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There are many ways to work with children with Dyslexia at home to help them excel in school. One way is by reading with them at home. It is important to read to your child everyday because it supports a child's ability to learn over time. Another way to support a child with Dyslexia at home is by repeating and reviewing skills with them. Reading the same things over and over again improves reading fluency. A third way to help at home is by making sure children with Dyslexia get enough sleep. Sleep is vital for healthy development and learning. Children with Dyslexia are also at a higher risk for sleep disorders and poor sleep can also affect learning processes.

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Dyslexia is a specific learning disability. This means it affects the abilities a person uses for learning, such as reading and writing. Particularly, dyslexia makes it difficult to match letters with the sounds of individual letters and combinations of letters. It's not a vision disorder.

According to Shawna Newman, MD, a psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital, approximately 10% to 15% of children have dyslexia. She adds that the condition is common and often undiagnosed, so the rates are likely even higher.

Usually, dyslexia is diagnosed when formal reading education begins. This typically occurs in the first grade, at about 6 years old.

Since dyslexia is not a disease, there's no cure. But it's possible to manage the condition with strategies that can be used throughout life.

If you have a child with dyslexia, you can play a major role in managing their condition. Here's how you can help a child with dyslexia when they're outside of school.

There are many things you can do to support your kid with dyslexia at home.

Read together

Read with your child every day. The activity will promote closeness and bonding, which will support your child's ability to learn over time.

"This shared experience in learning encourages development and growth in tandem with improved reading skills," Newman explains. It will also help children create a sense of security in learning while encouraging their own independent reading, she adds.

Focus on sight words

Sight words are words that are frequently used in writing and books. They're called sight words because recognizing them on sight is essential for developing reading skills.

Examples include:

For children with dyslexia, sight words can be difficult to recognize. But since the words appear so often, it's important for them to learn these words.

As Newman explains, children can use sight words as building blocks to improve their fluency in reading. That's why it's essential to add sight words into your children's learning program.

Repeat, repeat, repeat

Repeating and reviewing skills can help a child with dyslexia. This is often done in the form of repeated reading.

According to LD Online, repeated reading is a technique for children who have difficulty reading. It involves reading the same passage multiple times to improve reading fluency.

In a , repeated reading increased reading fluency in children with reading disabilities. Similarly, a found that repeated reading with music has a positive effect.

Create a nurturing space to study

"Providing a comfortable, supportive, and nonjudgmental atmosphere is most helpful for learning, especially for children with learning disorders," Newman explains. This includes those who have dyslexia.

For parents and caregivers, this also involves practicing patience, as all children learn at their own pace, Newman says. In doing so, you'll create an environment that allows your child to learn in a way that works best for them.

Create a calendar to help them track progress or tasks

Visual tools, such as a calendar, are an excellent option for tracking a child's progress and tasks. According to Newman, this can help put both improvements and challenges into context. It can ultimately help them engage with their own learning.

"Utilizing a calendar provides visual clues, which can inform the child how to think about the process of their own learning," Newman explains. This can be done by displaying tasks and activities related to learning on the calendar.

As Newman notes, when small learning achievements are visually expressed on a calendar, it can provide encouragement and celebration. Similarly, when difficulties are presented visually, it can help a child better understand what they need to work on.

Make sure they get enough sleep

"Sleep is a vital [factor] for healthy development and learning," Newman says. However, "children with dyslexia are at a higher risk for sleep disorders." Examples include sleep latency or sleep apnea.

But according to Newman, poor sleep can negatively affect learning processes. So it's important to ensure they get enough rest.

This may be done by:

establishing a sleep schedule

creating an ideal environment for sleep

limiting social media and electronics before bed

developing a sleep routine

The ideal amount of sleep depends on the child's age. According to Newman, children between 5 and 13 years old should get 9 to 12 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Teenagers between 13 and 18 years old need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

Praise their success and effort

As Newman explains, reading difficulties caused by dyslexia can negatively affect a child's confidence. For example, "a child's sense of not measuring up to their peers [and being able] to perform as expected can be discouraging," she says.

On the other hand, encouragement and praise can have a positive effect on your child's learning. So instead of focusing on their struggles, call out their successes and effort whenever possible. Celebrate their achievements, no matter how small.

By highlighting positive aspects, you can encourage your child to keep moving forward. This will also boost your child's confidence in their own learning.

Use mnemonic devices

A mnemonic device is a technique that helps you remember a piece of information. It's also called a memory aid.

Examples include:

spelling words in the form of songs

letter or word imagery (like a letter "d" that looks like a dog)

acronyms

rhymes

According to a 2017 research review, mnemonic devices can enhance memory in children with dyslexia. It can also improve problem-solving skills and reasoning. Using mnemonic devices at home can help enhance their learning progress.

Find a tutor

During your child's summer break, consider getting them a tutor. According to the International Dyslexia Association, this can help them catch up on certain skills and get ready for the next school year.

If possible, select a tutor who will communicate with your child's teachers. This will ensure they are focusing on your child's specific needs.

There are several reading programs for children with dyslexia. Some of the most successful ones include:

Orton-Gillingham Approach: The Orton-Gillingham Approach is a widely used approach created specifically for people with dyslexia.

Wilson Reading System: The Wilson Reading System includes one program for children from kindergarten to third grade and one for fourth grade and up.

Lexia-Herman Method: The Lexia-Herman Method has programs for early reading, primary reading, and older students.

The symptoms of dyslexia are different for everyone. It also depends on age.

Yet there are some common characteristics. These include:

difficulty learning common nursery rhymes or songs

trouble recognizing rhyming patterns, like "cat" and "bat"

mispronouncing common words

difficulty recognizing their own name

reading slowly

avoiding reading out loud in any situation

pausing often while speaking

using vague language

confusing similar-sounding words or names

If you notice your child has difficulty learning, visit their pediatrician. They can do a preliminary checkup.

Depending on your child's symptoms, their pediatrician might have you visit the following experts:

child psychiatrist

school psychologist or counselor

speech-language pathologist

These professionals can perform an evaluation and diagnose learning disorders.

Diagnosing dyslexia involves several steps.

Typically, your child will likely be screened for hearing and vision problems first. If they have no hearing or vision concerns, you'll need to visit a mental health expert.

A mental health expert can use various tests to diagnose dyslexia. These are designed to evaluate certain skills, such as:

Your specialist will choose the most appropriate tests for your child's symptoms.

First, it's important for a child with dyslexia to know about their condition. This will help them understand why they have reading difficulties, which can be empowering and relieving. Explain that their mind simply works in a different way.

During these discussions, be positive. Focus on their achievements so far, rather than their learning delays. Let them know that there are people who care and are ready to help.

It's also important to avoid treating reading difficulties as "abnormal" or "bad." Instead, Newman says to "focus on the pleasure, information, and independence that reading and learning brings."

Additionally, if you're the parent or caregiver and have also experienced reading difficulties, let your child know. As Newman explains, gently communicating your own challenges with reading can help kids see that they're not alone.

Dyslexia is often diagnosed in early childhood when reading education begins. With proper support and condition management, it's possible for a child with dyslexia to thrive.

Caregivers can provide support by creating a nurturing space for learning and tracking progress on a calendar.

Other techniques include reading together, repetition, mnemonic devices, praise, and focusing on sight words. It's also helpful for children with dyslexia to get enough sleep and work with a tutor.

If you think your child has dyslexia, visit a mental health professional. They can evaluate your child and help guide your child's learning journey.

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how to help a child with dyslexia at home

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How to Help a Child with Dyslexia at Home: Ideas, Resources

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Dyslexia is often diagnosed in early childhood when reading education begins. With proper support and condition management, a child with dyslexia can thrive.

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There are a few ways to help people who have Dyslexia with emotional regulation. One way to help them is by making sure to really listen to their feelings. It's important for people with Dyslexia to talk about how they are feeling because they tend to have feelings of anger, anxiety, and depression. Another way to help is by helping them set goals for themselves. This can help change the cycle of failure and make them more motivated to succeed.

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Dyslexia can have significant effects on emotional well-being. Samuel T. Orton, M.D. was one of the first researchers to describe the emotional aspects of dyslexia. His research on preschoolers with dyslexia revealed that most were happy and well adjusted, yet emotional problems began to develop when early reading instruction was not effective.

Over the years, students with dyslexia may develop increasing frustration if the reading skills of their classmates begin to surpass their own. Access to effective Structured Literacy teaching will help these students, but they may still experience social and emotional problems. Understanding these issues will assist parents and teachers in supporting students to develop a healthy sense of emotional well-being that will serve these students well as they continue their work to become skilled readers and spellers.

Why is dyslexia discouraging and frustrating?

The frustration that individuals with dyslexia experience often stems from their inability to succeed, no matter how hard they try. Parents and teachers see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write. Since dyslexia, almost by definition, is unexpected, students with dyslexia will make many mistakes that may be interpreted as careless. Time and again, these students and their parents hear, "They're such a bright child; if only they would try harder." Ironically, no one knows exactly how hard the individual with dyslexia is trying.

It can be painful and frustrating to struggle with basic reading and writing skills and to be unable to achieve in the eyes of their teachers, classmates, and parents. These experiences may result in students feeling chronically inadequate. A sense of failure and inferiority may generalize beyond the classroom and may last into adulthood. At times, it can even lead successful adults to mistrust their own capabilities.

What might the person with dyslexia feel or experience?

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most frequent emotional symptom reported by both children and adults with dyslexia. Anxiety is a normal, adaptive human response intended to protect us from danger. It often results in the typical reactions of fight, flight, or freeze when encountering an adverse situation. When a person develops anxiety, these responses increase to the point of interfering with day-to-day functioning. Children who are anxious become fearful because of their constant frustration and confusion in school. The anticipation of possible failure when asked to read or spell, which may apply to many new situations, can provoke anxiety and fear.

Anxiety causes human beings to avoid whatever frightens them. The child with dyslexia is no exception. However, many teachers and parents misinterpret this avoidance behavior as laziness. In fact, when a student with dyslexia is hesitant to participate in certain school activities, such as reading out loud or completing homework, it is likely the result of anxiety and confusion rather than apathy or unwillingness to work. It is important to note that individuals who experience long-term anxiety are at a higher risk of developing depression.

Anger

Many of the emotional problems caused by dyslexia occur out of frustration with school or social situations. Social scientists have frequently observed that frustration produces anger. This can be clearly seen in many children with dyslexia. Anger is also a common manifestation of anxiety and depression.

The obvious target of the child's anger could be schools and teachers. However, it is also common for the child with dyslexia to vent anger on family members. Often, children sit on their anger during school to the point of being extremely passive. Once they are in the safe environment of home, these very powerful feelings often erupt. Ironically, it is the safety of home that allows them to vent their anger, however, this becomes very frustrating and confusing to a parent who is desperately trying to help their child and may worry that they are doing something wrong.

As youngsters reach adolescence, society expects them to become independent. The adolescent with dyslexia may use their anger to break away from those people on whom they have learned to be dependent. Because of these factors, it can be difficult for parents to help their teenager. At this point, a person outside the family may be better able to intervene and help.

Poor Self-Image

The experiences that children have during the first years of school can affect their self-image. If they succeed in school, they will develop positive feelings about themselves and believe that they can succeed in life. If, instead, they meet failure and frustration, they begin to feel that they are inferior to others, and that their effort makes very little difference. Instead of feeling powerful and productive, these individuals develop the idea that their environment controls them. They may feel powerless and incompetent.

Researchers have learned that when a student with good self-esteem succeeds, as would be the case with typical learners, they credit their own efforts for their success. When they fail, they tell themselves to try harder. However, individuals with a poor self-image are likely to attribute their success to luck. When a child with dyslexia fails, they may simply see themself as stupid.

Depression

Although most children with dyslexia are not depressed, they are at higher risk for intense feelings of sorrow and pain. Perhaps because of their low self-esteem, children with dyslexia are often afraid to turn their anger toward their environment and instead turn it toward themselves, which can result in depression.

Depressed children and adolescents often have different symptoms than do depressed adults. A child who misbehaves or becomes irritated may be covering up painful feelings. Even though the child may not seem obviously unhappy, both children and adults who are depressed tend to have three similar characteristics. Parents should be alert to the following characteristics:

First, they tend to have negative thoughts about themselves-a negative self-image.

Second, they are less likely to enjoy the positive experiences in life and may find it difficult to have fun.

Finally, they may have trouble imagining anything positive about the future and may foresee a life of continuing failure.

In some extreme cases, chronic feelings of hopelessness can lead some children to thoughts of suicide, so parents and teachers should be watchful and not hesitate to consult mental health professionals, including school counselors.
Social Problems
In addition to internal frustration, a child with any learning difference-including dyslexia and related conditions-may have problems with social relationships.

If individuals are physically or socially immature in comparison to their peers, it can compound the poor self-image resulting from academic difficulties and make it harder to be accepted by peers. This can lead to awkwardness and discomfort in social situations.

Dyslexia often affects the way students communicate, known technically as oral language functioning. Students with oral language challenges may have trouble finding the right words or may pause before answering direct questions. Students with broader language processing difficulties may also misinterpret teasing, sarcasm, and words with more than one meaning; in other words, they may have trouble understanding what others mean by what they say. These confusions put them at a disadvantage as they enter adolescence, when language becomes more central to their relationships with peers.

Just as students with dyslexia may have difficulty remembering a sequence of letters or words, they may also have difficulty remembering the order of events. This might create problems for children as they attempt to explain experiences or conflicts with other children. Students with sequencing and memory problems may relate a different sequence each time they describe an event, which may result in teachers and parents concluding that the child is confused or even lying. When playing sports, children may forget the sequence of plays.

Students with dyslexia may also perform erratically or inconsistently within tasks. For example, they might write a word correctly on the spelling test, but then misspell it when asked to write it in a sentence. They may spell the same word in different ways within a single paragraph. The complexity of sentence writing and simultaneous focus on content, grammar, punctuation, and spelling can be incredibly difficult for students with dyslexia, yet adults may erroneously assume that a child is simply careless, creating frustration for the adults and hopelessness for the child.

Family Problems
A child's dyslexia may affect the family in a variety of ways. One of the most obvious is sibling rivalry. A typically achieving child may feel jealous of a child with dyslexia who seems to receive the majority of the parents' attention, time, and money. Ironically, the child with dyslexia does not want this attention. This situation can create stress in relationships between siblings, often without the parents' knowledge.

Since dyslexia is usually inherited, this means that one or both parents may have had similar school problems. Whether parents have experienced dyslexia or not, they may deny the existence of dyslexia and believe that if their child would just buckle down, he or she could succeed. When faced with a child who is having learning difficulties, a parent who lived through similar experiences may relive their failures and frustrations through their child's school experience. This brings back powerful and terrifying emotions, which can have an impact on their relationship with the child and their ability to work with school personnel.

How can parents and teachers help?

Adults with dyslexia who have developed a sense of emotional well-being tend to have certain things in common. Early in the child's life, someone has been extremely supportive and encouraging. The individual has found an area in which he or she could succeed. Many successful individuals with dyslexia have also developed a commitment to helping others.

Teachers and parents who wish to offer consistent, ongoing encouragement and support can keep these elements in mind.

First, listening to a child's feelings is critical. While anxiety, anger, and depression may be daily companions for children with dyslexia, it may be difficult for them to express their emotions. Therefore, adults must help them learn to talk about what they are feeling.

Second, it's extremely important to provide a clear, simple explanation of dyslexia and describe the possible causes of the challenges that result. This will eliminate many misconceptions and help students understand that they are not "dumb," "bad," or "lazy."

Third, teachers and parents must reward effort, not just the product or the outcome. For the student with dyslexia, grades should be less important than progress.

Fourth, when confronting defiant or avoidant behavior, adults must not inadvertently discourage the child with dyslexia. Words such as "dumb" or "lazy" can seriously damage the child's self-image.

Finally, it is important to help students set realistic goals for themselves. Many students with dyslexia set perfectionistic and unattainable goals, or they may be unwilling to set any goals at all. By helping a child set and achieve attainable goals, teachers and parents can change the cycle of failure.

Most importantly, parents and teachers must help children recognize and rejoice in their successes. Many a child's self-esteem has been salvaged by prowess in athletics, art, or mechanics. Parents and teachers can encourage a child to be involved in activities that build on their strengths and can help cultivate abilities that are more subtle and less obvious. One way that students with dyslexia can develop their own self-image is by helping others. If they can contribute through volunteer work or by working with younger children or animals, for example, it can help them develop empathy and feel more positive about themselves at the same time.

Helping individuals with dyslexia feel better about themselves and deal effectively with their feelings is a complex task. Caring adults need to understand the cognitive and emotional issues that may result from dyslexia. They must then design strategies that will help the child find joy in personal relationships and success in academics and life.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) thanks Michael Ryan, Ph.D., and Eric Tridas, M.D., for their assistance in the preparation of this fact sheet.

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Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia - International Dyslexia Association

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Some challenges people with Dyslexia can face are feeling embarrassed, feeling depressed or down about themselves, and worrying about their future. A way to help adults in these areas is tutoring. This can help people with Dyslexia feel more confident and work on their reading skills to help them for their future.

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This is a comprehensive article covering the symptoms, causes and challenges of Dyslexia. Most importantly, at the end of the article, we go into detail about the most effective ways to support someone with Dyslexia thrive in academics, and in life.

