsˈleksēə/

noun

a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence.

(Thank you Google!)

As a Learning Support teacher and specialist in treating students with Language-based learning disabilities, I often have parents enquiring about whether or not I believe their child has Dyslexia. I am not a psychologist and cannot make that call! Only a certified psychologist can properly diagnose Reading Disorders, through psychoeducational testing.

However, there are warning signs. I noticed several oddities when my son was a preschooler. My son was very intelligent! He understood everything that was asked of him, although he sometimes had difficulties following multi-step directions. He had a fantastic vocabulary and general knowledge, especially about the things that interested him. He knew the alphabet song and could easily sing it anytime it was requested. But, when it came down to pointing to the letters of the alphabet as we sang, I noticed he had no idea that each of these strange symbols meant. He had difficulties with cutting and pasting, pronouncing some sounds, words and phrases. Seeing hundreds of children every day enabled me to realize that something was up.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is the name for specific learning disabilities in reading.
Dyslexia is often characterized by difficulties with accurate word recognition, decoding and spelling.
Dyslexia may cause problems with reading comprehension and slow down vocabulary growth.
Dyslexia may result in poor reading fluency and reading out loud.
Dyslexia is neurological and often genetic.
Dyslexia is not the result of poor instruction.
With the proper support, almost all people with dyslexia can become good readers and writers.

Could my child have Dyslexia (or a language-based learning disorder)?

The warning signs…

(taken from http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia)

Young Children

Trouble With:

Recognizing letters, matching letters to sounds and blending sounds into speech
Pronouncing words, for example saying “mawn lower” instead of “lawn mower”
Learning and correctly using new vocabulary words
Learning the alphabet, numbers, and days of the week or similar common word sequences
Rhyming

School-Age Children

Trouble With:

Mastering the rules of spelling
Remembering facts and numbers
Handwriting or with gripping a pencil
Learning and understanding new skills; instead, relying heavily on memorization
Reading and spelling, such as reversing letters (d, b) or moving letters around (left, felt)
Following a sequence of directions
Trouble with word problems in math

Teenagers and Adults

Trouble With:

Reading at the expected level
Understanding non-literal language, such as idioms, jokes, or proverbs
Reading aloud
Organizing and managing time
Trouble summarizing a story
Learning a foreign language
Memorizing

Empowering your child with Dyslexia

bruce Dyslexia is a very specific learning disability. Children with Dyslexia usually have at least average (and many times above average) intelligence. Once your child is able to be aware of this, they can understand and embrace that they only have a very specific challenge. This empowers them! It is way easier to know that you only have to overcome one or two hurdles than to think you are incapable. Often this is the case before the diagnosis of Dyslexia.

Let them know and reassure them that as they learn new strategies life will get easier. Reading and writing will always be a bit more of a challenge for them compared to their peers, but over time they will learn way to compensate for this and their true abilities will shine through. Sometimes these challenges help them to realize that their strengths are truly gifts.

For example, my son always had difficulty writing in his agenda. However, he always remembered his assignments and important dates. He then came to realize that his memory for schedules and date was extraordinary!

Famous People with Dyslexia

I find that my son and my students are amazed when they find out that many famous and successful people struggled with Dyslexia. One of my students recently came to me and said he would never be able to do anything academic because he had Dyslexia. I said to him that I know a lot of people with Dyslexia that were still able to be very successful! We went on the computer and looked it up. He was ecstatic and began to take on a different view of his challenges.