Dyslexia: What is it? Does your child have it?

The second question parents ask me when their child has a learning problem is, “Does my child have dyslexia?”. (The first is, “Does my child have ADD?”).

First, dyslexia is NOT a visual problem. Just because your child reverses letters or puts capital letters in the wrong place does not mean that he or she is dyslexic. Dyslexics see words correctly, the problem is in how their brain processes the information their eyes deliver.

The normal way children learn to read is by breaking a word into separate bits of sound and then putting the sounds back together to make a word. ( You know, the kuh, ahh, tuh that makes ‘cat’). Gradually children learn to do this automatically and then they can concentrate on the meaning of the words they are reading or writing. Dyslexics can’t do this, or can’t do it easily. For them every word is a special code that has to be worked out every time they see it.

This makes reading and writing very difficult and time consuming.

So how do you know if your child has dyslexia? Check out the following list and if your child has most of the symptoms you might want to get him or her assessed.

Sign of dyslexia
* Late in learning to talk
* Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.
* Confusion with words such as before/after, right/left and so on
* Reverses letters or the order of words when reading
* Difficulty remembering the sounds of the letters
* Misreads or omits common little words
* Makes many spelling mistakes
* “Stumbles” through long words.
* Tests well orally, but not on written exams.
(International Reading Association)

The effect of having these problems leads to -
* Children being labeled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, “not trying hard enough,” or “behavior problem.”
* Your child is not thought of as being “behind enough” or “bad enough” to be helped in the school setting.
* Your child feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses; is easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.
* He or she may “Zone out” or daydream ; get lost easily or loses track of time.
* Has problems sustaining attention; seems “hyper” or considered “daydreamer.”

A Warning!

Many of the above symptoms and their effects can be caused by other learning problems. Do not assume that your child has dyslexia just because he or she is struggling to read or write. There may be other reasons your child has a learning issue. Check out my article on ‘The uses and abuses of Educational Assessments’ before you go any further.