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What Causes Dyslexia?

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If you have a loved one with dyslexia or suspected dyslexia in a your child, you might have asked yourself, What causes dyslexia?” It a question many parents I work with ask because when your child is diagnosed with dyslexia you want to know if you caused it.  I reassure many parents that they did not cause their child’s dyslexia by not reading to the child in the womb, not reading aloud enough to a child, or somehow not emphasizing learning in the home.

What Causes Dyslexia?

Researchers have not identified one stand alone cause for dyslexia. They have identified that dyslexia is highly genetic.  If reading difficulty resides in your family tree, it might be the root cause.  Approximately 60% of people with dyslexia have a genetic link. Another cause of dyslexia is presumed due to neurodevelopmental differences in brain structure. Functional MRI imaging of the brain has allowed researchers to note reduced activations in left temporal, parietal, and fusiform regions. There is often a deficit in the phonological loop which interferes with learning and remembering the sounds of language. Other researchers identified that people with dyslexia have slower rapid automatic naming which is distributed across four lobes and results in decreased reading speed.

Testing for Dyslexia

Although the causes of dyslexia vary, dyslexia can be identified through a comprehensive battery of school neuropsychological testing. There is not a sole test that is accepted to diagnose dyslexia but rather a pattern of reading, spelling, and phonological processing testing that it used.  I am certified by Susan Barton who is the creator of the widely used and evidenced based Barton Reading and Spelling System. She taught me how to accurately identify dyslexia through a specialized battery of tests that we use in my practice.

Treatment for Dyslexia

Once identified, dyslexia treatment is specialized reading instruction which substantially differs from general classroom-based reading instruction. Our testing identifies the best way for your child to learn to become a proficient reader. We also have a list of in person and online dyslexia tutors. I wrote the book, “Parent’s Quick Start Guide to Dyslexia” which is published by Routledge Press and available in bookstores or online.

Call (561) 625 4125 if you are concerned about your child’s reading and would like understanding and answers.  We’re ready to help you help your child.

School Shouldn’t Be This Difficult

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“I hate school. School is like jail for kids.” Margaret’s son’s reaction captured how many boys perceive school. It can be a battle to get your child to school and a battle to get homework completed.  Many parents feel embattled by emails, texts, or phone calls about your child’s behavior or effort.  Learning is a slow process and your child’s behind.  Many parents come to us for school neuropsychological testing seeking answers because they realize school should not be this difficult.

It’s Not Laziness

Children struggle in school for various reasons and for adolescent boys I often hear, “He is just lazy and unmotivated.”  Many times our testing reveals a hidden learning disability and that your son is feeling inadequate.  When a boy does not feel good enough or that he can meet the academic requirement, he can’t work to his potential. Thus, he is not lazy but feeling inadequate and believes, “Why try?”  The good news is this can be changed with proper support at school and home.

15-20% of Children Struggle

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 15-20% of public-school students in the United States receive special education services. In Florida, 15% of public school students have an Individual Education Program (IEP). Thirty-three percent of special education students have a specific learning disability. Your child needs tested to receive public school help.  Public schools offer this but with many hurdles and a lengthy wait time.  We offer a more thorough evaluation and give you written results in two weeks or less.

Seek Support

Trust your parental instinct and seek additional understanding. A wait and see approach often delays getting your child the proper help and support. Tutoring, counseling, an IEP, or 504 Plan is often needed to start closing gaps and increasing independence and confidence.  The state of Florida provides money to help you offset these expenses. To learn more search Family Empowerment Scholarship Unique Abilities.

Call to discuss your child as we test for autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, depression, learning disabilities, and anxiety (561) 625 4125.

Dyslexia Can Be Identified Early

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Dyslexia can be identified in a child who is at least halfway through kindergarten and age five and a half or older.  There are always early warning signs like those in Chris that point to reading difficulty.

Warning Signs of Dyslexia

Chris’ mom explained it this way. In Pre-K Chris had difficulty identifying letters and the sounds they made as well as rhyming. In kindergarten she still had trouble rhyming. She had trouble sounding out words when reading. Her reading was labored, not quick or fluent. She guessed words by their first letter. She mixed up letter sound sequences in a word or forgot the same word she just read on the previous page again and again. She seemed to learn best memorizing flash cards. She can somewhat read but it has taken way more amounts of flash cards and assistance that should be required. I think she has dyslexia.