In this article we'll cover:

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia Definition

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that impairs a person's ability to read and write. It often causes problems in reading comprehension, vocabulary development and general learning. However, individuals with dyslexia usually do not have challenges with intelligence and other developmental growth. They are often made to feel lazy or stupid, but research shows that they are not - they just have difficulty with reading. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people have some degree of dyslexia.
Adapted from: [2], [3], [4], [5]

Read: Effective Tutoring for Dyslexics

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

In addition to the obvious problems with reading and writing, research shows that dyslexic people often have additional difficulties that affect their entire lives, such as:

Telling left from right

Following sequential instructions

Learning and following rules and procedures in the right order

This often means that they have to reinvent the wheel every time they have to do something like solving math problems. Instead of remembering the steps, they have to figure it all out again every time

Following travel directions (telling right from left, up from down and reading maps)

Learning to tell time

Remembering words, phrases and names

Memorizing written lists and phone numbers

Staying on topic

Understanding word math problems

Expressing their ideas in an organized way

They're often accused of being lazy and procrastinating, but often it's because they can't figure out the very first step to start a task

The Four Types of Dyslexia
While there are no official diagnostic subtypes of dyslexia, some people recognize the following four types of dyslexia:

1. Phonological dyslexia (also known as dysphonetic or auditory dyslexia)
This is a difficulty in processing and remembering the sounds of letters and syllables.

2. Surface dyslexia (also known as dyseidetic or visual dyslexia)
This is a difficulty in recognizing whole words, which makes reading slow, as they have to sound out every letter to understand a word

3. Rapid naming deficit
This is a difficulty in naming letters, numbers, colors or objects quickly

4. Double deficit dyslexia
This is a combined difficulty in phonological processing (1) and naming speed (3)

Any given dyslexic person may display varying degrees of difficulty within these four areas.

However, these four subtypes only cover reading difficulties, and omit the additional challenges, which we have discussed above.

Read: Effective Tutoring for Dyslexics

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

Is dyslexia classed as a learning disability?

Dyslexia is classified as a specific learning disability in the USA, UK and Ireland.
Sources: [6], [7], [8]

Read: Effective Tutoring for Dyslexics

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

The Challenges of Dyslexia

Dyslexia brings with it the obvious challenges of reading and writing. And along with that impediments to comprehension and effective learning.

In 2008, the British government commissioned an independent report into dyslexia in the British education system. The investigation was led by Sir Jim Rose, and its results have become known as The Rose Report.

As part of that investigation, they surveyed people with dyslexia and received 863 responses. Here is how the Rose Report summarized the responses they received back:

Children and adults with dyslexia who responded to the call for evidence said that they often felt deeply humiliated when asked to read. They reported being ridiculed and bullied because of their reading difficulties. Further, because so much depends on being able to "read to learn" the overall educational progress of such children is often seriously hampered with worrying consequences for gaining qualifications and for their life chances. While some develop coping strategies and achieve remarkable success, others with severe literacy difficulties, including dyslexia, often become disaffected and disengaged from education.
Quoted from: [5]

In other words, the impact of dyslexia goes far beyond just having difficulty reading and writing. It's easy for them to feel like they're stupid, lazy and unintelligent. It can lead to becoming disengaged from learning and even to depression.

But fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way. More on this topic when we get to Effective Tutoring for Dyslexics.

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

Causes of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is primarily genetic, but environmental factors can also play a role. [11]

Moreover, there are some environmental (i.e. non-genetic) risk factors for dyslexia, including stress. [12]

Whatever the cause, dyslexia is a brain-based disability.

"For individuals with dyslexia, specific portions of the brain typically associated with important reading processes may not develop or function in the same ways that they do in individuals without dyslexia. Neuroimaging research suggests that individuals with dyslexia - compared to individuals without - may have fundamental differences in brain regions linked with reading and language. These differences are primarily, although not completely, noted in the left hemisphere of the brain."
Quoted from: [1]

More on that soon, when we talk about neurodevelopmental weaknesses that can lead to dyslexia.

The Dyslexia Debate

Professors Joe Elliott and Elena Grigorenko caused quite a stir when they published their book, The Dyslexia Debate in 2004. [11], [13] , [14]

They did a thorough review of academic research into dyslexia, its causes and treatment. After working on the book for four years, they came to a stunning conclusion: They recommended throwing out a dyslexia diagnosis as a tool in education.

Now, this upset quite a lot of people with dyslexia, and their families.

Why?

Because people with dyslexia are often labeled as lazy and stupid. So having a diagnosis of dyslexia helps explain to themselves, and perhaps more importantly, to their families and teachers, that they are not lazy or stupid.

Rather, they just have a specific learning disability that makes reading hard for them. As the authors explain in The Dyslexia Debate, there is little relationship between dyslexia and IQ. Dyslexics can be extremely intelligent in other ways. They just have trouble reading.

So rather than being dismissed as lazy or stupid, getting a dyslexia diagnosis indicates that they need special accommodations and special learning support.

So far, so good. In fact, Prof Elliot acknowledges this important function of a dyslexia diagnosis.

So why do they recommend abandoning diagnosing dyslexia?

The first reason is quite simple. As Elliot states, "Anyone with even reasonable intelligence can sit with a child for ten minutes and determine whether they have a reading difficulty." [19]

The second reason is more subtle, but more important.

In The Dyslexia Debate, they argue that dyslexia is a very broad term, and the diagnosis actually gives no useful information about how to support an individual in learning to read and thrive academically.

Elliott's interest, as an educator, is in figuring out what a given student needs in terms of educational support. And a dyslexia diagnosis provides no guidance on how to proceed.

So, rather, Elliott recommends that practitioners develop a customized educational plan for each student, based on an assessment of their specific needs.

Moreover, he recommends starting with the simplest, easiest interventions first. If those work, great. You're all set.

And if the simple interventions don't produce the desired results, then he recommends progressing to more in-depth and more sophisticated interventions.

We follow this approach when we work with clients with dyslexia:

1. Start with an introductory consultation to get a sense of the scope of the issues the person is dealing with.

2. If it appears that there are no important neurodevelopmental weaknesses, then work with a specialist reading tutor and possibly a specialist learning skills tutor. That will most likely be sufficient.

3. If it appears that there are important neurodevelopmental weaknesses that need to be addressed, then we recommend a comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessment and developing a customized Neurodevelopmental Enhancement Program.

You can read more about our approach in Effective Tutoring for Dyslexics.

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

But while we're still on the subject of the causes of dyslexia, let's talk a little more about what kinds of neurodevelopmental weaknesses can lead to dyslexia...

Neurodevelopmental weaknesses that can lead to dyslexia

Here are some of the neurodevelopmental areas we assess with dyslexic clients:

Visual Processing - Eye tracking and convergence:
Do they skip lines or words? Do they experience that the type moves in front of their eyes?

Visual memory:
Do they have difficulty remembering the shapes of words or letters?

Figure-ground differentiation:
Do they have difficulty distinguishing what is in the center of their gaze from what is behind it? For example, do they find it hard to see a person wearing a patterned shirt sitting in front of a patterned wallpaper?

When we start working with a new client with dyslexia, if indicated, we do a thorough assessment of these and other potential issues, as the first step in developing a customized Neurodevelopmental Enhancement Program.

Can Dyslexics Truly Thrive in School and in Life?

The short answer is a resounding Yes!

In the groundbreaking book, The Dyslexia Advantage, the authors Brock and Fernette Eide explain that individuals with dyslexia share a unique learning difference that can create advantages in the classroom, on the job, or at home.

In fact, they show that dyslexic people often excel at spatial reasoning and interconnected thinking. They often display amazing creativity.
Source: [15]

When we work with dyslexic students, we teach them how to leverage their unusual strengths to their advantage. More on that in a moment. But just to drive home the point that dyslexia is not a life sentence to struggle and fail..

Famous People with Dyslexia

Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Astronomer and space scientist.

Orlando Bloom, Hollywood actor most commonly known for his starring roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings.

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic, and a host of other successful businesses.

Tom Cruise. You've probably heard of him.

Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance artist (The Mona Lisa) and inventor, who incidentally, wrote backwards (from left to right instead of right to left).

Walt Disney. You've probably heard of him too!

Whoopi Goldberg, actor and comedian.

US presidents John F Kennedy, George Washington & George W Bush were believed to be dyslexic.

Jamie Oliver, celebrity chef.

Pablo Picasso. If you've seen his art, there's kind of no surprise here!

Steven Spielberg, movie producer.

Jennifer Aniston, actor.

The list goes on and on. Indeed, it turns out that one in three American entrepreneurs had dyslexia.

But to truly thrive as a dyslexic, getting the right support can be a game changer.

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

Unfortunately, traditional approaches to tutoring dyslexics can work against their natural talents and make life harder for them.

So let's get into the essential things to look for in a dyslexia tutor...

Effective Tutoring for Dyslexics

The advice here is based on our decades of experience tutoring students with dyslexia and other neurodiversities such as ASD (Autism/Aspergers), dyspraxia and ADD / ADHD.

As we discussed in the section on The Dyslexia Debate, a diagnosis of dyslexia is so broad it does not give much useful information about how to support any individual person succeed. It requires careful detective work to figure out what is getting in the way of that individual's reading and other academic skills, and then developing a completely customized program for them.

To assess a given child and develop a comprehensive plan, you need a specialist who understands both how to unpick what specialist reading and study skills tutoring the child may need, and to determine whether a Neurodevelopmental Movement Program would be appropriate for them.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First let's take a look at the common types of dyslexia tutors you'll find out there...

The Common Types of Dyslexia Tutors

When you search for a dyslexia tutor, you'll mostly find two kinds of tutors:

1. Subject matter tutors who claim to have experience in working with dyslexic students

2. Specialized reading tutors for dyslexics

Let's break those two types of tutors down in more detail.

First of all, what is a subject matter tutor?

Well, it means that they tutor their students in specific subjects like math, biology, history, etc.

If they turn up in a search for "dyslexia tutors" it's most likely because they added something at the end of their profile like "Special Educational Needs: Aspergers, Autism, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia."

They may be great subject matter tutors, but if they put their special needs 'expertise' right at the end of their profile, they're probably not true experts in working with dyslexic students.

The problem with subject matter tutors working with dyslexic students is that dyslexic people don't learn and think like most 'normal' people.

So when traditional subject matter tutors try to teach them as if they were just like every other student, your child will most likely continue to struggle, even with a great subject matter tutor.

So, we recommend against hiring subject matter tutors for your dyslexic child until they have learned to read at their reading age and have learned how to learn given their unique thinking style.

True dyslexia specialists will emphasize dyslexia tutoring in their profile. It will be the first thing they talk about, not the last thing in their profile.

Most specialized dyslexia tutors teach reading skills.

The best approaches to teaching reading skills to dyslexics are similar to the Orton-Gillingham method. Look for that kind of expertise in a reading tutor's profile. Their profile might use the term "Orton-Gillingham" or the more technical term "Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE)". Either one of these on their profile is a good sign.

If your child is young and has not received any specialized reading skills tutoring, this is often the best place to start.

If this goes well, then stick with it.

An appropriate goal is for your child to reach their standardized reading age by the time they reach age 10. In any case, it will also be important for your child to learn how to learn given their unique thinking style. We'll cover that later in this article.

If your child continues to struggle reading even with specialized reading tutoring, then it's appropriate to explore whether they have any neurological weaknesses that need to be addressed.

Identify and address any neurodevelopmental weaknesses

First, what is a "neurodevelopmental weakness"?

Simply put, it is some weakness in brain development. It's not as scary as it sounds. It might be something as simple as not fully developing their ability to process what they read. And these are things that can usually be addressed once they have been identified.

Most people have some weaknesses in their neurological development. And dyslexics may have specific weaknesses that are affecting their ability to read and learn.

If you'd like to get a sense of the specific neurodevelopmental weaknesses that may affect a person's ability to read, there's a list earlier in this article: Neurodevelopmental weaknesses that can lead to dyslexia.

So, if your child is struggling to learn to read even with specialized help, it's appropriate to assess and address those weaknesses.

This is where the field of neurodevelopmental movement comes in.

Quite simply, neurodevelopmental movement gives your child a way to strengthen the neurodevelopmental weaknesses that they somehow missed.

Madeleine Portwood has written extensively about this approach in her book Developmental Dyspraxia: Identification and Intervention: A Manual for Parents and Professionals. [16]

HANDLE ® providers are also trained to develop Neurodevelopmental Movement Programs for individual students. [17]

Neuroscientists at the Harborview Medical Center have shown that the HANDLE approach can be effective in addressing issues even as severe as chronic traumatic brain injury. The neurodevelopmental issues of dyslexics are generally much less severe than traumatic brain injury, and so it is reasonable to assume, easier to address. [18]

So, we recommend looking for a specialist with expertise in creating a neurodevelopmental movement plan for your child. The plan should be based on observing your child in real life situations and 100% customized to your child.

Once your child has strengthened any important weaknesses in their neurological development, it will be much easier for them to learn to read, and to master other academic skills.

Now, catching up on reading is only part of the solution. There are other skills they will need to truly thrive in academics and in life.

It's not just about learning to read - it's about learning to think

Dyslexic students have difficulty processing written information, for sure.

But there's so much more going on for dyslexic students.

They process information differently and think differently.

If you have a dyslexic child you've probably already noticed this. It may be hard to put your finger on it, but somehow you're aware that they just think differently and process information differently from other children.

A great dyslexia tutor will address this by teaching your child:

How to work with the limitations of their dyslexic thinking style

How to understand and appreciate the particular genius of their dyslexic thinking style

How to bridge the gap between:

their unique thinking style and

how their teachers expect them to explain their thinking in order to get good grades

Well, that's all very nice, but how does it work?

The fundamental difference between the thinking style of most people and dyslexics is this:

Most people learn details and procedures first and then figure out the big picture later

Dyslexics do it the other way around. They think best when they get the big picture first, and then learn the details and procedures later.

Unfortunately for dyslexics, classroom teaching matches how most people learn and mismatches how dyslexics learn. This makes it hard for them.

So, the trick for the dyslexic student is to learn how to use these simple steps:

1. Reframe what is taught in class into a framework that actually works for them (often using techniques to relate the new knowledge they are learning to the existing web of knowledge they already have)

2. Think about the the problem in 'their world' - coming up with answers in a way that's easy for them

3. Translate their answers back from 'their world' to the linear, procedural answers that their teachers want to see to get good grades

Once your child has learned how to do this, they'll struggle a lot less and discover that they can thrive in learning.

To summarize...

The Four Essential Things to Look for in a Dyslexia Tutor

When looking for a dyslexia tutor, there are four essential things to look for:

1. They are not just subject matter tutors who claim to work with students with special education needs

2. They will teach your child how to read and process written information better

3. They can assess and address any neurodevelopmental weaknesses

4. They will teach your child how to think more effectively

So, where can you find a dyslexia tutor who meets these four criteria?

Online vs. In-Person Tutoring

Unfortunately, these four simple criteria eliminate most dyslexia tutors. Finding a great dyslexia tutor near you might be impossible.

Considering an online tutor opens up a lot more options, but does it really work?

Fortunately, the answer is a resounding Yes.

We've been working with all our students online over the last few years, and surprisingly, it turns out that their results are generally better online than with the old-school in-person tutoring.

Why?

Well, the answer is slightly different for younger children than for teens and adults.

Let's break it down...
For younger children
If you have a young dyslexic child, you know them better than anyone else.

You see them every day. You know what they do well. You know where they struggle. You know when they get confused. You know when they get frustrated.

You see all these things. But you may not know how to interpret them and what to do about it. That's not your fault. You're a good parent, but you're just not trained in special education.

So when we work with younger children, we ask you to take short video clips of your child going about their daily lives. Especially video clips of them doing the things you know that they struggle with on a daily basis.

Then you share those clips with your specialist tutor - who knows how to analyze the video clips and knows what to do about what they see.

Then your specialized tutor will give you 'play' activities to do with your child. These 'play' activities are specifically designed to help your child learn and thrive.

You sharing video clips of your child in a variety of situations with us gives us much richer information than we used to get by coming to observe your child in-person.
For teens and adults
For teens and adults, we work directly with the student. And, of course, advise the parents as well.

Dyslexic students often have difficulty processing the information they're reading. When a tutor is sitting beside the student in-person, it's hard to see their eye movements, how they're scanning the information on the page, and where they get stuck.

But online, the tutor can actually see the student's face as they're working with the information they're reading. The camera is right on the computer screen that the student is reading, so the tutor gets a bird's-eye view of how the student is processing the information.

This turns out to be a significant advantage.

So, overall, online tutoring actually works better than in-person tutoring.

The most important thing is to find the best tutor for your child.

Short course via Zoom: How to Understand and Support a Child with Dyslexia

Find the Best Dyslexia Tutors

If you would like to talk with one of our experts to discuss what would be the best approach to supporting your dyslexic child, book a free consultation today.

Additional Resources

Related Posts

Things Dyslexia Students Struggle With And Their Hidden Superpowers

What does a dyslexia tutor do?

How long do kids with dyslexia need tutoring?

Will a Tutor Help with Dyslexia?

Approaches to Tutoring Dyslexic Students

How Important is it to get a diagnosis for Dyslexia?

4 Essential Things to Look for in a Dyslexia Tutor
The Hand-Holding Method
References to Dyslexia Research

[1] National Center on Improving Reading
https://improvingliteracy.org/brief/defining-dyslexia

[2] International Dyslexia Association
https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/

[3] National Health Service, UK
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/

[4] The Dyslexia SPLD Trust
http://www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/media/downloads/inline/the-rose-report.1294933674.pdf

[5] The Rose Report
https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/14790/

[6] American With Disabilities Act
https://www.ada.gov/learnfac.htm

[7] National Health Service, UK
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/

[8] Dyslexia Association of Ireland
https://dyslexia.ie/info-hub/about-dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia/

[9] The Rose Report
http://www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/media/downloads/inline/the-rose-report.1294933674.pdf

[10] Dyslexia Association of Ireland
https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/14790/

[11] The Dyslexia Debate
https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/4lz2AgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PR9&dq=The+Dyslexia+Debate+(Elliott+%26+Grigorenko,+2014,+Cambridge+University+Press)

[12] MDPI
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/6/782/pdf

[13] Durham University, UK
https://www.dur.ac.uk/directory/profile/?id=2004

[14] University of Houston, USA
https://www.uh.edu/class/psychology/about/people/elena-grigorenko/

[15] The Dyslexia Advantage
https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/

[16] Environmental Factors: Their effect on the incidence of ADHD, ASD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia
https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Effect_of_Environmental_Factors_Madeleine_Portwood.pdf

[17] The HANDLE Institute - What is HANDLE
https://handle.org/What-is-HANDLE

[18] Philipp Ritt, Torsten Kuwert, Quantitative SPECT/CT-Technique and Clinical Applications, Molecular Imaging in Oncology, 10.1007/978-3-030-42618-7_17, (565-590), (2020).
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1552-6569.2006.00034.x

[19] The Dyslexia Debate presentation by Prof. Joe Elliot, Durham University, UK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bhi5AuMBvQ

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Dyslexia - What it is, challenges, how to overcome it. - Oxford Specialist Tutors Online

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The complete guide to dyslexia. What it is. What dyslexics struggle with. How to effectively support dyslexic students to succeed.

