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Dyslexia Demystified: Signs, Symptoms, and Support Strategies

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Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities, affecting an estimated 1 in 5 people, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. Dyslexia is not a problem of intelligence, motivation, or vision. It is a neurobiological difference in how the brain processes language with the sounds within words and the way those sounds connect to letters. With the right support, individuals with dyslexia can become confident, successful readers.

What Is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia primarily affects reading accuracy, fluency, spelling, and decoding. People with learning disabilities of dyslexia have difficulty breaking words into their component sounds and linking those sounds to written symbols. This makes learning to read and spell more effortful and slower, even though overall thinking and reasoning skills may be strong.  Dyslexia exists on a spectrum and often co-occurs with ADHD, dysgraphia, or language-based learning differences. Because of this, dyslexia can look different being more noticeable in boys and less in girls, who mask their difficulties through hard work and compliance.

Common Signs

In young children, early signs may include delayed speech, trouble rhyming, difficulty learning letter names and sounds, or mixing up similar-sounding words. As children enter school, dyslexia show up as early as halfway through kindergarten. Young students have trouble remembering letter sounds and remembering sight words. Many students are slow readers and guess at words. They avoid reading aloud for fear of embarrassment. Older students may read fluently but struggle with comprehension. Emotional signs are also common. Many children with dyslexia become anxious or believe they are “not smart” because school feels so much harder for them.

Evidence-Based Strategies

The gold standards for dyslexia intervention are Structured Literacy, an explicit, systematic, and multisensory approach to teaching reading and programs based on Orton-Gillingham principles.  These programs teach phonics, decoding, spelling, and language structure in a clear, step-by-step way.  With early identification, effective instruction, and emotional support, dyslexia does not have to limit your child’s future. Evaluating and understanding are first steps to empowering it.

Call (561) 625 4125 to discuss your child and dyslexia, learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD, autism, or anxiety.

Parent’s Quick Start Guide to Dyslexia

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My new dyslexia book, Parent’s Quick Start Guide to Dyslexia, was recently released and provides you with an immediate overview of dyslexia and specific steps you can take to support and help your child. Each chapter is packed with detailed and helpful information, covering identification, public schools versus private settings, and how (and when) to seek professional help. Topics include a wealth of research-backed activities, nurturing talent and creativity, motivating your child to read, and more.  Offering straightforward, easy to understand, and evidence-based information, this book is a go-to resource for caregivers parenting a child with dyslexia.

I’ve been diagnosing children with dyslexia for a while and providing parents this type of information in our review sessions. For those that know me, I’m a get to the point fast type of guy.  Now you can get trusted, get to the point help for your child with dyslexia in my new book.  Time is too valuable to waste so let’s do what is best to help your child and let’s do it now!

 

Nurturing Creativity In Dyslexics

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All children with dyslexia need to believe they excel at some area in their life.  This helps develop our self-esteem and healthy self-esteem advances success in life. Self-esteem is developed by combining our internal beliefs with our external feedback. Thus, our self-esteem is a combination of how we view ourselves and how we believe others view us.

Dyslexia Self Esteem

We want your child with dyslexia to develop healthy self-esteem and feel good about him or herself. So, in what area does your child excel? Although it might be academic related, it might not. Perhaps your child believes she is talented at mathematics. Other kids might believe they are science expert with a deep knowledge of space or fossils. Your child’s natural talent might be athletics and being a fast runner, best basketball free thrower, dancer, or figure skater. Does your child have innated musical ability? Recognize and reinforce your child’s strength area.

If you need ideas consider reading, The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child’s Confidence and Love of Learning. Author Ben Foss describes his own struggles with dyslexia and provides you with a new perspective that remediation what is broken in your child is not the ultimate goal.  He explains, “There are specific attitudes and habits that will have a huge impact on whether your child will be able to apply her strengths at school and beyond.”

Nurturing Creativity in Dyslexics

Since children develop at different rates you can provide your child with opportunities to sample various activities, athletics, arts, and hobbies to gauge their interest and talents. Some activities will be tried and shelved while others might continue to develop and be refined throughout adolescence. It’s often our natural strengths that carry us through in life and shape our career choices. Your child is smart in many ways so help other family members and teachers understand your child’s natural assets.  Someone has to recognize your child’s gifts and we hope it’s you.

Concerned About Your Child?

Call to discuss your child as we test children ages 5.5 through college for dyslexia, learning disabilities, ADHD, depression, anxiety, and other processing disorders.  Call (561) 625 4125.

Categorized: Dyslexia self esteem

Dyslexia Warning Signs

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As a certified dyslexia testing specialist, I test a lot of children suspected of having dyslexia.  A mom recently brought her second grade son for testing because his iReady/MAPP scores were low, he was saying he was the worst reader in his class, there was family history of reading difficulty, and her motherly instinct told her something was interfering with his ability to learn to read.

Classic Dyslexia Warning Signs

These were classic dyslexia warning signs.  The iReady/MAPP testing that children take give scores that show their reading level.  However, the scores the school considers ‘low’ don’t always align with real life because schools focus on helping the ‘extremely low’ kids.  Kids with dyslexia are smart and can fake reading because they memorize words but may still struggle with fluency and decoding.

It’s a dyslexia warning sign when an elementary age child is saying,  “I’m not smart.”  Simply put, young children don’t want to go to school and fail.  In a class of 20 kids, all the kids know the top and bottom readers. They know which kids’ papers are returned with a teacher’s red marks on it.

Your child is at risk for dyslexia if you have a diagnosed or a suspected family history of reading struggles.  Dyslexia is genetic and more than 50% of children identified have a family member who was not a good reader and might not like to read as an adult.

Parent Instincts Are Often Correct

If you are the parent, trust your instinct as you know something is underlying your child’s reading struggles.  In my years of experience, moms’ instincts are highly accurate.  Testing provides answers, future direction, and can put your mind at ease.

If you suspect dyslexia, we can help you!  Call our office as we test children ages 5.5 through college for dyslexia, ADHD/ADD, gifted, and other processing disorders.  Call (561) 625 4125

Give the Gift of Reading This Year

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Give the gift of reading to your child this holiday season.  Since reading is foundational for academic success, your child’s reading needs to be on or above grade level.  Here are three ways you can help improve your elementary age child’s reading.

First, trust your instinct and seek understanding. Most moms (and some dads) instinctively know your child’s reading is behind.  Teachers have good intentions but I repeatedly have a scenario play out when parents come to me even though the teacher says, “Don’t worry.” We test and uncover the child has dyslexia.  Honestly, smart kids compensate for weaknesses.  Also, it’s a ton of work for a teacher to refer a child for school-based testing so some teachers keep pushing kids along without getting to the root cause. Come in for testing to give yourself understanding, peace of mind, and direction. If you on the fence about testing, first read “Overcoming Dyslexia, Second Edition” by Dr. Sally Shaywitz.

Next, you can teach your child using a specialized reading approach.  The Barton Reading and Spelling System was designed for parents and educators to use one-to-one with children.  Learn more at BartonReading.com.  If you prefer, hire a specialized reading tutor to teach your child since many kids work better with someone other than a parent. I have a list of professional reading tutors at JimForgan.com/tutor.

Third, provide a fun way to read. With your younger child, build a pillow fort and read inside the fort. Create a ‘secret’ reading space, tree house, or unique area for reading.  Regardless of age, read to your child. As you read aloud, periodically stop and discuss what each person is picturing in their mind. This develops reading comprehension.  Older kids might like to listen and read along using Audible.

We offer dyslexia, learning disability, and ADHD/ADD testing to help you give the gift of reading to your child. Call us today at (561) 625 4125