Did I Cause My Child’s Dyslexia?
“Did I cause my child’s dyslexia?” After evaluating and diagnosing a young boy with dyslexia, his mother asked me this question. She was worried that something she had done or failed to do, as a parent had contributed to her son’s reading difficulties. Had she not read to him enough? Should she have practiced letters and sounds more? Had she missed the signs of dyslexia? She felt guilty.
My answer was simple: “No. You did not cause your child’s dyslexia.”
What Causes Dyslexia? Understanding the Genetic and Brain-Based Factors
Research tells us that dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental learning difference with substantial genetic and neurobiological influences. In other words, children with dyslexia are not simply choosing not to read, failing to try hard enough, or struggling because their parents did not provide enough reading practice.
Dyslexia Can Run in Families
One of the strongest pieces of evidence for a genetic contribution to dyslexia is that it often runs in families. Children who have a parent or sibling with dyslexia are at greater risk of experiencing reading difficulties themselves. This does not mean that a parent “passes down” dyslexia in a simple, predictable way. Rather, dyslexia appears to involve the combined influence of many genes, each contributing a small amount to a person’s overall likelihood of experiencing reading difficulties.
Importantly, a child can have dyslexia even when no one in the family has been formally diagnosed. Sometimes a parent or relative may have experienced reading or spelling difficulties without ever receiving an explanation for them. Other times, the child’s particular combination of genetic influences may be different from those of other family members.
Dyslexia Is Also Associated With Differences in Brain Development
Brain-imaging research has provided additional evidence that dyslexia is associated with differences in how certain brain networks involved in reading and language develop and function. Research has identified differences involving areas of the left hemisphere, including networks involved in processing speech sounds, connecting sounds with letters, recognizing written words, and developing fluent reading skills.
These findings are important because they help explain why a child with dyslexia may work extremely hard at reading yet continue to find certain reading tasks unusually difficult.
However, it is important not to oversimplify the neuroscience. There is no single “dyslexic brain” and there is currently no brain scan that can diagnose dyslexia. Brain differences identified in research occur across groups of individuals and reflect complex patterns of development rather than a single abnormality.
Genetics Do Not Mean Destiny
Having a genetic risk for dyslexia does not guarantee that your child will develop significant reading difficulties. Development is influenced by many factors, including language development, educational experiences, and the quality and effectiveness of reading instruction.
This is why the most accurate way to think about dyslexia is not “nature versus nurture,” but nature and nurture interacting over time. Genetic and neurobiological factors can increase a child’s vulnerability to reading difficulties, while effective instruction and supportive environments can help children develop stronger reading skills and reduce the impact of those difficulties.
So when a parent asks, “Did I cause my child’s dyslexia?”, the answer remains no. You did not create the genetic or neurodevelopmental factors that contribute to dyslexia. Thus, you should not blame yourself for something that is far more complex than parenting choices.
Instead, the more helpful question is: “Now that we understand how my child learns, what can we do to help?” That is where you can make a tremendous difference.
What Can You Do If Your Child Has Dyslexia?
Although parents do not cause dyslexia, you play a most important role in helping your child succeed. The first step is recognizing when your child may need additional support. Persistent difficulty learning letter sounds, decoding unfamiliar words, spelling, reading fluently, or remembering previously learned words can be signs that a child may benefit from a dyslexia evaluation.
Early identification can help families understand why your child is struggling and determine what types of instruction and accommodations may be appropriate. Children with dyslexia often benefit from explicit, systematic reading instruction that targets skills such as phonological awareness, decoding, spelling, and word recognition. Academic intervention is only part of the picture. Children also need adults who understand that having dyslexia does not mean they are less intelligent or less capable.
When Should My Child Be Evaluated for Dyslexia?
One of the most common questions parents ask is, “When should I have my child evaluated for dyslexia?” The short answer is: If your child is consistently struggling to learn to read, it is reasonable to seek an evaluation rather than simply waiting for them to catch up.