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Tips for helping individuals with dyslexia in communication:
- avoid using complex sentences and instead use simpler sentences
- in text or writing communication it is best to use lists, bullet points, and even headlines
- anything that can break up text will make it simpler for someone with dyslexia to read

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Dyslexia Friendly Guidelines for Effective Communication and Advertising.

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Lower case letters are easier to read. Using all capital letters or uppercase letters for continuous text can make it more difficult for dyslexics to read because it reduces the distinctive shapes of letters. Additionally, all capital letters take up more space on the page, which can make it harder for people with dyslexia to track the line of text.

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Tips for people with dyslexia with advocacy for needs:
- determine the issues first so you have to talk to the person, communicate and ask them questions.
- educate yourself on the persons learning challenges
- know the rights for this person
- understand IEP and 504 plan
- demonstrate emotional and social intelligence
- build positive relationships

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Did you know that the term advocate comes from the Latin word advocare meaning to "add" a "voice"? To advocate is to add a voice of support or concern for a cause or a person.

Parents who have a child with learning or attention issues need to "be that voice" in order to get the support their child needs to be successful. Ask yourself these questions: If your child was struggling with their vision, would you go to the optometrist and ask for an assessment to determine what they needed to see better? Would you get your child eyeglasses if they needed them to see the board or read a book? Would you make sure they had these glasses in school so they could see? When a parent advocates for their child with learning challenges such as dyslexia, they are ensuring they have the tools to learn effectively at school and home. Parents know their children better than anyone. They know their strengths and weaknesses and are their voice when there is no other.

In honor of Dyslexia Awareness month, we have outlined some ways that parents can advocate for their child.

Ask your child how school is going. Is he/she getting the accommodations and support he/she needs and are they working? Use this rating scale as a spring board for discussion to gain a sense of how your child may be feeling. Parents can be great detectives. Keep in mind that mood and behavior are excellent indicators of how things might be going at school. If your child is happy on the weekend and moody and irritable during the week - school may be causing some stress.

Communicate with your child and ask questions:

What was the best part of the day?

If there is something you could change about school, what would it be? Why?

What do you like best about school?"

"What do you find easy at school? What do you find hard at school?"

Describe your "dream day" at school?

Use the information you have discovered as a framework to create an agenda. Set up a meeting with the school and use this agenda, ensuring you have solutions for any issues that you and your child have determined. For example, your child communicates that he/she is stressed about not completing tests. You will use this information to ensure that he/she gets extra time to complete their tests.

Educate yourself about your child's learning challenges. You can maximize time in your busy life by :

listening to podcasts on the way to work or while you are cooking or cleaning.

reading 10 minutes a day about dyslexia.

If you go into a school meeting with some background knowledge, you will feel empowered and demonstrate some knowledge and understanding.

Educating yourself will help you further understand the terminology that teachers and other professionals use during your meetings.

Know your child's and your legal rights. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) offers protections, known as procedural safeguards. Learn more HERE.

For more information, visit the US. Department of Education's Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website.

If your child has an IEP, keep a binder with all of the information. You are an equal and vital member of that team. If you do not agree with something, respectfully explain why. Do not become intimated or overly emotional. Remember to set realistic goals. The following article is helpful to learn more about a 504 Plan: A 504 Plan for Those with Dyslexia

Too often, meetings can become clouded with emotion and focus on problems, without focusing on a solution. Be prepared with a list of solutions and goals to address the issue(s).

Ask your child for solutions. Children often simplify things and can generate creative solutions to school issues. Having your child come up with these solutions is also an essential part of self-advocacy.

When talking to psychologists or educators, ask for clarification if you do not understand. Be sure you understand your child's program plan and the accommodations before you give consent. If you have any questions or do not understand, do NOT be afraid to ask - this is part of the learning process. The more we ask for clarification, the more we learn! If you do not agree with something - communicate this with the school and find alternate solutions.

Be Prepared- Ensure that you arrive with an agenda and questions. Use your time wisely. If you find a school member coming off track, redirect them kindly with: " There are a few other questions I have that I need to address. Can we set up another meeting to talk about this?" Make sure to smile!

Be Organized- Keep copies of educational psych assessments, report cards, evaluations, medical records, writing samples, and meeting minutes in one book. An easy way to do this is to purchase a binder with plastic inserts where you can insert documents as needed. All IEP and 504 plans can also be kept in this binder. Keep this book in a safe place.

Creating a folder in your email system for school communication can help with easy access. Keep ALL electronic communication regarding your child and keep all requests and responses in writing.

How you present yourself physically, socially, and emotionally can leave a positive or negative impression. Follow some of the tips below:

Smile. Shake hands firmly and give direct eye contact.

Dress appropriately for the meeting. Whether we like it or not, poor grooming can leave a negative impression.

Use positive body language that conveys confidence and openness.

Be an active listener - Active listening means you are consciously listening to what the person is saying in order to fully understand.Repeating back what you have heard ensures that your speaker feels heard, and you comprehend what is being communicated.

Breathe and Smile - If you become agitated, you may lose focus and credibility. Before you set a meeting, have an agenda and keep to that agenda. When you find yourself coming off track, refer to your agenda to stay focused.

Strong Emotional Intelligence (EQ) trumps IQ! If you find yourself losing control or becoming tongue-tied try some neutralizing phrases recommended by Amanda Morin from Understood. com: " 10 Defusing Phrases to use at IEP meetings."

At times you may find that your child is not getting what they need at school. We need to remember that teachers are responsible for many children. The majority of teachers do their best with limited resources, pressed time, and their own personal skill-set. Seeing it this way, will less likely place blame.

Adopting a mindset of a "working partnership" with the school will help create a better environment for your child. Positive parent-school relationships keep the lines of communication open and avoid the "us" against "them" mentality.

Get to know your child's teachers, tutors, therapists, or any other member of your child's "team."

Keep communication open and ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same common goals.

Attend meetings offered to parents and use school resources that are offered.

Understand teachers' expectations - ask for a meeting with the teacher at the beginning of the year. Always start your meeting with something positive.

Make sure to "follow up". This can be either in person, over the phone or by email. This keeps the lines of communication open and is essential for follow up on anything that has been agreed upon in meetings. You can see this like a follow up appointment that you would make with your doctor. We don't leave the doctors hoping for the best; we are encouraged to make a follow up appointment ensuring that the plan the doctor has recommended is effective.

Self-care is one area that most parents often forget! It is a lot of work being a good advocate for our kids. As parents, we need to educate ourselves, be organized, prepare and attend meetings, maintain composure, while taking care of our family and busy working lives. Below are some ways to maintain resilience when you hit roadblocks.

Stay positive - positive self-talk is powerful. Acknowledge small gains and build on those gains.

Go to meetings with a support person. You don't have to do this alone. This person can take notes while you are conducting the meeting and may help with any questions that you may have forgotten.

Join a parent support group or talk with other parents who have kids with challenges - this can be both a relief and help. Be mindful that some parents might be ahead of you in the process and may provide you with emotional support and the essential resources and information.

Decoding Dyslexia is a wonderful network of parent-led grassroots movements across the country. These parents are concerned with improving access to educational interventions for students with dyslexia in the public education system.

Think to yourself, "baby steps." Rome wasn't built in a day! Change takes time, and people can often be resistant to change. Be patient.

Delegate as much as possible - this can help prevent physical and emotional burnout!

Practice self-compassion- At times, parents can be self-critical. We tend to look at what we need to do rather than what we have done. Be kind to yourself. Look at what you are doing, what you have done. Little by little things will improve.

May your journey, to getting the tools that your child needs in order to learn, be a successful endeavor. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Remember - our children are always watching. As we advocate, we are modeling for our children how to be a "warrior." We are modeling how to get what is needed and deserved in order to be positive contributing members of our society. One definition of the term warrior is "a person who shows great vigor or courage." Be proud of being a courageous parent - a Dyslexia Warrior Parent.

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website

Disability Rights Wisconsin. 2008. Advocacy tool kit Skills and strategies for effective self and peer advocacy . Retrieved from https://www.brainline.org/article/advocacy-toolkit-skills-and-strategies-effective-and-peer-advocacy

Morin, A. (n.d.). Advocating for your child with learning disabilities. Overcoming roadblocks. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/working-with-childs-teacher/10-ways-to-be-an-effective-advocate-for-your-child-at-school

Learning Ally. June 2016. Parent Webinar: Advocating basic rights for your child with dyslexia. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvlc8bCjFIs

Marcy McIver has a Bachelor of Education in Special Education and a MSc in Brain-Based Learning with a major in Literacy and Reading. She has been teaching for 15 years and has spent the last three years providing remedial intervention to children with dyslexia. She is passionate about helping students with various learning differences, and teaching others how to better support this population using cognitive neuroscience to maximize motivation and learning.

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The Dyslexia Warrior Parent 10 Ways to Advocate for Your Child

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Did you know that the term advocate comes from the Latin word advocare meaning to "add" a "voice"? To advocate is to add a voice of support or concern for a cause or a person. Parents who have a child with learning or attention issues need to "be that voice" in order to get the support their child needs to be successful.

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Dyslexia may affect relationships because people with dyslexia often have problems with communication due to their difficulty with organizing their thoughts. They also have problems with short term memory which could cause tension and fighting.

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Dyslexia & Relationships: Living with someone who has dyslexia - Exceptional Individuals

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Featured image by Arina Krasnikova, Pexels.com If you're in a relationship with someone whose brain works quite differently from yours, it can be challenging. Find out [...]

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Working can be difficult for people with dyslexia because they may have problems with organization and concentration. It may also take people with dyslexia a longer time to read and write things, which can greatly affect them in the workplace especially if they are working in an office setting.

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Dyslexia affects around 15% of Americans, making it one of the most common learning difficulties around. But how supportive are you of dyslexia at work?
Dyslexia - what is it, how common is it, and how does it affect work?

Dyslexia causes problems with reading, writing, and spelling. Employees with dyslexia may struggle to read text-dense emails or slip up on the same spelling mistakes. They may also find your company's acronyms impossible to decode.

Dyslexia International suggests that between 5-10% of the global population experience dyslexia. That equates to around 700 million people worldwide, so chances are there are a number of workers in your company who sit somewhere along the dyslexia spectrum.

How does dyslexia impact someone's work?

Alongside trouble with reading, writing, and spelling, dyslexia can also make it difficult to retain instructions, addresses, and appointments, copy information accurately, read maps and distinguish between right and left.

In short: dyslexia could be impacting all aspects of an employee's professional life, and you might not even know it.

People with dyslexia may feel overwhelmed by incoming information, and struggle to communicate clearly and succinctly to others through speech or writing. The individual knows what they want to say, yet may become confused and unable to articulate their feelings.

For this reason, employers and colleagues can often overlook or even completely disregard someone with dyslexia due to the stereotype that they're not as skilled.

But that's simply not true. Managers and HR professionals simply need to support their dyslexic team members instead.

- - - - - - - - -

Managing dyslexia at work: what can HR do?

Dyslexia difficulties can be alleviated, accommodated, and sometimes even capitalized upon in the workplace. And that's where HR comes in.

With adequate tools and resources, dyslexic workers are not only more comfortable - but managers can get the best professional performance out of them, too.

Supporting dyslexia in the workplace: the first steps

Let's cover the contingencies before we dive in.

HR teams should distinguish a series of learnings, prior to making any adjustments. First, the severity of the individual's dyslexia; the requirements of the job; the working environment and working practices; and lastly, the requirements of any associated training. And consult an expert if you aren't clear on the latter.

No two dyslexic cases are the same - don't fall into the trap of thinking they are! People with dyslexia tend to have different areas of strengths and weaknesses. So this initial assessment is vital in suggesting which training and approach will suit that individual most.

Creating a supportive work environment for dyslexic employees

Once that's done, it's time to make the adjustments. And there are many at an employer's disposal.

It's dyslexia awareness week.

I am a barrister. I am dyslexic. It's part of who I am.

If I make a mistake at work, I don't apologise for being dyslexic, I explain. I know it doesn't make me less intelligent than my peers or less capable of doing my job.
- PupilofSB (@PupilofSB) October 9, 2020

With these frameworks and resources, dyslexia won't hold people back in the workplace. In fact, it can help them to succeed.
- - - - - - - - -

The untapped power of dyslexia at work

Islets of ability, secret superpowers, moments of magic. Whatever you call them, dyslexia facilitates them.

Though, many people with dyslexia excel in lateral or holistic thinking; they may be creative and innovative, or aware of links and associations that may escape more linear or analytical thinkers.

"Thinking outside of the box" jumps to mind. This makes them ideal candidates for a number of roles and responsibilities. It also makes them valuable assets in any workplace, as they are able to approach situations from different angles.

Did you know: one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, Richard Branson, is dyslexic? He has built his Virgin empire using the creative and dynamic mindset synonymous with the condition.

But "entrepreneur" isn't the only job title befitting dyslexia skills.

Three roles that people with dyslexia excel in:

Website developer

Problem-solving is a dyslexic's forte - they can see the big picture and uncover many possible solutions, too. This skill makes them a perfect fit for web development and digital design. Their ability to adapt to changing situations also holds them in good stead to deal with the ever-changing world of the web.

Graphic Designer

Many dyslexic individuals are perfect for creative roles, thanks to their visual way of thinking. Graphic Design is particularly fitting as it marries technology and design. Most importantly, designers rely on visuals to convey a message - rather than words.

Healthcare worker

Some employees find systems hard to get their heads around. But for dyslexics, these constructs are often second-nature. The healthcare industry is rife with technical infrastructures that favor typing rather than writing, making it a great industry for people living with dyslexia.

- - - - - - - - -

What will you do to support dyslexia in your teams?

Dyslexia isn't something to brush under the rug. Considering the huge number of people with the condition, and its unparalleled plus points, employers should do all they can to embrace it in the workplace. Starting with who you hire and how you recruit them.

Read our dedicated blog post on the benefits of neurodiversity.

Being more inclusive will ensure you're complying with equality laws. But it will also herald in a new wave of lively, talented, creative candidates who otherwise may have never knocked at your door.

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Supporting dyslexia at work: what can HR do? - Headstart

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Considering the huge number of people with the condition, and its unparalleled plus points, can you be more supportive of dyslexia at work?

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Dyslexia can cause children to become overwhelmed and anxious during social situations. They may have problems when speaking because they tend to mix up words, which can cause low self confidence in social situations.

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Dyslexia can have significant effects on emotional well-being. Samuel T. Orton, M.D. was one of the first researchers to describe the emotional aspects of dyslexia. His research on preschoolers with dyslexia revealed that most were happy and well adjusted, yet emotional problems began to develop when early reading instruction was not effective.

Over the years, students with dyslexia may develop increasing frustration if the reading skills of their classmates begin to surpass their own. Access to effective Structured Literacy teaching will help these students, but they may still experience social and emotional problems. Understanding these issues will assist parents and teachers in supporting students to develop a healthy sense of emotional well-being that will serve these students well as they continue their work to become skilled readers and spellers.

Why is dyslexia discouraging and frustrating?

The frustration that individuals with dyslexia experience often stems from their inability to succeed, no matter how hard they try. Parents and teachers see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write. Since dyslexia, almost by definition, is unexpected, students with dyslexia will make many mistakes that may be interpreted as careless. Time and again, these students and their parents hear, "They're such a bright child; if only they would try harder." Ironically, no one knows exactly how hard the individual with dyslexia is trying.

It can be painful and frustrating to struggle with basic reading and writing skills and to be unable to achieve in the eyes of their teachers, classmates, and parents. These experiences may result in students feeling chronically inadequate. A sense of failure and inferiority may generalize beyond the classroom and may last into adulthood. At times, it can even lead successful adults to mistrust their own capabilities.

What might the person with dyslexia feel or experience?

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most frequent emotional symptom reported by both children and adults with dyslexia. Anxiety is a normal, adaptive human response intended to protect us from danger. It often results in the typical reactions of fight, flight, or freeze when encountering an adverse situation. When a person develops anxiety, these responses increase to the point of interfering with day-to-day functioning. Children who are anxious become fearful because of their constant frustration and confusion in school. The anticipation of possible failure when asked to read or spell, which may apply to many new situations, can provoke anxiety and fear.

Anxiety causes human beings to avoid whatever frightens them. The child with dyslexia is no exception. However, many teachers and parents misinterpret this avoidance behavior as laziness. In fact, when a student with dyslexia is hesitant to participate in certain school activities, such as reading out loud or completing homework, it is likely the result of anxiety and confusion rather than apathy or unwillingness to work. It is important to note that individuals who experience long-term anxiety are at a higher risk of developing depression.

Anger

Many of the emotional problems caused by dyslexia occur out of frustration with school or social situations. Social scientists have frequently observed that frustration produces anger. This can be clearly seen in many children with dyslexia. Anger is also a common manifestation of anxiety and depression.

