Dyslexia

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, that results in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia often experience difficulties with both oral and written other language skills, such as writing, and pronouncing words and writing. 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 without phonics-based reading instruction that is unavailable in most public schools.”

- International Dyslexia Association

Bright Children Who Struggle to Read

Dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in learning to read. This means that a typically bright child has trouble with language and reading skills that are in contrast to their overall intelligence. While people with dyslexia have difficulty learning to read, they often are very fast and creative thinkers. Dyslexia is highly prevalent, affecting 20% of all people.

1 in 5 children are Dyslexic

Extraordinary progress in brain research and functional brain imagining has proven that dyslexic children use different brain pathways to learn than "typical" learners. Scientists now speak of the neural signature of dyslexia, a singular achievement that for the first time has made what was previously a hidden disability now visible. The good news is that the brains are essentially like Play-Doh, and can be molded with appropriate intervention.

The Orton-Gillingham Approach

Using a structured, phonics-based, multi-sensory approach to reading and writing will create better connections in the brain that lead to a solid foundation for future learning. The Orton-Gillingham approach to literacy is scientifically proven to help students learn to read, whether they have dyslexia or not.

Early Signs of Dyslexia

Since reading is based on spoken language, clues can appear before a child starts school.

Preschool signs may include:
- Trouble rhyming
- Trouble learning common nursery rhymes
- Mispronounced words (i.e., busgetti for spaghetti, mawn lower for lawn mower)
- Often unable to recall the right word
- Difficulty following multi-step directions or routines
- Trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes, how to spell and write his or her name

Kindergarten and 1st Grade signs may include:
- Failure to break apart a simple word into its letter sounds
  (bat = b, aah, t)
- Failure to put individual sounds together to create a word
  (b, aah, t = bat)
- Inability to play with the sounds of words
  (take the word bat, and change the beginning sound to /h/ = hat)
- Continued trouble with rhyming
- Often unable to recall the right word
- Difficulty telling and/or retelling a story in the correct sequence
- Difficulty associating letters with their sounds
- Inability to sound out simple words such as dog, hop, nap
- Complaints about how hard reading and writing are or avoidance of these activities
- A history of reading problems in parents or siblings

Early Intervention is KEY

If your child is struggling to read, it is important to get they right type of intervention as soon as possible. You don't need a diagnosis of dyslexia to begin the tutoring process. I will be able to screen your child for dyslexia symptoms and make a recommendation for further testing.