Dyslexia can be identified at different ages, and you do not necessarily have to wait until your child has experienced years of reading failure before seeking help. In fact, early identification and intervention can help prevent academic difficulties from becoming more significant over time. Screening for reading difficulties can begin as early as kindergarten, with attention to skills such as phonological awareness, letter-sound knowledge, language development, and rapid naming.
Signs That May Suggest a Dyslexia Evaluation
Parents and teachers may want to consider an evaluation when a child demonstrates persistent difficulty with:
- Learning and remembering letter names and sounds
- Connecting letters with their corresponding sounds
- Recognizing familiar words automatically
- Sounding out unfamiliar words
- Reading accurately or fluently
- Spelling words correctly in everyday writing
- Identifying or manipulating sounds within words
- Reading at a significantly slower rate than expected for their age or grade
- Avoiding reading or becoming frustrated when asked to read
- Making much slower progress in reading than expected despite appropriate instruction
- Making self-degrading statements such as, “I’m not smart.” “Everyone else reads better than me.”
A family history of dyslexia is another important consideration: even undiagnosed dyslexia. Because dyslexia has a substantial genetic component, children with a parent or close family member who has dyslexia or a history of significant reading difficulties are at increased risk.
Don’t Wait for Your Child to “Catch Up”
Sometimes parents are told, “He/she’s just a little behind. Give him/her another year.” While some children do catch up with additional instruction, persistent reading difficulties should not simply be ignored. Your child can receive effective reading intervention while also being evaluated for dyslexia. Intervention and evaluation do not have to be mutually exclusive.
My evaluation can help answer an important question: Why is this child struggling to learn to read?
Our comprehensive dyslexia evaluation looks beyond reading scores alone. Don’t work with a provider who only uses one test for dyslexia because that is too narrow. A comprehensive evaluation considers your child’s developmental and educational history and examines areas such as phonological processing, decoding, word recognition, reading fluency, spelling, language skills, and other factors that may contribute to reading difficulties. We also test self-esteem, memory, attention, and other critical areas that provide us with a pattern of strengths and weaknesses that fit the dyslexia profile and criteria. I’m a parent of a child with dyslexia so I know exactly what you are going through and, most importantly, how to identify dyslexia early.
What About Kindergarten?
Parents sometimes assume that your child is too young to be evaluated for dyslexia if they are reading independently. That is not necessarily the case. We start testing students at age 5.5 and half way through kindergarten. For younger children, an evaluation may focus more heavily on early literacy skills and risk factors rather than simply measuring reading achievement. Difficulties with phonological awareness, learning letter-sound relationships, remembering verbal information, and rapidly naming familiar letters or objects can provide important information about a child’s risk for later reading difficulties. The goal is not to place a label on a young child. The goal is to identify areas of vulnerability early and provide appropriate support before frustration and academic gaps grow.
Trust Your Concerns as a Parent
You know your child better than anyone. If your child is working hard but continues to struggle with reading, spelling, or learning letter-sound relationships, your concerns are worth investigating. A dyslexia evaluation is not about finding something “wrong” with your child. It is about understanding how your child learns best, identifying areas of strength and weakness, and determining what support will help them become a more confident and successful reader.
If you are wondering whether your child’s reading difficulties may be related to dyslexia, you don’t have to wait until the problem becomes overwhelming. Early understanding can lead to earlier support and earlier support can make a meaningful difference.
Replace Guilt With Understanding
If your child has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia, it is natural to wonder what you could have done differently. Instead of asking, “What did I do wrong?”, try asking: “What does my child need now?” That shift can make all the difference.
You didn’t cause your child’s dyslexia. You can, however, be one of the most important people helping your child understand their strengths, access effective instruction, develop confidence, and learn how to thrive. Dyslexia is not a reflection of your parenting, and it is not a limitation on your child’s potential.
We are parents too and are ready to help you. Call (561) 625-4125 to discuss your child.