The obvious target of the child's anger could be schools and teachers. However, it is also common for the child with dyslexia to vent anger on family members. Often, children sit on their anger during school to the point of being extremely passive. Once they are in the safe environment of home, these very powerful feelings often erupt. Ironically, it is the safety of home that allows them to vent their anger, however, this becomes very frustrating and confusing to a parent who is desperately trying to help their child and may worry that they are doing something wrong.

As youngsters reach adolescence, society expects them to become independent. The adolescent with dyslexia may use their anger to break away from those people on whom they have learned to be dependent. Because of these factors, it can be difficult for parents to help their teenager. At this point, a person outside the family may be better able to intervene and help.

Poor Self-Image

The experiences that children have during the first years of school can affect their self-image. If they succeed in school, they will develop positive feelings about themselves and believe that they can succeed in life. If, instead, they meet failure and frustration, they begin to feel that they are inferior to others, and that their effort makes very little difference. Instead of feeling powerful and productive, these individuals develop the idea that their environment controls them. They may feel powerless and incompetent.

Researchers have learned that when a student with good self-esteem succeeds, as would be the case with typical learners, they credit their own efforts for their success. When they fail, they tell themselves to try harder. However, individuals with a poor self-image are likely to attribute their success to luck. When a child with dyslexia fails, they may simply see themself as stupid.

Depression

Although most children with dyslexia are not depressed, they are at higher risk for intense feelings of sorrow and pain. Perhaps because of their low self-esteem, children with dyslexia are often afraid to turn their anger toward their environment and instead turn it toward themselves, which can result in depression.

Depressed children and adolescents often have different symptoms than do depressed adults. A child who misbehaves or becomes irritated may be covering up painful feelings. Even though the child may not seem obviously unhappy, both children and adults who are depressed tend to have three similar characteristics. Parents should be alert to the following characteristics:

First, they tend to have negative thoughts about themselves-a negative self-image.

Second, they are less likely to enjoy the positive experiences in life and may find it difficult to have fun.

Finally, they may have trouble imagining anything positive about the future and may foresee a life of continuing failure.

In some extreme cases, chronic feelings of hopelessness can lead some children to thoughts of suicide, so parents and teachers should be watchful and not hesitate to consult mental health professionals, including school counselors.
Social Problems
In addition to internal frustration, a child with any learning difference-including dyslexia and related conditions-may have problems with social relationships.

If individuals are physically or socially immature in comparison to their peers, it can compound the poor self-image resulting from academic difficulties and make it harder to be accepted by peers. This can lead to awkwardness and discomfort in social situations.

Dyslexia often affects the way students communicate, known technically as oral language functioning. Students with oral language challenges may have trouble finding the right words or may pause before answering direct questions. Students with broader language processing difficulties may also misinterpret teasing, sarcasm, and words with more than one meaning; in other words, they may have trouble understanding what others mean by what they say. These confusions put them at a disadvantage as they enter adolescence, when language becomes more central to their relationships with peers.

Just as students with dyslexia may have difficulty remembering a sequence of letters or words, they may also have difficulty remembering the order of events. This might create problems for children as they attempt to explain experiences or conflicts with other children. Students with sequencing and memory problems may relate a different sequence each time they describe an event, which may result in teachers and parents concluding that the child is confused or even lying. When playing sports, children may forget the sequence of plays.

Students with dyslexia may also perform erratically or inconsistently within tasks. For example, they might write a word correctly on the spelling test, but then misspell it when asked to write it in a sentence. They may spell the same word in different ways within a single paragraph. The complexity of sentence writing and simultaneous focus on content, grammar, punctuation, and spelling can be incredibly difficult for students with dyslexia, yet adults may erroneously assume that a child is simply careless, creating frustration for the adults and hopelessness for the child.

Family Problems
A child's dyslexia may affect the family in a variety of ways. One of the most obvious is sibling rivalry. A typically achieving child may feel jealous of a child with dyslexia who seems to receive the majority of the parents' attention, time, and money. Ironically, the child with dyslexia does not want this attention. This situation can create stress in relationships between siblings, often without the parents' knowledge.

Since dyslexia is usually inherited, this means that one or both parents may have had similar school problems. Whether parents have experienced dyslexia or not, they may deny the existence of dyslexia and believe that if their child would just buckle down, he or she could succeed. When faced with a child who is having learning difficulties, a parent who lived through similar experiences may relive their failures and frustrations through their child's school experience. This brings back powerful and terrifying emotions, which can have an impact on their relationship with the child and their ability to work with school personnel.

How can parents and teachers help?

Adults with dyslexia who have developed a sense of emotional well-being tend to have certain things in common. Early in the child's life, someone has been extremely supportive and encouraging. The individual has found an area in which he or she could succeed. Many successful individuals with dyslexia have also developed a commitment to helping others.

Teachers and parents who wish to offer consistent, ongoing encouragement and support can keep these elements in mind.

First, listening to a child's feelings is critical. While anxiety, anger, and depression may be daily companions for children with dyslexia, it may be difficult for them to express their emotions. Therefore, adults must help them learn to talk about what they are feeling.

Second, it's extremely important to provide a clear, simple explanation of dyslexia and describe the possible causes of the challenges that result. This will eliminate many misconceptions and help students understand that they are not "dumb," "bad," or "lazy."

Third, teachers and parents must reward effort, not just the product or the outcome. For the student with dyslexia, grades should be less important than progress.

Fourth, when confronting defiant or avoidant behavior, adults must not inadvertently discourage the child with dyslexia. Words such as "dumb" or "lazy" can seriously damage the child's self-image.

Finally, it is important to help students set realistic goals for themselves. Many students with dyslexia set perfectionistic and unattainable goals, or they may be unwilling to set any goals at all. By helping a child set and achieve attainable goals, teachers and parents can change the cycle of failure.

Most importantly, parents and teachers must help children recognize and rejoice in their successes. Many a child's self-esteem has been salvaged by prowess in athletics, art, or mechanics. Parents and teachers can encourage a child to be involved in activities that build on their strengths and can help cultivate abilities that are more subtle and less obvious. One way that students with dyslexia can develop their own self-image is by helping others. If they can contribute through volunteer work or by working with younger children or animals, for example, it can help them develop empathy and feel more positive about themselves at the same time.

Helping individuals with dyslexia feel better about themselves and deal effectively with their feelings is a complex task. Caring adults need to understand the cognitive and emotional issues that may result from dyslexia. They must then design strategies that will help the child find joy in personal relationships and success in academics and life.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) thanks Michael Ryan, Ph.D., and Eric Tridas, M.D., for their assistance in the preparation of this fact sheet.

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Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia - International Dyslexia Association

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Children can be affected by dyslexia at home because it causes them problems with organization, multitasking and concentration. This can cause family issues as well as living on their own later in life.

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In this issue of SQUMJ, there is a very good review article on dyslexia by Drs. Shidhani and Arora. 1 They describe the different types of dyslexia, the various aetiological causes and also its management. Perhaps the next major question to be discussed is its social impact. How does dyslexia impact the child, the parents and society in general?

What does dyslexia do to the sufferer? Dyslexia typically is clinically manifested when the child first goes to school and has to cope with learning how to read. The child then discovers his/her disability, but unfortunately, the degree of the trauma varies according to initial interpretation and hence the translation of the trauma into symptoms may also vary significantly. In addition, as described in Dr. Shidhani's article, the precise nature and the degree of disability will vary from individual to individual.

The child with dyslexia, even though often of average or above-average intelligence, may have difficulty in grasping abstract concepts and in retelling a story. They may be slow at word recall and have difficulty in reading because of reversing or inverting letters or reading a whole word backwards. The unfortunate consequence is that a sufferer may have to read a paragraph 3 or 4 times before they can grasp its content. Often this happens as a result of poor recall and fluctuating performance-when reading a particular sentence, they may have no difficulty with the first few words, but then get mixed up with the last few words, and then a different problem when they read it again in an effort to try understand the sentence. Spelling is the second major problem in the classroom. Children with dyslexia may spell the same word differently even in the same essay. All these difficulties lead to frustration and delays necessitating an extra time for reading, writing and other scholarly activities. 2 Because they have to work much harder in school to catch up with their classmates, their self-esteem drops, sometimes to a seriously low level. Such children come to believe that they are "stupid" with the serious consequences of that attitude. These problems can by exacerbated by teasing from classmate with all consequences this may entail.

What other emotions do children challenged with dyslexia feel? They can become so frustrated with words, sentences, meanings and recall that they remain anxious throughout school age and into adulthood. They can thus often develop severe anxiety disorder, which is the most frequent emotional symptom that dyslexic children experience, 3 and this adverse disposition can be lifelong. Another emotional symptom from which dyslexics suffer is anger arising from their frustrations in schools. Social scientists point out that the greater the frustration the more it breeds anger. 3 Poor self-image is a another problem for such individuals despite their often superior intellectual capacity. In fact, the diagnosis of dyslexia, generally, includes the consideration that the intellect and IQ has to be at least average. 2, 4, 5 Poor self-image can lead to low self-esteem; this is characterised by negative thoughts which, in turn, tend to worsen self-image and can lead to clinical depression. 6, 7

Next to the individual distress occasioned by dyslexia, come the problems encountered by the family. Dyslexia impacts the family in variety of ways and can often result in sibling rivalry. The dyslexic child needs special attention from parents and relatives, while the non-dyslexic siblings may be jealous of this extra attention. This can lead to family quarrels, which can create a further psychological burden for the afflicted individual. There is some indication that dyslexia runs in families meaning that some parents maybe anxious about the possibility of their offspring also suffering from dyslexia. Some caregivers may not accept that the child has a learning disorder, instead simply defining the problem as laziness. Such a scenario is likely to trigger frustration not only for the affected individual but also for the caregiver.

Another predicament of people with dyslexia is the perception that they have a cognitive impairment such as poor memory since they may not readily remember what they read or recall a specific word. This can then lead to a struggle with the teacher, with the parents and with themselves. The result can be a child deemed to be "incorrigible", a judgment which can further traumatise the individual. 8 Other problems from which children with dyslexia may suffer are the setting of realistic and attainable goals, or the lack of opportunity to rejoice over their achievements and success. Learning to set attainable goals should be part of the rehabilitation of people with dyslexia. It is well known that children with dyslexia who achieve success in athletics or in artistic endeavours are likely to have high self-esteem.

The above discussion has dwelt on children with dyslexia and their caregivers. The next question is in what diverse ways dyslexia can impact society in general. 6, 8, 9- 12

Typically, dyslexia incidence is 5-10% of school children. 8 Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for children with dyslexia to have other impairments or disability. The most common among these are attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyper-active disorder (ADHD). The school drop-out rate of dyslexics can be a high as 35%, twice as the national average school drop-out rate of many countries; 4, 5, 13 in the United States, 27% of the high school drop-outs have learning disabilities. 14 It has been estimated that barely 2% of dyslexics enrolled in undergraduate programmes in the USA complete the requisite 4 years of study.

In the workplace, up to 20% of the workers may have dyslexia. 15 A survey-based exploration of the impact of dyslexia on the career progression of UK registered nurses explored the effects of dyslexia on the practice and career progression of the UK registered nurses. 15 The study concluded that dyslexia appears to have "a negative impact on working practices and career progression but remains a poorly understood and often, hidden disability." Functional illiteracy is a major problem in some societies; in the USA, the estimated rate is about 20% 11 and, of these people, 50% have dyslexia. A total of 80% of all people diagnosed learning disabilities are dyslexic. When one looks at the high prison figures of people with dyslexia, one wonders why, but part of the answer is embodied in the fact that 85% of juvenile offenders have reading disabilities. 14

It can thus be seen that dyslexia can cause various social and psychological problems for the individual, the family and society. The question now is what needs to be done. There is a dearth of empirical information on the prevalence of such learning disorders in Oman. Unfortunately, there is also no provision for remedial services and rehabilitation for children with dyslexia in Oman, nor even culture-specific tools for diagnosing dyslexia. However, there is a significant amount that can still be done and some measures can be implemented with minimum effort. Some shining initiatives have emerged from private schools. Anecdotal reports suggest special education teachers are available in some private schools in Oman. They are able to give special attention to dyslexic pupils, helping them to compensate for or cope with their learning disorder. These children are given more time to do tests, typically 20 extra minutes more per hour. We need to implement these actions in the Ministry of Education's (MoE) public schools. It is generally accepted by the experts in dyslexia that the answer to managing dyslexia is not to have special schools, as the disabilities are subtle and often mild, but to get these children accommodated in the mainstream schools, with special support. The children need to believe that they are not stupid but have a disability that can be overcome once it is properly understood.

There are several specific evidence-based therapeutic measures that are commonly employed for people with dyslexia. Some of these remedial measures have been shown to mitigate the severity of dyslexia. These include the use of coloured overlays to avoid the problem of reading black print on white paper, and the use of computers to help in reading and spelling. 16 Also a test may be read out to the individual. These and many other remedial measures that can be used by teachers and caregivers often have to be individualised. While much can be done in school by the teachers, as described above, much needs to be done by the parents at home. 13 Empowering caregivers should be an integral part of devising mechanisms for remedial intervention. Expert advice is available to support caregivers. Parents can specifically help the dyslexic child by listening to them, not overpressuring them, by talking about their disability, pointing out specific problems and helping them, and by giving them plenty of praise and encouragement. They can also inspire them by giving examples of famous international figures that had dyslexia such as Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein, Mozart, and John F. Kennedy. In Oman, we need to take steps to educate the parents and the public.

The MoE has to be commended for recognising the lack of facilities in its own schools and giving special permission for Omani children to go to private schools. However, what we really need is specially trained teachers in MoE schools. The MoE, perhaps together with the Ministry of Health, needs to recognise officially that dyslexia is a condition requiring special attention and to provide resources for rehabilitation as has been done for other children with special needs. This is important since dyslexia is a disability affecting around 10% of the population, both children and adults. It is less obvious among adults, because they have learned how to compensate for their disability, while some lucky ones have also had good help from their parents and teachers. There are signs that Oman is starting to deal with the problem of learning disability. 17

Many of the solutions discussed above can, in fact, be fairly easily handled if the appropriate infrastructure is in place. Thus, we urge the MoE to focus more attention on this very common disability and build appropriate and required infrastructure to deal with the problem. We need specialised teachers and we need education of parents and the community as a whole. Educated communities might then form the all-important non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as is happening in neighbouring countries. 18 We need more psychologists trained in diagnosing learning disorders, and they will need special and appropriate diagnostic tools. 19 Researchers from the College of Education and the College of Medicine at SQU have recently been given a grant from His Majesty's Strategic Research Fund to study dyslexia, specifically the authentication of diagnostic tests for dyslexia-an area where improvement is needed. We need to do more in Oman so that the challenges of dyslexia can be surmounted. This is eminently possible if appropriate efforts are made by all parties concerned.

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Dyslexia: Its impact on the Individual, Parents and Society

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In this issue of SQUMJ, there is a very good review article on dyslexia by Drs. Shidhani and Arora. 1 They describe the different types of dyslexia, the various aetiological causes and also its management. Perhaps the next major question to be discussed is its social impact.

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All children need encoouragement. Children with dyslexia need alittle more encouragement than others. Especially from their family. These are the people they feel most safe and comfortable with. Parents and families should allow the child to explore what they love and cheer for them when they succeed in those activities. This will allow confidence to build, giving the child a better chance to succeed in other ares of their life as well. There are fun reenforcing games families could play to help strengthen weaker areas that they've been struggling with. Parents could also try reading activities with audio books and other things to help children with their reading. Children with dyslexia struggle with their emotions, their families could also help them to get in touch with their emotions and figure out what they are feeling. There are exercises that therapists use that families could be taught in order to help their child. Communities coul dget more involved to show families that they care about children with disabilites and such. They could have events and fundraisers to raise money for these families in support.

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Children each learn and develop at their own pace, and reading is no different from other skill building. It's common for kids to find reading challenging at one point or another. But if learning to read becomes an ongoing struggle that leaves a child falling behind their peers, it's possible that they have a learning disorder known as dyslexia.

Dyslexia is most commonly associated with trouble learning to read. It affects a child's ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in language. Kids with dyslexia have a hard time decoding new words, or breaking them down into manageable chunks they can then sound out. This causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling. They may compensate by memorizing words, but they'll have trouble recognizing new words and may be slow in retrieving even familiar ones.

Dyslexia is not a reflection of a child's intelligence - in fact it's defined as a gap between a student's ability and achievement. Some youngsters with dyslexia are able to keep up with their peers with extra effort at least for the first few grades. But by the third grade or so, when they need to be able to read quickly and fluently in order to keep up with their work, they run into trouble.

With help and strategies for compensating for their weakness in decoding, students with dyslexia can learn to read and thrive academically. But dyslexia is not something one grows out of.

How common is dyslexia?

It is estimated that as many as one in five kids has dyslexia, and that 80 to 90 percent of kids with learning disorders have it. Sally Shaywitz, MD, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, notes that many children go undiagnosed as struggles in school are incorrectly attributed to intelligence, level of effort or environmental factors.

Although experts used to say that dyslexia occurred more often in boys than in girls, current research indicates that it affects boys and girls equally.

