Could It Be Dyslexia?
Could it be dyslexia that is holding your child back? Dyslexia is a type of reading learning disability that affects 1 out of 5 children. Julie brought her seven-year-old son in because her instinct told her he was behind in reading. The classroom teacher told her he was doing OK and there were worse off students in her class. Julie did not want to settle for ‘OK’ and knew that her son’s struggles were real. While he enjoyed when she read to him, he resisted, read slowly, and became squirmy when it was his turn to read. The testing showed he met the dyslexia criteria and she felt relieved to have confirmation about what her motherly instinct told her. She hired a specialized reading tutor and now her son is on his way to overcoming his dyslexia.
Could it Be Dyslexia? Dyslexia Warning Signs
These are dyslexia warning signs in elementary school students.
difficulty learning to tie shoes
trouble memorizing address, phone number, or the alphabet
can’t create words that rhyme
messy handwriting, letters that are formed differently and don’t sit on the line
letter or number reversals continuing past first grade
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
poor spelling
often can’t remember sight words
difficulty telling time on a clock with hands
trouble with math memorizing multiplication tables
difficulty memorizing a sequence of steps
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is more than reversing letters and numbers. The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as, “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficultieswith 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.”
This means to test for dyslexia your child’s testing must include a test of phonological processing. There is not one definitive dyslexia test so your child needs to take a battery of tests which includes reading real and made up words, reading speed, reading comprehension, spelling real and made up words, and many others.
Consider dyslexia testing if you believe your child has three or more warning signs. The younger your child is when you confirm dyslexia and start specialized reading instruction, the better the outcome. Call us at (561) 625-4125 or visit JimForgan.com.
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