Dyslexia Testing Starting at Age 5 and a Half

Our thorough testing confirmed this mom’s intuition and provided her with the paperwork needed to obtain school help through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) as well as apply for and receive the Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship.  The scholarship money helped mom pay for one-to-one private tutoring using the gold standard Orton-Gillingham multisensory reading instruction.  This approach has decades of research backing its effectiveness in helping people with dyslexia become strong and proficient readers.

Overcoming Dyslexia

 Once your child is officially diagnosed with dyslexia there are five ingredients for helping your child overcome dyslexia.  You must have the right curriculum, use it at least twice a week one-to-one, keep at it for over a year, work with a trained reading specialist, and keep your child engaged and incentivized.  We’ve seen this recipe work for children time and time again.

Dr. Forgan Wrote the Dyslexia Book

I co-authored the book “Parent’s Quick Start Guide to Dyslexia” which provides a quick, but deep dive into what to immediately do when your child is diagnosed with dyslexia.  When it comes to helping your young child, time is too precious to squander.

 We know dyslexia can be identified early. Call (561) 625 4125 to discuss your child as we test for dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, depression, autism and anxiety.

If It’s Not Dyslexia, What Could it Be?

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If It’s Not Dyslexia, What Is It?

You suspect your child’s reading difficulties might be dyslexia but you’re not a reading expert so you’re not really sure. To obtain an accurate diagnosis, it’s best to get thorough testing with a private practice psychologist.  There are free dyslexia online screeners and even some reading program companies pitch online dyslexia testing, but they are not valid. The public and private schools will not accept any quick and easy online testing or testing from an unlicensed professional.  Without testing from a licensed psychologist, the schools won’t provide your child with any special help.

Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia

When testing for dyslexia, psychologists also test for other learning disabilities including dysgraphia (extreme writing difficulty) and dyscalculia (extreme math difficulty).  We test for cognitive processing problems that could interfere with your child’s reading including phonics processing, memory, processing speed, attention, visual processing, and language processing.  We want to rule out that the reading struggle is not a cognitive processing disorder or a lack of focus that is causing your child to struggle.

Self-Esteem

Finally, we assess your child’s self-esteem because some kids don’t believe they can become a good reader so this might be a contributing root cause of your child’s struggles.  Once we identify if it’s dyslexia or something else, we recommend the best way for you to help your child.  This knowledge helps you provide laser focused support to help your child obtain the most gain in the shortest amount of time. This is preferred to the hit and miss approach and hoping what you are doing helps.

What to Do

If testing showed it is dyslexia then some of the primary treatments include specialized one-to-one tutoring using the Wilson Reading System, the Barton Reading and Spelling System, or the Lindamood-Bell reading curriculum. These are specially designed programs to help kids with dyslexia that are proven successful by independent research.  Visit www.BrightSolutions.US if you’d like to start learning more about dyslexia and dyslexia testing.

Contact us if we can help you help your child.

Why Don’t Public Schools Test for Dyslexia?

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In Florida, the public school system does not usually specifically test children for dyslexia but instead tests for a general “Specific Learning Disability.” This generality is confusing and is often surprising to many parents because dyslexia is a type of specific learning disability.  While the trained school personnel should test for dyslexia, and some do, others do not.  A main reason public schools don’t test for dyslexia is because of the definition of how kids qualify for special services. They have a general definition to qualify for special education services.

The Florida Learning Disability Definition

In Florida, a Specific Learning Disability is a general term defined as, “A disorder in one or more of the basic learning processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest in significant difficulties affecting the ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematics. Associated conditions may include, but are not limited to, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or developmental aphasia. A specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of a visual, hearing, motor, intellectual, or emotional/behavioral disability, limited English proficiency, or environmental, cultural, or economic factors.”

The International Dyslexia Association Definition

The International Dyslexia Association definition is very specific and states, “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin.  It is characterized by difficulties with 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.”

One definition is specific and the other is broad and since public schools offer a broad array of services, they use the broad learning disability definition.  Since the public school learning disability definition includes the words dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, they accept diagnoses from private school psychologists to help your child qualify for special services. In addition to any testing (from the public school or private psychologist), your child has to show a ‘need’ for services.  A diagnosis alone does not qualify a child for services.

Dyslexia Diagnosing and Treatment

Diagnosing dyslexia primarily falls upon psychologists and dyslexia treatment is from specially trained public school and private educators who are experts in teaching students to read and spell.  The majority of students with dyslexia respond well to Orton-Gillingham based reading instruction which is a special way to teach children with dyslexia.  This approach teaches students the six most common syllable types in a multisensory, systematic and direct approach.  The average student with dyslexia takes 18-36 months of one-to-one teaching to reach grade level.

We offer both dyslexia testing and treatment.  Call to discuss your child.