A young person with dyslexia may:

Struggle with learning even simple rhymes

Have a speech delay

Have trouble following directions

Repeat or omit short words such as and, the, but

Find it difficult to tell left from right

In school, children with dyslexia are likely to:

Have difficulty sounding out new words

Lack fluency compared to other children their age

Reverse letters and numbers when reading (read saw as was, for example)

Find it difficult to take notes and copy down words from the board

Struggle with rhyming, associating sounds with letters, and sequencing and ordering sounds

Stumble and have difficulty spelling even common words; frequently they will spell them phonetically (hrbr instead of harbor)

Avoid being called on to read out loud in front of classmates

Become tired or frustrated from reading

Dyslexia affects children outside of school as well. Kids with dyslexia may also:

Find it difficult to decode logos and signs

Struggle when trying to learn the rules to games

Have difficulty keeping track of multi-step directions

Struggle with getting the hang of telling time

Find it especially challenging to learn another language

Become incredibly frustrated, which can effect their mood and emotional stability

Social and emotional impacts of dyslexia

Dyslexia affects a lot more than reading - it can also impact a child socially. "A dyslexic person who has word-finding difficulties can have trouble with their expressive language," says Scott Bezsylko, the executive director of Winston Preparatory School, which specializes in teaching kids with learning disorders. "That has a social impact, in addition to your difficulties with reading and writing, that make you feel not so good about yourself."

Kids with dyslexia - particularly those who have yet to be diagnosed - often suffer from low self-esteem because they worry that there is something wrong with them, and are often accused of not trying hard enough to learn to read. "A lot of our work with dyslexic kids is to help them rediscover that they are smart and capable," notes Beszylko, "because they've stopped believing in themselves."

How is dyslexia diagnosed?

If your child isn't meeting expectations for reading, as parents you can ask the school district to perform an evaluation and share the results with you. The evaluation will test your child's intellectual capacity and reading skills, to see if there is an achievement gap. It should also rule out other potential causes like environmental factors or hearing impairment.

The school should then make recommendations on how they can support your child and maximize her learning.

If you are unhappy with the quality of the evaluation, you can also secure a private evaluation by a psychologist, a neuropsychologist, a reading specialist, a speech and language therapist, an educational evaluator or a school psychologist. This external evaluation can also be used to advocate for your child and get the accommodations and services she might need.

When should a child be evaluated?

Dyslexia can begin to reveal itself at a young age, and there are preschool evaluations that look at the child's awareness of the sounds that make up words, and ability at word retrieval. However, Matthew Cruger, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute, suggests waiting until kids are at least six years old and have had some formal instruction in reading to seek out a formal evaluation.

But Dr. Shaywitz notes that as soon as a gap between intelligence and reading skills is apparent - and evidence shows it can be seen in first grade - it's a good idea to get help. Schools sometimes encourage parents to wait until the third grade to see if their child truly needs an intervention, but Dr. Shaywitz argues that the earlier intervention is important not only to help kids catch up but to boost their fragile self-image, which is damaged by continuing struggle in school and comparisons with peers.

How to help kids with dyslexia

A dyslexia diagnosis does not mean your child will never learn to read. Dr. Cruger says there are a number of programs that can help, which might include these features:

Multi-sensory instruction in decoding skills

Repetition and review of skills

Intensity of intervention - that is, more than being pulled out of class once a week for extra help

Small group or individual instruction

Teaching decoding skills

Drilling sight words

Teaching comprehension strategies, to help kids derive meaning from what they're reading

Reading programs that been shown to help kids with dyslexia include:

Dr. Cruger points out that traditional tutoring may actually be counter-productive for a child with dyslexia, particularly if it is not a positive experience. "If the child hates the experience of reading help, it's not helpful," Dr. Cruger notes. "And it's not treating the source of the problem, the decoding weakness."

Instead, Dr. Cruger emphasizes that one of the most important ways to help kids with dyslexia is to make them more comfortable reading. This can be done in part by celebrating even small victories and accomplishments, while focusing less on correcting their errors.

Accommodations for kids with dyslexia

Kids with demonstrated dyslexia are eligible for accommodations in school. "Dyslexia robs a person of time," Dr. Shaywitz explains, "and accommodations give the time back to her." Accommodations may include:

Extra time on tests

A quiet space to work

The option to record lectures

The option to give verbal, rather than written, answers (when appropriate)

Elimination of oral reading in class

Exemption from foreign language learning

Other ways to support a child with dyslexia

One of the best ways to support a child with dyslexia - or any child who is struggling - is to encourage those activities that they like and feel good at, whether it is music, joining a sports team or anything else that helps build her confidence.

To help reinforce that dyslexia is not a marker of intelligence, it can also be helpful to talk about successful people - like Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg - who have also been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Other things that may help your child with dyslexia include:

Listening to audio books as an alternative to reading

Typing on a computer or tablet instead of writing

Apps that can make learning fun by turning decoding into a game

Using a ruler to help kids read in a straight line, which can help keep them focused

Emotional support

Dyslexia can result in frustration, embarrassment, avoidance and low self-esteem as a result of difficulties performing tasks that seem to come naturally to others. Demystifying the learning disorder with your child can help him develop the tools - and resilience - necessary to manage it, both in school and in social circumstances. Some things you can do to help include:

Discuss the specific challenges that result from dyslexia: "You know how you have a hard time reading signs or copying notes from the board? That's dyslexia."

Acknowledge their effort and celebrate hard work, even if there are still mistakes: "I know how difficult that reading homework was. I am so proud of how hard you tried."

Help them recognize their strengths: "You showed such great sportsmanship and teamwork in the soccer game the other night, and that was a great goal you scored!"

Combat negative self-talk: If your child starts saying things like, "I'm just stupid," don't ignore it. Instead, check out these ideas for helping kids who are too hard on themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does dyslexia work?

How common is dyslexia?

What helps students with dyslexia?

What are the signs of dyslexia?

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Understanding Dyslexia - Child Mind Institute

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Find out how to recognize dyslexia, the most common learning disability. The Child Mind Institute on how to help kids who have trouble learning to read.

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It is in our nature as humans to want to be independent. Children with dyslexia tend to struggle with independence because they need the extra help to do certain tasks. Many have found that children with dyslexia may be more immature than their peers and classmates. This can result in the child not being very independent because they want to rely on others to help with tasks. Too much support and help may hurt the child more because they won't want to become indpendent on their own. They need reminders throughout the day to stay on task and to get their work done.

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Dyslexia can have significant effects on emotional well-being. Samuel T. Orton, M.D. was one of the first researchers to describe the emotional aspects of dyslexia. His research on preschoolers with dyslexia revealed that most were happy and well adjusted, yet emotional problems began to develop when early reading instruction was not effective.

Over the years, students with dyslexia may develop increasing frustration if the reading skills of their classmates begin to surpass their own. Access to effective Structured Literacy teaching will help these students, but they may still experience social and emotional problems. Understanding these issues will assist parents and teachers in supporting students to develop a healthy sense of emotional well-being that will serve these students well as they continue their work to become skilled readers and spellers.

Why is dyslexia discouraging and frustrating?

The frustration that individuals with dyslexia experience often stems from their inability to succeed, no matter how hard they try. Parents and teachers see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write. Since dyslexia, almost by definition, is unexpected, students with dyslexia will make many mistakes that may be interpreted as careless. Time and again, these students and their parents hear, "They're such a bright child; if only they would try harder." Ironically, no one knows exactly how hard the individual with dyslexia is trying.

It can be painful and frustrating to struggle with basic reading and writing skills and to be unable to achieve in the eyes of their teachers, classmates, and parents. These experiences may result in students feeling chronically inadequate. A sense of failure and inferiority may generalize beyond the classroom and may last into adulthood. At times, it can even lead successful adults to mistrust their own capabilities.

What might the person with dyslexia feel or experience?

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most frequent emotional symptom reported by both children and adults with dyslexia. Anxiety is a normal, adaptive human response intended to protect us from danger. It often results in the typical reactions of fight, flight, or freeze when encountering an adverse situation. When a person develops anxiety, these responses increase to the point of interfering with day-to-day functioning. Children who are anxious become fearful because of their constant frustration and confusion in school. The anticipation of possible failure when asked to read or spell, which may apply to many new situations, can provoke anxiety and fear.

Anxiety causes human beings to avoid whatever frightens them. The child with dyslexia is no exception. However, many teachers and parents misinterpret this avoidance behavior as laziness. In fact, when a student with dyslexia is hesitant to participate in certain school activities, such as reading out loud or completing homework, it is likely the result of anxiety and confusion rather than apathy or unwillingness to work. It is important to note that individuals who experience long-term anxiety are at a higher risk of developing depression.

Anger

Many of the emotional problems caused by dyslexia occur out of frustration with school or social situations. Social scientists have frequently observed that frustration produces anger. This can be clearly seen in many children with dyslexia. Anger is also a common manifestation of anxiety and depression.

The obvious target of the child's anger could be schools and teachers. However, it is also common for the child with dyslexia to vent anger on family members. Often, children sit on their anger during school to the point of being extremely passive. Once they are in the safe environment of home, these very powerful feelings often erupt. Ironically, it is the safety of home that allows them to vent their anger, however, this becomes very frustrating and confusing to a parent who is desperately trying to help their child and may worry that they are doing something wrong.

As youngsters reach adolescence, society expects them to become independent. The adolescent with dyslexia may use their anger to break away from those people on whom they have learned to be dependent. Because of these factors, it can be difficult for parents to help their teenager. At this point, a person outside the family may be better able to intervene and help.

Poor Self-Image

The experiences that children have during the first years of school can affect their self-image. If they succeed in school, they will develop positive feelings about themselves and believe that they can succeed in life. If, instead, they meet failure and frustration, they begin to feel that they are inferior to others, and that their effort makes very little difference. Instead of feeling powerful and productive, these individuals develop the idea that their environment controls them. They may feel powerless and incompetent.

Researchers have learned that when a student with good self-esteem succeeds, as would be the case with typical learners, they credit their own efforts for their success. When they fail, they tell themselves to try harder. However, individuals with a poor self-image are likely to attribute their success to luck. When a child with dyslexia fails, they may simply see themself as stupid.

Depression

Although most children with dyslexia are not depressed, they are at higher risk for intense feelings of sorrow and pain. Perhaps because of their low self-esteem, children with dyslexia are often afraid to turn their anger toward their environment and instead turn it toward themselves, which can result in depression.

Depressed children and adolescents often have different symptoms than do depressed adults. A child who misbehaves or becomes irritated may be covering up painful feelings. Even though the child may not seem obviously unhappy, both children and adults who are depressed tend to have three similar characteristics. Parents should be alert to the following characteristics:

First, they tend to have negative thoughts about themselves-a negative self-image.

Second, they are less likely to enjoy the positive experiences in life and may find it difficult to have fun.

Finally, they may have trouble imagining anything positive about the future and may foresee a life of continuing failure.

In some extreme cases, chronic feelings of hopelessness can lead some children to thoughts of suicide, so parents and teachers should be watchful and not hesitate to consult mental health professionals, including school counselors.
Social Problems
In addition to internal frustration, a child with any learning difference-including dyslexia and related conditions-may have problems with social relationships.

If individuals are physically or socially immature in comparison to their peers, it can compound the poor self-image resulting from academic difficulties and make it harder to be accepted by peers. This can lead to awkwardness and discomfort in social situations.

Dyslexia often affects the way students communicate, known technically as oral language functioning. Students with oral language challenges may have trouble finding the right words or may pause before answering direct questions. Students with broader language processing difficulties may also misinterpret teasing, sarcasm, and words with more than one meaning; in other words, they may have trouble understanding what others mean by what they say. These confusions put them at a disadvantage as they enter adolescence, when language becomes more central to their relationships with peers.

Just as students with dyslexia may have difficulty remembering a sequence of letters or words, they may also have difficulty remembering the order of events. This might create problems for children as they attempt to explain experiences or conflicts with other children. Students with sequencing and memory problems may relate a different sequence each time they describe an event, which may result in teachers and parents concluding that the child is confused or even lying. When playing sports, children may forget the sequence of plays.

Students with dyslexia may also perform erratically or inconsistently within tasks. For example, they might write a word correctly on the spelling test, but then misspell it when asked to write it in a sentence. They may spell the same word in different ways within a single paragraph. The complexity of sentence writing and simultaneous focus on content, grammar, punctuation, and spelling can be incredibly difficult for students with dyslexia, yet adults may erroneously assume that a child is simply careless, creating frustration for the adults and hopelessness for the child.

Family Problems
A child's dyslexia may affect the family in a variety of ways. One of the most obvious is sibling rivalry. A typically achieving child may feel jealous of a child with dyslexia who seems to receive the majority of the parents' attention, time, and money. Ironically, the child with dyslexia does not want this attention. This situation can create stress in relationships between siblings, often without the parents' knowledge.

Since dyslexia is usually inherited, this means that one or both parents may have had similar school problems. Whether parents have experienced dyslexia or not, they may deny the existence of dyslexia and believe that if their child would just buckle down, he or she could succeed. When faced with a child who is having learning difficulties, a parent who lived through similar experiences may relive their failures and frustrations through their child's school experience. This brings back powerful and terrifying emotions, which can have an impact on their relationship with the child and their ability to work with school personnel.

How can parents and teachers help?

Adults with dyslexia who have developed a sense of emotional well-being tend to have certain things in common. Early in the child's life, someone has been extremely supportive and encouraging. The individual has found an area in which he or she could succeed. Many successful individuals with dyslexia have also developed a commitment to helping others.

Teachers and parents who wish to offer consistent, ongoing encouragement and support can keep these elements in mind.

First, listening to a child's feelings is critical. While anxiety, anger, and depression may be daily companions for children with dyslexia, it may be difficult for them to express their emotions. Therefore, adults must help them learn to talk about what they are feeling.

Second, it's extremely important to provide a clear, simple explanation of dyslexia and describe the possible causes of the challenges that result. This will eliminate many misconceptions and help students understand that they are not "dumb," "bad," or "lazy."

Third, teachers and parents must reward effort, not just the product or the outcome. For the student with dyslexia, grades should be less important than progress.

Fourth, when confronting defiant or avoidant behavior, adults must not inadvertently discourage the child with dyslexia. Words such as "dumb" or "lazy" can seriously damage the child's self-image.

Finally, it is important to help students set realistic goals for themselves. Many students with dyslexia set perfectionistic and unattainable goals, or they may be unwilling to set any goals at all. By helping a child set and achieve attainable goals, teachers and parents can change the cycle of failure.

Most importantly, parents and teachers must help children recognize and rejoice in their successes. Many a child's self-esteem has been salvaged by prowess in athletics, art, or mechanics. Parents and teachers can encourage a child to be involved in activities that build on their strengths and can help cultivate abilities that are more subtle and less obvious. One way that students with dyslexia can develop their own self-image is by helping others. If they can contribute through volunteer work or by working with younger children or animals, for example, it can help them develop empathy and feel more positive about themselves at the same time.

Helping individuals with dyslexia feel better about themselves and deal effectively with their feelings is a complex task. Caring adults need to understand the cognitive and emotional issues that may result from dyslexia. They must then design strategies that will help the child find joy in personal relationships and success in academics and life.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) thanks Michael Ryan, Ph.D., and Eric Tridas, M.D., for their assistance in the preparation of this fact sheet.

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Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia - International Dyslexia Association

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- Students with dyslexia tend to be more physically and socially immature than their peers. They also tend to be slower learners compared to their peers, resulting in a lack of self-esteem because of their difficulties with learning. Some have found that people with dyslexia tend to have challenges with communicating. They could have issues remembering orders of events, and finding the proper words while speaking. This means long pauses in the middle of sentences to find that proper wording. Schools could help students with dyslexia practice these skills. They could have after school groups for students with dyslexia to practice talking to others and using uncomfortable situations to allow them to grow socially. This will allow students to be more confident outside of school and after they'd graduate.
- Because of low self-esteem issues, children with dyslexia could develop issues at home with behavior. Since they learn and comprehend things differently than others, they may not understnad certain commands or cues. Children at home may get soclded for doing something their parents see as bad. The parents may yell and give them a time out. However, the child may not understand why they are being punished because they parents didn't explain why it was wrong in the first place. This will result i nthe child's self-esteem to go even lower. I would say that parents of children with dyslexia or other learning disabilities need to be careful with the way they word things. They need to make sure to fully explain things so their child could udnerstand why things are right and wrong instead of just assuming they understand it.
https://childmind.org/article/social-challenges-kids-learning-problems/#:~:text=They%20may%20have%20trouble%20listening,the%20right%20words%20to%20use.
- High schools students with dyslexia may face extreme stress and pressure when graduation time comes around. They may have no clue where they want to go or what they want to do after they would leave the high school setting. They face issues like having poor interview skills. Since they tend to understand things at a slower rate, they might not pick up on the proper interview skills. This will result in them finding difficulities in finding jobs outside of school. Tips for students with these issues is to take the extra time in practing a fake interview multiple times. This will help to strengthen weaker areas, but also allows the child to have better communication skills in general.
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/ways-dyslexia-can-affect-social-skills

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Dyslexia can have significant effects on emotional well-being. Samuel T. Orton, M.D. was one of the first researchers to describe the emotional aspects of dyslexia. His research on preschoolers with dyslexia revealed that most were happy and well adjusted, yet emotional problems began to develop when early reading instruction was not effective.

Over the years, students with dyslexia may develop increasing frustration if the reading skills of their classmates begin to surpass their own. Access to effective Structured Literacy teaching will help these students, but they may still experience social and emotional problems. Understanding these issues will assist parents and teachers in supporting students to develop a healthy sense of emotional well-being that will serve these students well as they continue their work to become skilled readers and spellers.

Why is dyslexia discouraging and frustrating?

The frustration that individuals with dyslexia experience often stems from their inability to succeed, no matter how hard they try. Parents and teachers see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write. Since dyslexia, almost by definition, is unexpected, students with dyslexia will make many mistakes that may be interpreted as careless. Time and again, these students and their parents hear, "They're such a bright child; if only they would try harder." Ironically, no one knows exactly how hard the individual with dyslexia is trying.

It can be painful and frustrating to struggle with basic reading and writing skills and to be unable to achieve in the eyes of their teachers, classmates, and parents. These experiences may result in students feeling chronically inadequate. A sense of failure and inferiority may generalize beyond the classroom and may last into adulthood. At times, it can even lead successful adults to mistrust their own capabilities.

