Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability caused by a disorder in cognitive (brain) processes. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. Dyslexia can be seen in a range from mild to severe, can co-exist with other disabilities such as dysgraphia and ADD /ADHD. Dyslexia will not go away on its own or be outgrown. However, children, teens and adults with dyslexia can learn to read, given the proper intervention.
- Neurobiological – it is a specific difficulty that is based upon the brain’s ability to process written and spoken information despite intelligence, motivation, and education
- Language-based – not a problem with vision
- Genetic – passed through families
- Common – Approximately 1 in 5 have dyslexia
- Unique to each individual – While there are no official diagnostic types, everyone can experience dyslexia differently.
Therefore, finding out which aspects you or your student struggle with can help get the right support.
COMMON WARNING SIGNS
Common Warning Signs of Dyslexia in Children
- delayed speech compared to their peers
- mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words
- chronic ear infections
- severe reactions to childhood illnesses
- constant confusion of left versus right
- late establishing a dominant hand
- difficulty learning to tie shoes
- trouble memorizing their address, phone number, or the alphabet
- can’t create words that rhyme
- a close relative with dyslexia
In Elementary School
- dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read)
- letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade
- extreme difficulty learning cursive
- slow, choppy, inaccurate reading:
- guesses based on shape or context
- skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)
- ignores suffixes
- can’t sound out unknown words
- terrible spelling
often can’t remember sight words (they, were, does) or homonyms (their, they’re, and there) - difficulty telling time with a clock with hands
- trouble with math
- memorizing multiplication tables
- memorizing a sequence of steps
- directionality
- when speaking, difficulty finding the correct word
- lots of “whatyamacallits” and “thingies”
- common sayings come out slightly twisted
- extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk
- dreads going to school
- complains of stomach aches or headaches
- may have nightmares about school
In High School
All of the above signs plus:
- limited vocabulary
- extremely poor written expression
- large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compositions
- unable to master a foreign language
- difficulty reading printed music
- poor grades in many classes
In Adults
Education history similar to above, plus:
- slow reader
- may have to read a page 2 or 3 times to understand it
- terrible speller
- difficulty putting thoughts onto paper
- dreads writing memos or letters
- still has difficulty with right versus left
- often gets lost, even in a familiar city
- sometimes confuses b and d, especially when tired or sick