What might the person with dyslexia feel or experience?

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most frequent emotional symptom reported by both children and adults with dyslexia. Anxiety is a normal, adaptive human response intended to protect us from danger. It often results in the typical reactions of fight, flight, or freeze when encountering an adverse situation. When a person develops anxiety, these responses increase to the point of interfering with day-to-day functioning. Children who are anxious become fearful because of their constant frustration and confusion in school. The anticipation of possible failure when asked to read or spell, which may apply to many new situations, can provoke anxiety and fear.

Anxiety causes human beings to avoid whatever frightens them. The child with dyslexia is no exception. However, many teachers and parents misinterpret this avoidance behavior as laziness. In fact, when a student with dyslexia is hesitant to participate in certain school activities, such as reading out loud or completing homework, it is likely the result of anxiety and confusion rather than apathy or unwillingness to work. It is important to note that individuals who experience long-term anxiety are at a higher risk of developing depression.

Anger

Many of the emotional problems caused by dyslexia occur out of frustration with school or social situations. Social scientists have frequently observed that frustration produces anger. This can be clearly seen in many children with dyslexia. Anger is also a common manifestation of anxiety and depression.

The obvious target of the child's anger could be schools and teachers. However, it is also common for the child with dyslexia to vent anger on family members. Often, children sit on their anger during school to the point of being extremely passive. Once they are in the safe environment of home, these very powerful feelings often erupt. Ironically, it is the safety of home that allows them to vent their anger, however, this becomes very frustrating and confusing to a parent who is desperately trying to help their child and may worry that they are doing something wrong.

As youngsters reach adolescence, society expects them to become independent. The adolescent with dyslexia may use their anger to break away from those people on whom they have learned to be dependent. Because of these factors, it can be difficult for parents to help their teenager. At this point, a person outside the family may be better able to intervene and help.

Poor Self-Image

The experiences that children have during the first years of school can affect their self-image. If they succeed in school, they will develop positive feelings about themselves and believe that they can succeed in life. If, instead, they meet failure and frustration, they begin to feel that they are inferior to others, and that their effort makes very little difference. Instead of feeling powerful and productive, these individuals develop the idea that their environment controls them. They may feel powerless and incompetent.

Researchers have learned that when a student with good self-esteem succeeds, as would be the case with typical learners, they credit their own efforts for their success. When they fail, they tell themselves to try harder. However, individuals with a poor self-image are likely to attribute their success to luck. When a child with dyslexia fails, they may simply see themself as stupid.

Depression

Although most children with dyslexia are not depressed, they are at higher risk for intense feelings of sorrow and pain. Perhaps because of their low self-esteem, children with dyslexia are often afraid to turn their anger toward their environment and instead turn it toward themselves, which can result in depression.

Depressed children and adolescents often have different symptoms than do depressed adults. A child who misbehaves or becomes irritated may be covering up painful feelings. Even though the child may not seem obviously unhappy, both children and adults who are depressed tend to have three similar characteristics. Parents should be alert to the following characteristics:

First, they tend to have negative thoughts about themselves-a negative self-image.

Second, they are less likely to enjoy the positive experiences in life and may find it difficult to have fun.

Finally, they may have trouble imagining anything positive about the future and may foresee a life of continuing failure.

In some extreme cases, chronic feelings of hopelessness can lead some children to thoughts of suicide, so parents and teachers should be watchful and not hesitate to consult mental health professionals, including school counselors.
Social Problems
In addition to internal frustration, a child with any learning difference-including dyslexia and related conditions-may have problems with social relationships.

If individuals are physically or socially immature in comparison to their peers, it can compound the poor self-image resulting from academic difficulties and make it harder to be accepted by peers. This can lead to awkwardness and discomfort in social situations.

Dyslexia often affects the way students communicate, known technically as oral language functioning. Students with oral language challenges may have trouble finding the right words or may pause before answering direct questions. Students with broader language processing difficulties may also misinterpret teasing, sarcasm, and words with more than one meaning; in other words, they may have trouble understanding what others mean by what they say. These confusions put them at a disadvantage as they enter adolescence, when language becomes more central to their relationships with peers.

Just as students with dyslexia may have difficulty remembering a sequence of letters or words, they may also have difficulty remembering the order of events. This might create problems for children as they attempt to explain experiences or conflicts with other children. Students with sequencing and memory problems may relate a different sequence each time they describe an event, which may result in teachers and parents concluding that the child is confused or even lying. When playing sports, children may forget the sequence of plays.

Students with dyslexia may also perform erratically or inconsistently within tasks. For example, they might write a word correctly on the spelling test, but then misspell it when asked to write it in a sentence. They may spell the same word in different ways within a single paragraph. The complexity of sentence writing and simultaneous focus on content, grammar, punctuation, and spelling can be incredibly difficult for students with dyslexia, yet adults may erroneously assume that a child is simply careless, creating frustration for the adults and hopelessness for the child.

Family Problems
A child's dyslexia may affect the family in a variety of ways. One of the most obvious is sibling rivalry. A typically achieving child may feel jealous of a child with dyslexia who seems to receive the majority of the parents' attention, time, and money. Ironically, the child with dyslexia does not want this attention. This situation can create stress in relationships between siblings, often without the parents' knowledge.

Since dyslexia is usually inherited, this means that one or both parents may have had similar school problems. Whether parents have experienced dyslexia or not, they may deny the existence of dyslexia and believe that if their child would just buckle down, he or she could succeed. When faced with a child who is having learning difficulties, a parent who lived through similar experiences may relive their failures and frustrations through their child's school experience. This brings back powerful and terrifying emotions, which can have an impact on their relationship with the child and their ability to work with school personnel.

How can parents and teachers help?

Adults with dyslexia who have developed a sense of emotional well-being tend to have certain things in common. Early in the child's life, someone has been extremely supportive and encouraging. The individual has found an area in which he or she could succeed. Many successful individuals with dyslexia have also developed a commitment to helping others.

Teachers and parents who wish to offer consistent, ongoing encouragement and support can keep these elements in mind.

First, listening to a child's feelings is critical. While anxiety, anger, and depression may be daily companions for children with dyslexia, it may be difficult for them to express their emotions. Therefore, adults must help them learn to talk about what they are feeling.

Second, it's extremely important to provide a clear, simple explanation of dyslexia and describe the possible causes of the challenges that result. This will eliminate many misconceptions and help students understand that they are not "dumb," "bad," or "lazy."

Third, teachers and parents must reward effort, not just the product or the outcome. For the student with dyslexia, grades should be less important than progress.

Fourth, when confronting defiant or avoidant behavior, adults must not inadvertently discourage the child with dyslexia. Words such as "dumb" or "lazy" can seriously damage the child's self-image.

Finally, it is important to help students set realistic goals for themselves. Many students with dyslexia set perfectionistic and unattainable goals, or they may be unwilling to set any goals at all. By helping a child set and achieve attainable goals, teachers and parents can change the cycle of failure.

Most importantly, parents and teachers must help children recognize and rejoice in their successes. Many a child's self-esteem has been salvaged by prowess in athletics, art, or mechanics. Parents and teachers can encourage a child to be involved in activities that build on their strengths and can help cultivate abilities that are more subtle and less obvious. One way that students with dyslexia can develop their own self-image is by helping others. If they can contribute through volunteer work or by working with younger children or animals, for example, it can help them develop empathy and feel more positive about themselves at the same time.

Helping individuals with dyslexia feel better about themselves and deal effectively with their feelings is a complex task. Caring adults need to understand the cognitive and emotional issues that may result from dyslexia. They must then design strategies that will help the child find joy in personal relationships and success in academics and life.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) thanks Michael Ryan, Ph.D., and Eric Tridas, M.D., for their assistance in the preparation of this fact sheet.

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Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia - International Dyslexia Association

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Along with language many children with dyslexia face issues with seqauence, concepts of time, and orders or routines. This can lead to issues with abstract thinking and problem solving. Children could find it difficult to understand where to start. Becuse of these issues, they are unable to solve some multiple step problems and word problems. They will need extra help in where to start, and how to break down the probelms into smaller steps that may not be as overwhelming. Having visuals to break down things which the child can see and hold allows the child to actually see what the problem is asking. It is easier for young chidlren to hold a physical object to understand what to do to solve certain problems.

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For many students with dyslexia, word problems in math can be especially challenging. Why? Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference. There is a language to math that may often be overlooked.

We need to break down the vocabulary in terms of math problems and explicitly teach these to students. You can have students highlight or underline these terms and essential information as they work with word problems.

In addition to language, many students with dyslexia have difficulty with sequence, order, and concepts of time. In multi-step word problems, students need to make sense of what needs to be solved first. Teaching students to identify, and then number, what needs to be done first, second, and so forth, can assist in the sequencing of the problem.

Many dyslexic learners have strong visual and spatial reasoning skills. So, teaching through concrete, think manipulatives and pictorial representations, those drawings, benefit students in gaining an understanding of concepts. Connecting these with the language of math problems is crucial for our students. Watch the video above for my explanation.
This information is the intellectual property of @2016 The Dyslexia Classroom. Do not use or repurpose without expressed permission from The Dyslexia Classroom. Please give The Dyslexia Classroom an attribution if you choose to use, reference, or quote/paraphrase copyrighted materials. This includes but is not limited to blogs, social media, and resources.

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Math and Dyslexia: Quick Tips for Word Problems

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For many students with dyslexia, word problems in math can be especially challenging. why? dyslexia is a language based learning difference.

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Accommodations for test situations and strategies on how to help complete assessments:
- grading the individual on content not on spelling or reading fluency
- allow their understanding in different ways like: oral reports, posters, video presentations
- provide sentence starters if needed
- provide extended time when taking tests
- provide a quiet room for taking tests if needed

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For kids with dyslexia, reading can be challenging. Spelling and writing can be challenging too. What classroom accommodations help level the playing field for students with dyslexia? Here's a look at some of the supports teachers can use to help students who struggle with reading, spelling, and writing.

Classroom materials and routines

Post visual schedules and also read them out loud.

Provide colored strips or bookmarks to help focus on a line of text when reading.

Hand out letter and number strips so the student can see how to write correctly.

Use large-print text for worksheets.

Use audiobooks like those available through services like Bookshare, a free online library for students with disabilities.

Allow the student to use a text reader like a Reading Pen or text-to-speech software.

Use speech-to-text software to help with writing.

Have on hand "hi-lo" books (books with high-interest topics for students reading below grade level).

Provide extra time for reading and writing.

Give the student multiple opportunities to read the same text.

Use reading buddies during worktime (as appropriate).

Partner up for studying - one student writes while the other speaks, or they share the writing.

Pre-teach new concepts and vocabulary.

Provide the student with typed notes or an outline of the lesson to help with taking notes.

Provide advance organizers to help the student follow along during a lesson.

Provide a glossary of content-related terms.

Use visual or audio support to help the student understand written materials in the lecture.

Give step-by-step directions and read written instructions out loud.

Simplify directions using key words for the most important ideas.

Highlight key words and ideas on worksheets for the student to read first.

Check in frequently to make sure the student understands and can repeat the directions.

Show examples of correct and completed work to serve as a model.

Provide a rubric that describes the elements of a successful assignment.

Help the student break assignments into smaller steps.

Give self-monitoring checklists and guiding questions for reading comprehension.

Arrange worksheet problems from easiest to hardest.

Completing tests and assignments

Grade the student on the content that needs to be mastered, not on things like spelling or reading fluency.

Allow understanding to be demonstrated in different ways, like oral reports, posters, and video presentations.

Provide different ways to respond to test questions, like saying the answers or circling an answer instead of filling in the blank.

Provide sentence starters that show how to begin a written response.

Provide extended time for taking tests.

Provide a quiet room for taking tests, if needed.

Do you have a student with dyslexia? Read a one-page fact sheet to learn more about this common learning difference.

About the author

About the author

Amanda Morin is the author of "The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education" and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days.

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What types of accommodations can help students with dyslexia? Here are some classroom accommodations to talk over with your child's school.

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- Students with dyslexia are able to use audiobooks and other programs to listen to books and grow their ability to read stronger. Students are also able to use text-to-speech programs as well. These can be more high-tech than audiobooks can be.
https://learningabledkids.info/assistive-technology/assistive_technology_reading/assistive-technology-for-dyslexia-and-reading-disabilities/

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- A mid-tech example of assistive technology students with dyslexia can use in a classroom are noise cancelling headphones. This allows a student to focus on their work with little distractions. It also allows students to be able to listen to audio books to follow along with in class. They could also use a reading pen or assistive during reading time to help with language and comprehension.
https://learningabledkids.info/assistive-technology/assistive_technology_reading/assistive-technology-for-dyslexia-and-reading-disabilities/

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- Students with dyslexia could use magnifiers, and highlighters to help with reading. This is an example of a no/low tech assistive technology. the purposes of each of these is to help the student with reading. These can help make things more clear and allow a child to grow with their reading skills.
https://learningabledkids.info/assistive-technology/assistive_technology_reading/assistive-technology-for-dyslexia-and-reading-disabilities/

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One accommodation for students with Dyslexia is to simplify directions for the student. Instead of putting instructions into paragraph form, which might overwhelm the child, it can help to underline or highlight important information within the directions. This way students know what to focus on in the directions and can break it down easier. Another accommodation that can be made for students with Dyslexia is providing the student with a graphic organizer to follow during lectures. This can be an outline, chart, or blank web that helps the student to listen for key information and be able to see the relationship between concepts. One more accommodation that can be made for these students is being flexible with their work time. Students with dyslexia may require extra time on assignments to complete their best work. People who have Dyslexia may also need more time during instructions to listen and grasp the concepts. Using step by step instructions can help the individual to retain the information better.

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You are welcome to print copies for non-commercial use, or a limited number for educational purposes, as long as credit is given to Reading Rockets and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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Accommodating Students with Dyslexia in All Classroom Settings

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The International Dyslexia Association prepared this fact sheet describing reasonable accommodations involving materials, interactive instruction, and student performance to help children with learning problems in general education and special education classrooms.

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One area of assessing an individual with dyslexia is reading performance. In this assessment it focuses on letter-sound knowledge, word decoding, reading fluency, spelling encoding, and reading comprehension.

The other area of assessing an individual with dyslexia is cognitive processes. In this assessment it focuses on phonological awareness, phonological memory, orthographic awareness, rapid naming, processing speed, and working memory.

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Dyslexia in the Schools: Assessment and Identification

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Schools and teachers play an essential role in identifying students with reading difficulties, including dyslexia. This article offers a 5-step framework for identifying reading difficulties and determining if a student is eligible for special education services under IDEA - including the role of RTI, cognitive processing tests, and other statewide assessments and curriculum-based measures.

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- Dyslexia is a learning disability that is specifically with reading. This includes them having trouble with reading comprehension, spelling, and writing. However, this does not mean that they are not intelligent.
- People with this disability have trouble reading fluently.
- When someone else is reading to them they do not have a problem with comprehending what they are saying.

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Dyslexia is a learning disability in reading. People with dyslexia have trouble reading at a good pace and without mistakes. They may also have a hard time with reading comprehension, spelling, and writing. But these challenges aren't a problem with intelligence.

Snapshot: What dyslexia is

Dyslexia is a common condition that makes it hard to work with language. Some experts believe that between 5 and 10 percent of people have it. Others say as many as 17 percent of people show signs of reading challenges.

People with dyslexia don't outgrow it. But there are teaching approaches and strategies that can help them improve their reading skills and manage the challenges. People of any age can be tested for dyslexia, although the tests are different for adults than for kids.

People with dyslexia typically have trouble reading fluently. They often read slowly and make mistakes. That can impact how well they comprehend what they read. But when other people read to them, they often have no problem understanding the text.

Dyslexia can create difficulty with other skills, too. These include:

It's important to know that while dyslexia impacts learning, it's not a problem of intelligence. People with dyslexia are just as smart as their peers. There are countless stories about people thriving with dyslexia, including actors, entrepreneurs, and elected officials.

Dyslexia signs and symptoms

Dyslexia impacts people in different ways. So, symptoms might not look the same from one person to another.

A key sign of dyslexia is trouble decoding words. This is the ability to match letters to sounds. Kids can also struggle with a more basic skill called phonemic awareness. This is the ability to recognize the sounds in words. Trouble with phonemic awareness can show up as early as preschool.

In some people, dyslexia isn't picked up until later on, when they have trouble with more complex skills. These can include grammar, reading comprehension, reading fluency, sentence structure, and more in-depth writing.

Some of the signs of dyslexia have to do with emotions and behavior. People with dyslexia might avoid reading, both out loud and to themselves. They may even get anxious or frustrated when reading. This can happen even after they've mastered the basics of reading.

Dyslexia doesn't just affect learning. It can also impact everyday skills and activities. These include social interaction, memory, and dealing with stress.

Possible causes of dyslexia

Researchers haven't yet pinpointed exactly what causes dyslexia. But they do know that genes and brain differences play a role. Here are some of the possible causes of dyslexia:

Genes and heredity: Dyslexia often runs in families. About 40 percent of siblings of people with dyslexia also struggle with reading. As many as 49 percent of parents of kids with dyslexia have it, too. Scientists have also found genes linked to problems with reading and processing language.

Brain anatomy and activity: Brain imaging studies have shown brain differences between people with and without dyslexia. These differences happen in areas of the brain involved with key reading skills. Those skills are knowing how sounds are represented in words, and recognizing what written words look like.

But the brain can change. Studies show that brain activity in people with dyslexia changes after they get proper instruction or tutoring. And scientists are learning more all the time.

How dyslexia is diagnosed

Having a diagnosis (schools call it an identification) can lead to supports and services at school, and accommodations at college and work.

There are a few types of professionals who can assess people for dyslexia. These include school psychologists, clinical psychologists, and neuropsychologists. An evaluator will give a series of tests for dyslexia. They'll test in other areas as well to see exactly where any weaknesses and strengths lie.

School evaluations are free. But private ones can be very expensive. In some cases, there are ways to get them for free or at a low cost. Local universities often have programs in psychology that have clinics where students do their training.

Teaching hospitals may have research projects where people can get evaluations for free. Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) has local chapters in every state. They may be able to help with finding free or low-cost options.

About the author

About the author

The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers and editors. Many of them have kids who learn and think differently.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Guinevere Eden, PhD is a professor at Georgetown University and director of its Center for the Study of Learning.

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Dyslexia is a learning disability in reading. Get a definition of dyslexia and learn about the dyslexic brain.

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Children with dyslexia have difficulties with reading and writing. This affects them immensely in school and other places within their lives. In school they will need accommodations in order for them to complete assignments and tests.
The disorder can also affect a child socially. They have issues with expressing themselves due to a lac of social cues and expressive language. Many children with dyslexia suffer with a low self-esteem because of a lack of confidence within learning and social settings.

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Children each learn and develop at their own pace, and reading is no different from other skill building. It's common for kids to find reading challenging at one point or another. But if learning to read becomes an ongoing struggle that leaves a child falling behind their peers, it's possible that they have a learning disorder known as dyslexia.

Dyslexia is most commonly associated with trouble learning to read. It affects a child's ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in language. Kids with dyslexia have a hard time decoding new words, or breaking them down into manageable chunks they can then sound out. This causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling. They may compensate by memorizing words, but they'll have trouble recognizing new words and may be slow in retrieving even familiar ones.

Dyslexia is not a reflection of a child's intelligence - in fact it's defined as a gap between a student's ability and achievement. Some youngsters with dyslexia are able to keep up with their peers with extra effort at least for the first few grades. But by the third grade or so, when they need to be able to read quickly and fluently in order to keep up with their work, they run into trouble.

With help and strategies for compensating for their weakness in decoding, students with dyslexia can learn to read and thrive academically. But dyslexia is not something one grows out of.

How common is dyslexia?

It is estimated that as many as one in five kids has dyslexia, and that 80 to 90 percent of kids with learning disorders have it. Sally Shaywitz, MD, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, notes that many children go undiagnosed as struggles in school are incorrectly attributed to intelligence, level of effort or environmental factors.

Although experts used to say that dyslexia occurred more often in boys than in girls, current research indicates that it affects boys and girls equally.

A young person with dyslexia may:

Struggle with learning even simple rhymes

Have a speech delay

Have trouble following directions

Repeat or omit short words such as and, the, but

Find it difficult to tell left from right

In school, children with dyslexia are likely to:

Have difficulty sounding out new words

Lack fluency compared to other children their age

Reverse letters and numbers when reading (read saw as was, for example)

Find it difficult to take notes and copy down words from the board

Struggle with rhyming, associating sounds with letters, and sequencing and ordering sounds

Stumble and have difficulty spelling even common words; frequently they will spell them phonetically (hrbr instead of harbor)

Avoid being called on to read out loud in front of classmates

Become tired or frustrated from reading

Dyslexia affects children outside of school as well. Kids with dyslexia may also:

Find it difficult to decode logos and signs

Struggle when trying to learn the rules to games

Have difficulty keeping track of multi-step directions

Struggle with getting the hang of telling time

Find it especially challenging to learn another language

Become incredibly frustrated, which can effect their mood and emotional stability

Social and emotional impacts of dyslexia

Dyslexia affects a lot more than reading - it can also impact a child socially. "A dyslexic person who has word-finding difficulties can have trouble with their expressive language," says Scott Bezsylko, the executive director of Winston Preparatory School, which specializes in teaching kids with learning disorders. "That has a social impact, in addition to your difficulties with reading and writing, that make you feel not so good about yourself."

Kids with dyslexia - particularly those who have yet to be diagnosed - often suffer from low self-esteem because they worry that there is something wrong with them, and are often accused of not trying hard enough to learn to read. "A lot of our work with dyslexic kids is to help them rediscover that they are smart and capable," notes Beszylko, "because they've stopped believing in themselves."

How is dyslexia diagnosed?

If your child isn't meeting expectations for reading, as parents you can ask the school district to perform an evaluation and share the results with you. The evaluation will test your child's intellectual capacity and reading skills, to see if there is an achievement gap. It should also rule out other potential causes like environmental factors or hearing impairment.

The school should then make recommendations on how they can support your child and maximize her learning.

If you are unhappy with the quality of the evaluation, you can also secure a private evaluation by a psychologist, a neuropsychologist, a reading specialist, a speech and language therapist, an educational evaluator or a school psychologist. This external evaluation can also be used to advocate for your child and get the accommodations and services she might need.

When should a child be evaluated?

Dyslexia can begin to reveal itself at a young age, and there are preschool evaluations that look at the child's awareness of the sounds that make up words, and ability at word retrieval. However, Matthew Cruger, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute, suggests waiting until kids are at least six years old and have had some formal instruction in reading to seek out a formal evaluation.

But Dr. Shaywitz notes that as soon as a gap between intelligence and reading skills is apparent - and evidence shows it can be seen in first grade - it's a good idea to get help. Schools sometimes encourage parents to wait until the third grade to see if their child truly needs an intervention, but Dr. Shaywitz argues that the earlier intervention is important not only to help kids catch up but to boost their fragile self-image, which is damaged by continuing struggle in school and comparisons with peers.

How to help kids with dyslexia

A dyslexia diagnosis does not mean your child will never learn to read. Dr. Cruger says there are a number of programs that can help, which might include these features:

Multi-sensory instruction in decoding skills

Repetition and review of skills

Intensity of intervention - that is, more than being pulled out of class once a week for extra help

Small group or individual instruction

Teaching decoding skills

Drilling sight words

Teaching comprehension strategies, to help kids derive meaning from what they're reading

Reading programs that been shown to help kids with dyslexia include:

Dr. Cruger points out that traditional tutoring may actually be counter-productive for a child with dyslexia, particularly if it is not a positive experience. "If the child hates the experience of reading help, it's not helpful," Dr. Cruger notes. "And it's not treating the source of the problem, the decoding weakness."

Instead, Dr. Cruger emphasizes that one of the most important ways to help kids with dyslexia is to make them more comfortable reading. This can be done in part by celebrating even small victories and accomplishments, while focusing less on correcting their errors.

Accommodations for kids with dyslexia

Kids with demonstrated dyslexia are eligible for accommodations in school. "Dyslexia robs a person of time," Dr. Shaywitz explains, "and accommodations give the time back to her." Accommodations may include:

Extra time on tests

A quiet space to work

The option to record lectures

The option to give verbal, rather than written, answers (when appropriate)

Elimination of oral reading in class

Exemption from foreign language learning

Other ways to support a child with dyslexia

One of the best ways to support a child with dyslexia - or any child who is struggling - is to encourage those activities that they like and feel good at, whether it is music, joining a sports team or anything else that helps build her confidence.

To help reinforce that dyslexia is not a marker of intelligence, it can also be helpful to talk about successful people - like Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg - who have also been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Other things that may help your child with dyslexia include:

Listening to audio books as an alternative to reading

Typing on a computer or tablet instead of writing

Apps that can make learning fun by turning decoding into a game

Using a ruler to help kids read in a straight line, which can help keep them focused

Emotional support

Dyslexia can result in frustration, embarrassment, avoidance and low self-esteem as a result of difficulties performing tasks that seem to come naturally to others. Demystifying the learning disorder with your child can help him develop the tools - and resilience - necessary to manage it, both in school and in social circumstances. Some things you can do to help include:

Discuss the specific challenges that result from dyslexia: "You know how you have a hard time reading signs or copying notes from the board? That's dyslexia."

Acknowledge their effort and celebrate hard work, even if there are still mistakes: "I know how difficult that reading homework was. I am so proud of how hard you tried."

Help them recognize their strengths: "You showed such great sportsmanship and teamwork in the soccer game the other night, and that was a great goal you scored!"

Combat negative self-talk: If your child starts saying things like, "I'm just stupid," don't ignore it. Instead, check out these ideas for helping kids who are too hard on themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does dyslexia work?

How common is dyslexia?

What helps students with dyslexia?

What are the signs of dyslexia?

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Understanding Dyslexia - Child Mind Institute

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Find out how to recognize dyslexia, the most common learning disability. The Child Mind Institute on how to help kids who have trouble learning to read.

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Children that have dyslexia can also have other diagnosises. It can be common for those with dyslexia to also be diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, dysgraphia, other speech and language disorders, etc.
These all go hand and hand with dyslexia because they involve difficulties with reading, writing, attention span, and focusing on tasks.
Just because there is a chance of being diagnosed with one of these on top of having dyslexia, does not mean that it is a guarantee to have one. Genetics plays a huge role in this disability as well as the others. Connections between specific genes is what would cause a child to have ADHD and dyslexia.

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Dyslexia occurs on a continuum and may look different for different students, in part, because its effects may be exacerbated by a variety of other conditions.

One reason why dyslexia manifests itself differently from one individual to the next is that many students with dyslexia can be affected by co-existing or comorbid challenges. Some students with dyslexia also have Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dysgraphia, dyscalculia, speech/language disorders, executive functioning disorder, and/or anxiety. A description of the most common conditions to accompany dyslexia are described in the text that follows.

Anxiety
Anxiety is a frequent emotional symptom demonstrated by students with dyslexia. For some students, even when in the most supportive school/home environments, frustration, confusion, and anticipation of failure due to their own learning disability often impacts their ability to be successful. Schools and families can work together to provide systematic supports and interventions to enable students to learn to cope with anxiety. Learn more in the section entitled, " Social Emotional Impacts of Dyslexia."

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Dyslexia and ADHD are two distinct conditions that are often comorbid, however, one does not cause the other. A student who is diagnosed with ADHD can present with characteristics such as inattention, distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. According to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), it is estimated that 30% of those with dyslexia have ADHD as well, making it one of the most common co-existing conditions with dyslexia. Upon completion of an evaluation, a physician or psychologist can diagnose the presence of ADHD in a student.

Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a mathematical disability in which a person has unexpected difficulty solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts, such as time, measurement, and spatial reasoning, as defined by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). Like dyslexia, dyscalculia can occur in people at all levels of cognitive ability.

Many of the characteristics of dyscalculia are similar to the characteristics of dyslexia. If a student has problems with working memory, he or she is likely to have trouble memorizing math facts or completing multi-step calculations.

Dysgraphia
The IDA defines dysgraphia as the condition of impaired letter writing by hand, that is, disabled handwriting. This disability can interfere with learning to spell words in writing and the speed of composing and writing text. This condition may occur alone or in the presence of dyslexia.

For instructional purposes, it is important for the teacher to be able to distinguish whether difficulties lie in handwriting only, spelling only, word reading and spelling only (dyslexia), or a combination of handwriting, spelling, and word reading. Students with dysgraphia may benefit from explicit handwriting instruction and early intervention. Keyboarding accommodations can often help these students to compose text more readily.

Executive Functioning Disorder
Executive functioning is the use of skills to organize and act on information. The executive functions are a diverse, but related and overlapping, set of skills that help people manage and control all life tasks.

The following are components of executive functioning

1. Metacognition, or the awareness of one's own thought processes

2. Working memory

3. Attention and focus

4. Self-control

5. Goal-directed persistence

6. Cognitive Flexibility/Shift

Students who have challenges in executive functioning may have difficulty paying attention, remembering details and maintaining control in order to analyze, plan, and organize information to complete tasks. Students may struggle with self-regulation, time management, self-motivation, and metacognitive skills to help with their learning and thinking processes. Executive functioning issues are often present in students diagnosed with ADHD and or dyslexia; however, students who struggle with reading and writing, can also present with these characteristics due to other mitigating factors such as frustration, discouragement, fear of failure, or lack of motivation.

Speech/Language Disorders
Students with dyslexia may also present with common speech/language disorders involving problems in the articulation of sounds and the accuracy of sound production and/or atypical oral language development. Although impairments in language and reading are distinct disorders, they are often closely related conditions. Speech and language are often evaluated as part of a comprehensive evaluation for dyslexia. Speech/language services are accessed through an Individualized Education Program (IEP), for students who qualify. Speech and language disorders can be a stand-alone category of eligibility for special education services as well as a co-existing condition.

The FCPS online dyslexia handbook provides information and resources to FCPS schools and parents alike as they support students with dyslexia.

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Common Co-Existing Conditions with Dyslexia

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Dyslexia occurs on a continuum and may look different for different students, in part, because its effects may be exacerbated by a variety of other conditions. Any of these commonly co-existing conditions can contribute to reading and/or writing difficulties that already exist in these students.

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- Dyslexia is a specific learning disability.
- It is considered a learning disorder because of the trouble someone has with reading can result them interpreting the content differently. Which then leads them struggling to succeed academically.
- People think that dyslexia deals with vision and reversing letters. But dyslexia is actually a language-based disorder.
- People with dyslexia have trouble phonologically with the sounds and pronunciations of words.

https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-basics/.

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What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person's life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special accommodations, or extra support services.

What causes dyslexia?

The exact causes of dyslexia are still not completely clear, but anatomical and brain imagery studies show differences in the way the brain of a person with dyslexia develops and functions. Moreover, most people with dyslexia have been found to have problems with identifying the separate speech sounds within a word and/or learning how letters represent those sounds, a key factor in their reading difficulties. Dyslexia is not due to either lack of intelligence or desire to learn; with appropriate teaching methods, students with dyslexia can learn successfully.

How widespread is dyslexia?

About 13-14% of the school population nationwide has a handicapping condition that qualifies them for special education. Current studies indicate that one half of all the students who qualify for special education are classified as having a learning disability (LD) (6-7%). About 85% of those students have a primary learning disability in reading and language processing. Nevertheless, many more people- perhaps as many as 15-20% of the population as a whole-have some of the symptoms of dyslexia, including slow or inaccurate reading, poor spelling, poor writing, or mixing up similar words. Not all of these will qualify for special education, but they are likely to struggle with many aspects of academic learning and are likely to benefit from systematic, explicit, instruction in reading, writing, and language.

Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels. People with dyslexia can be very bright. They are often capable or even gifted in areas such as art, computer science, design, drama, electronics, math, mechanics, music, physics, sales, and sports.

In addition, dyslexia runs in families; parents with dyslexia are very likely to have children with dyslexia. For some people, their dyslexia is identified early in their lives, but for others, their dyslexia goes unidentified until they get older.

What are the effects of dyslexia?

The impact that dyslexia has is different for each person and depends on the severity of the condition and the effectiveness of instruction or remediation. The core difficulty is with word recognition and reading fluency, spelling, and writing. Some individuals with dyslexia manage to learn early reading and spelling tasks, especially with excellent instruction, but later experience their most debilitating problems when more complex language skills are required, such as grammar, understanding textbook material, and writing essays.

People with dyslexia can also have problems with spoken language, even after they have been exposed to good language models in their homes and good language instruction in school. They may find it difficult to express themselves clearly, or to fully comprehend what others mean when they speak. Such language problems are often difficult to recognize, but they can lead to major problems in school, in the workplace, and in relating to other people. The effects of dyslexia reach well beyond the classroom.

Dyslexia can also affect a person's self-image. Students with dyslexia often end up feeling "dumb" and less capable than they actually are. After experiencing a great deal of stress due to academic problems, a student may become discouraged about continuing in school.

How is dyslexia diagnosed?

Before referring a student for a comprehensive evaluation, a school or district may choose to track a student's progress with a brief screening test and identify whether the student is progressing at a "benchmark" level that predicts success in reading. If a student is below that benchmark (which is equivalent to about the 40th percentile nationally), the school may immediately deliver intensive and individualized supplemental reading instruction before determining whether the student needs a comprehensive evaluation that would lead to a designation of special education eligibility. Some students simply need more structured and systematic instruction to get back on track; they do not have learning disabilities. For those students and even for those with dyslexia, putting the emphasis on preventive or early intervention makes sense. There is no benefit to the child if special instruction is delayed for months while waiting for an involved testing process to occur. These practices of teaching first, and then determining who needs diagnostic testing based on response to instruction, are encouraged by federal policies known as Response to Intervention (RTI). Parents should know, however, that at any point they have the right to request a comprehensive evaluation under the IDEA law, whether or not the student is receiving instruction under an RTI model.

A comprehensive evaluation typically includes intellectual and academic achievement testing, as well as an assessment of the critical underlying language skills that are closely linked to dyslexia. These include receptive (listening) and expressive language skills, phonological skills including phonemic awareness, and also a student's ability to rapidly name letters and numbers. A student's ability to read lists of words in isolation, as well as words in context, should also be assessed. If a profile emerges that is characteristic of readers with dyslexia, an individualized intervention plan should be developed, which should include appropriate accommodations, such as extended time. The testing can be conducted by trained school or outside specialists. (See the Dyslexia Assessment Fact Sheet for more information.)

What are the signs of dyslexia?

The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using written language. It is a myth that individuals with dyslexia "read backwards," although spelling can look quite jumbled at times because students have trouble remembering letter symbols for sounds and forming memories for words. Other problems experienced by people with dyslexia include the following:

Learning to speak

Learning letters and their sounds

Organizing written and spoken language

Memorizing number facts

Reading quickly enough to comprehend

Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments

Spelling

Learning a foreign language

Correctly doing math operations

Not all students who have difficulties with these skills have dyslexia. Formal testing of reading, language, and writing skills is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of suspected dyslexia.

How is dyslexia treated?

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition. With proper help, many people with dyslexia can learn to read and write well. Early identification and treatment is the key to helping individuals with dyslexia achieve in school and in life. Most people with dyslexia need help from a teacher, tutor, or therapist specially trained in using a multisensory, structured language approach. It is important for these individuals to be taught by a systematic and explicit method that involves several senses (hearing, seeing, touching) at the same time. Many individuals with dyslexia need one-on-one help so that they can move forward at their own pace. In addition, students with dyslexia often need a great deal of structured practice and immediate, corrective feedback to develop automatic word recognition skills. For students with dyslexia, it is helpful if their outside academic therapists work closely with classroom teachers.

Schools can implement academic accommodations and modifications to help students with dyslexia succeed. For example, a student with dyslexia can be given extra time to complete tasks, help with taking notes, and work assignments that are modified appropriately. Teachers can give recorded tests or allow students with dyslexia to use alternative means of assessment.

Students can benefit from listening to audiobooks and using text reading and word processing computer programs. Students may also need help with emotional issues that sometimes arise as a consequence of difficulties in school. Mental health specialists can help students cope with their struggles.

What are the rights of a person with dyslexia?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) define the rights of students with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities. These individuals are legally entitled to special services to help them overcome and accommodate their learning problems. Such services include education programs designed to meet the needs of these students. The Acts also protect people with dyslexia against unfair and illegal discrimination.

Suggested Readings

Moats, L. C., & Dakin, K. E. (2008). Basic facts about dyslexia and other reading problems. Baltimore: The International Dyslexia Association.

Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for reading problems at any level. New York: Knopf.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) thanks Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D., and Karen E. Dakin, M.Ed., for their assistance in the preparation of this fact sheet.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA). IDA encourages the reproduction and distribution of this fact sheet.

If portions of the text are cited, appropriate reference must be made. Fact sheets may not be reprinted for the purpose of resale.
© Copyright 2020. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA). For copyright information, please click here.

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Dyslexia Basics - International Dyslexia Association

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Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language

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There are many statistics regarding the prevalence of Dyslexia. 70%-80% of people with poor reading skills are likely dyslexic. 30% of children with Dyslexia also have at least a mild form of AD/HD. 80% of children with an IEP have reading difficulty and 85% of those are Dyslexic. Finally, nearly the same percentage of males and females have Dyslexia.

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Researchers have found multiple genes that connect to dyslexia and other reading and language processing issues. They each play their own role in brain development. They work together, not just one gene causes dyslexia. If you have dyslexia, there is a great chance your child could also have dyslexia.

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At a glance

Researchers are looking into a number of potential causes of dyslexia.

They've found several genes that are linked to reading and language processing issues.

There are brain differences between people who have dyslexia and those who don't.

Dyslexia is the most common learning difference. It affects about 5 to 12 percent of kids. So what causes this lifelong condition? There's no clear answer yet. But researchers are looking at a number of factors, including the role of genes and the brain.

Learn more about the potential causes of dyslexia.

Dyslexia, genes, and heredity

Dyslexia runs in families. As many as 49 percent of parents of kids with dyslexia also have it. And about 40 percent of siblings will also struggle with reading.

Researchers have been looking at specific genes. So far, they've found several genes that are linked to reading and language processing issues.

These genes likely play slightly different roles. Some are thought to impact brain development. Others are thought to impact how the brain communicates. So your child's reading difficulties probably aren't due to just one gene.

If you have dyslexia in your family, there's an increased chance that your child will have dyslexia, too. So it's important to be vigilant and communicate any concerns to your child's teachers. See a list of signs of dyslexia at different ages.

Dyslexia and differences in the brain

A lot of dyslexia research uses a type of brain scan called MRI. Scans are used for different purposes. Some look at brain structure. Others look at brain function associated with a task (like reading). And some measure the brain's chemistry.

In all of these areas, researchers have seen differences between people who have dyslexia and those who don't.

For example, the parts of the brain involved in reading don't function the same in people with dyslexia as they do in others. Functional MRI (fMRI) scans show that some areas are less active. That can make it hard for kids with dyslexia to learn to read.

But fMRI studies also show that the brain can change. This concept is known as neuroplasticity. Researchers have looked at scans taken before and after people with dyslexia had effective reading instruction. The images show a different pattern of brain activity. (See a graphic that shows how reading changes the brain.)

The connection to other learning and thinking differences

Many kids with dyslexia have other learning and thinking differences as well. It's common for kids to have both dyslexia and ADHD, for instance. Anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of kids with ADHD also have dyslexia. There's been little research into the connection, but experts think genes may play a role. Watch as an expert explains the overlap between ADHD and dyslexia.

Kids with dyslexia often also have dyscalculia. Research suggests that there may be a genetic link between difficulty with reading and difficulty with math. Learn more about dyslexia, dyscalculia, and genetics.

Key takeaways

Dyslexia runs in families.

The parts of the brain involved in reading work differently in people with dyslexia than they do in others.

Dyslexia doesn't go away. But with good instruction and practice, kids with dyslexia can improve at reading.

About the author

About the author

The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers and editors. Many of them have kids who learn and think differently.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Guinevere Eden, PhD is a professor at Georgetown University and director of its Center for the Study of Learning.

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Researchers are looking into a number of potential causes of dyslexia. They've found several genes that are linked to reading and language processing issues. There are brain differences between people who have dyslexia and those who don't. Dyslexia is the most common learning difference. It affects about 5 to 12 percent of kids.

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* Genetics
* Low birth weight or premature birth
* Fetal alcohol syndrome or being exposed to drugs while in the womb

While dyslexia is often a disability that children are born with, it can also be caused by other factors after birth. Acquired dyslexia can be caused by traumatic brain injuries, strokes, neglect, and exposure to extreme stress.

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Brain Diseases
Back to Brain Diseases

What Is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disorder that causes difficulties with reading and processing written language. Symptoms are often discovered when children learn to read. In school, children may struggle to retain language, remember the symbols for certain sounds, and understand the grammar and syntax needed to communicate in writing. While the condition is most often identified in elementary school, a diagnosis can come at any time in a person's life. Dyslexia has no connection to intelligence-only to the complicated brain functions needed to process written language.

Dyslexia is the most common reason for difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling, and affects individuals regardless of gender or socio-economic background. It also occurs in populations across all languages.

#1

Most common learning disorder

15-20%

Of individuals diagnosed with a language-based learning

Up to 20%

Of individuals affected by some symptoms of dyslexia

Signs & Symptoms

Movies and media often portray dyslexia by having letters and words shift on a page. In reality, the signs and symptoms are more complicated-and can differ from case to case. People with the illness typically experience slow reading; adding, missing, or transposing letters in words; needing to read something two or three times to comprehend its meaning; and discomfort when reading out loud. Sometimes, it also affects spoken language and can make conversations difficult to join and understand.

The signs of dyslexia often look different depending on age. In young children, it can show up as a delay in talking, reversing sounds in words, and trouble remembering colors, letters, and shapes. Children may also struggle to remember nursery rhymes or songs. Once children begin school, symptoms often include reading below grade level, avoiding activities that involve reading, and experiencing difficulty answering questions, sequencing events, and sounding out unknown words.

Sometimes, dyslexia is not diagnosed until someone grows into a teenager or an adult. In those cases, symptoms can include reading slowly, mispronouncing or misspelling words, and experiencing difficulty with memorization and activities that require it, such as learning a foreign language or solving math problems. Teens and adults with dyslexia may also have trouble grasping jokes and wordplay or summarizing a story.

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Dyslexia: What It Is & What Causes It | ABF

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Brain Diseases Back to Brain Diseases Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disorder that causes difficulties with reading and processing written language. Symptoms are often discovered when children learn to read. In school, children may struggle to retain language, remember the symbols for certain sounds, and understand the grammar and syntax needed to communicate in writing.

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- Little to no coding abilities: difficulty with acurately reading and sounding out words or phrases
- Poor fluency: slower and inaccurate reading
- Lack of spelling: difficult time when it comes to spelling whether words are common or not
- Poor comprehension: difficulty with reading and spelling can lead to poor comprehension

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Dyslexia is comprised of three central components: struggles with word reading, spelling and/or reading fluency. The profile of a student with dyslexia contains one or more of these weaknesses, but the severity will vary across students. Since dyslexia occurs on a continuum of severity, the expression of dyslexia will appear different across students. Learn more in the section entitled, " Definition and Continuum of Dyslexia."

Thus, dyslexia does not have a uniform profile; it can look different for different people. The clinical signs and symptoms can also overlap or coincide with other disorders, called co-existing or comorbid conditions, which may add to the complexity. Learn more in the section entitled, " Common Co-existing Conditions with Dyslexia."

There are, however, some common characteristics that set dyslexia apart from other types of reading and writing difficulties, disabilities, and disorders. Dyslexia is a language-based reading disorder. The primary characteristics of dyslexia are as follows:

Poor decoding: Difficulty accurately reading (or sounding out) unknown words;

Poor fluency: Slow, inaccurate, or labored oral reading (slow reading rate);

Poor spelling: Difficulty with learning to spell, or with spelling words, even common words, accurately.

Poor reading comprehension: In moderate to severe cases, poor decoding and limited fluency can interfere with reading comprehension, even if oral language comprehension skills are adequate.

The main sources for these characteristic difficulties, which can be identified in psychological evaluations, are as follows:

Weak phonological awareness, including segmenting (or breaking apart), blending (or putting together), and manipulating (or changing) the spoken syllables and sounds in words;

Weak phonics skills, starting with learning the names of letters and their associated sounds; Once the letters and their sounds have been learned, the reader must apply this knowledge to printed words. This process requires orthographic mapping, which refers to matching the speech sounds (the phonemes) to the appropriate letters or letter patterns (graphemes).

Poor phonological memory or working memory (difficulty holding information about sounds and words in memory in order to use this information to read or spell);

Difficulty with rapid naming of familiar objects, colors, numbers, or letters of the alphabet.

Learn more in the section entitled, " Continuum of Assessments for Dyslexia."

SIGNS OF DYSLEXIA

People with dyslexia exhibit particular strengths and difficulties at different stages in their education. Some of the characteristics are more likely to be present in young children, whereas others are more apparent in adolescents.

Dyslexia has sometimes been referred to as a "hidden disability" because students with dyslexia may exhibit strengths in cognitive abilities that can then mask their difficulties. Thus, examining typical strengths alongside typical difficulties can be enlightening in understanding the signs of dyslexia.

The distinctive strengths and difficulties of people with dyslexia at different ages and stages are presented in the resource entitled, "Signs of Dyslexia."
MYTHS OR COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DYSLEXIA
Dyslexia has a long history of being a misunderstood reading difficulty. In fact, in 1887 a German ophthalmologist, Rudolf Berlin, first coined the term "dyslexia" to replace its previous label of "word blindness."

There are many myths, misconceptions, and incorrect definitions of dyslexia still circulating today. Families and educators should be aware of these myths so they can align their thinking with the facts available. Here is a collection of the most common myths and misconceptions regarding students with dyslexia.

People who have dyslexia will never be able to read.

If you are "smart," you cannot have dyslexia.

Dyslexia is more common in boys.

People can outgrow dyslexia.

Dyslexia is an oral language disorder.

Students with dyslexia see or write words and letters backwards more than students without dyslexia.

All readers who struggle have dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a rare learning disability

Poor instruction causes dyslexia.

Dyslexia is caused by a lack of effort toward learning how to read.

There is only one evidence-based program for dyslexia intervention.

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What does dyslexia look like? How do I know if my child or student is showing signs of dyslexia? Dyslexia can look different for different people. However, there are some common characteristics of dyslexia, and signs you can look for in people of all ages.

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https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Special-Education/Specific-Learning-Disability-and-SLD---Dyslexia

People who struggle with dyslexia tend to have deficits in:
* Reading at the appropriate age level
* Spelling
* Remembering sequences
* Recognizing patterns
* Writing
* Comprehension during class
* Fluency skills

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Overview

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called a reading disability, dyslexia is a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language.

Dyslexia is not due to problems with intelligence, hearing or vision. Most children with dyslexia can succeed in school with tutoring or a specialized education program. Emotional support also plays an important role.

Though there's no cure for dyslexia, early assessment and intervention result in the best outcome. Sometimes dyslexia goes undiagnosed for years and isn't recognized until adulthood, but it's never too late to seek help.

Symptoms

Signs of dyslexia can be difficult to recognize before your child enters school, but some early clues may indicate a problem. Once your child reaches school age, your child's teacher may be the first to notice a problem. Severity varies, but the condition often becomes apparent as a child starts learning to read.

Before school

Signs that a young child may be at risk of dyslexia include:

Late talking

Learning new words slowly

Problems forming words correctly, such as reversing sounds in words or confusing words that sound alike

Problems remembering or naming letters, numbers and colors

Difficulty learning nursery rhymes or playing rhyming games

School age

Once your child is in school, dyslexia symptoms may become more apparent, including:

Reading well below the expected level for age

Problems processing and understanding what is heard

Difficulty finding the right word or forming answers to questions

Problems remembering the sequence of things

Difficulty seeing (and occasionally hearing) similarities and differences in letters and words

Inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word

Difficulty spelling

Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve reading or writing

Avoiding activities that involve reading

Teens and adults

Dyslexia signs in teens and adults are a lot like those in children. Some common dyslexia symptoms in teens and adults include:

Difficulty reading, including reading aloud

Slow and labor-intensive reading and writing

Problems spelling

Avoiding activities that involve reading

Mispronouncing names or words, or problems retrieving words

Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve reading or writing

Difficulty summarizing a story

Trouble learning a foreign language

Difficulty doing math word problems

When to see a doctor

Though most children are ready to learn reading by kindergarten or first grade, children with dyslexia often have trouble learning to read by that time. Talk with your health care provider if your child's reading level is below what's expected for your child's age or if you notice other signs of dyslexia.

When dyslexia goes undiagnosed and untreated, childhood reading difficulties continue into adulthood.

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Causes

Dyslexia results from individual differences in the parts of the brain that enable reading. It tends to run in families. Dyslexia appears to be linked to certain genes that affect how the brain processes reading and language.

Risk factors

A family history of dyslexia or other reading or learning disabilities increases the risk of having dyslexia.

Complications

Dyslexia can lead to several problems, including:

Trouble learning. Because reading is a skill basic to most other school subjects, a child with dyslexia is at a disadvantage in most classes and may have trouble keeping up with peers.

Social problems. Left untreated, dyslexia may lead to low self-esteem, behavior problems, anxiety, aggression, and withdrawal from friends, parents and teachers.

Problems as adults. The inability to read and comprehend can prevent children from reaching their potential as they grow up. This can have negative long-term educational, social and economic impacts.

Children who have dyslexia are at increased risk of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and vice versa. ADHD can cause difficulty keeping attention. It can also cause hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, which can make dyslexia harder to treat.

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This learning disorder involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words.

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Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities to affect children. In the US, NIH research has shown that dyslexia affects 1 in every 5 people. There are different forms of dyslexia, some experience a mild form, while others experience dyslexia in a more severe way.

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Upon completion of this section, you will: Be able to discern fact from fiction concerning common dyslexia myths Understand why dyslexia can be misunderstood by the general public Use your understanding about dyslexia to inform others It is important to be aware of some of the popular misconceptions and myths surrounding dyslexia and l

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- Tends to speak later than others
- Troubles with learning letters, numbers, shapes, colors, etc.
- Difficulties while focusing, following directions and routines
- Consistent reading and spelling errors
- Can reverse letters and their sequences
- Finds writing difficult
- Mixes up basic phrases and words
- Has troubles with open-ended questions and tests
- Hard time grasping abstract concepts

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Common Characteristics of Dyslexia

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND ADULTS

The good news about learning disabilities is that scientists are learning more every day. Their research provides hope and direction.

If parents, teachers, and other professionals discover a child's learning disability early and provide the right kind of help, it can give the child a chance to develop skills needed to lead a successful and productive life.

A recent National Institutes of Health study showed that 67% of young students who were at risk for reading difficulties became average or above average readers after receiving help in the early grades.

Parents are often the first to notice that "something doesn't seem right." If you are aware of the common signs of learning disabilities, you will be able to recognize potential problems early.

Most people will, from time to time, see one or more of the warning signs in their children. This is normal. If, however, you see several of these characteristics over a long period of time, consider the possibility of a learning disability.

Source: Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities.

What if I see the signs of a learning disability?

Know your child's strengths

Collect information about your child's performance

Have your child evaluated

Work as a team to help your child

Talk to your child about learning disabilities

Find accommodations that can help

Monitor your child's progress

Know your legal rights

Organize information about your child's learning disability:

1. Start a folder of all letters and materials related to your child's education

2. Add copies of school files and names and dates of all tests and results, including medical exams and information from other professionals

3. Collect samples of schoolwork that demonstrate your child's difficulties, as well as strengths

4. Keep a contact log of discussions with professionals

5. Keep a log of your own observations

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Common Characteristics of Dyslexia - IDA Tennessee

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Common Characteristics of Dyslexia PRESCHOOL Speaks later than most children Pronunciation problems Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word Difficulty rhyming words Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, [...]

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Do/Can any other disabilities exist in addition to this primary diagnosis?

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Identify challenges in the following areas:
- School
- Home
- Community
- Employment (for adults)
- Relationships
- Social and Emotional

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This week, you will be working in groups based upon your chosen disability. During each class, you will be given a set of criterion to follow to construct your own research and find resources to create a disability padlet. On Friday of this week, you will be teaching another group about your disability using the padlet you have created, which will lead into our second edition of the Who Am I? Demystification poster regarding Specific Learning Disabilities.

Tasks: Conduct your own research (I have given you a head start with the resource hub) on each of the subtopics for each day. As always, based on course policy, do not copy and paste. Quote, summarize, and paraphrase. For each subtopic, you will also be required to find two resources (videos, links, websites, pdfs, etc.) to assist and teach others. Provide a brief description for each of your resources as well.

Subtopics: In each subtopic, you will need the following:
- Defining, summarizing, quoting, or paraphrasing to give an understanding of each one.
- Two resources + an explanation of each one.