Dyslexia

Dyslexia, also called developmental reading disorder, is a learning disability that impacts comprehension or fluency accuracy with regard to reading.

Symptoms frequently include difficulty connecting the letters of words with language sounds, difficulty recognizing written words, transposition of letters and/or numbers, and difficulty determining the meaning of sentences.

Dyslexia may impact a child's life by causing problems in school and affecting their self-esteem. Reading problems in childhood can persist into adulthood if not addressed.

Treatments for dyslexia include remedial instruction in school, special classes, individual education plans, private tutoring, and lots of positive reinforcement.

Signs and Symptoms:

• Reads slowly and painfully
• Experiences decoding errors, especially with the order of letters
• Shows wide disparity between listening comprehension and reading comprehension of some text
• Has trouble with spelling
• May have difficulty with handwriting
• Exhibits difficulty recalling known words
• Has difficulty with written language
• May experience difficulty with math computations
• Decoding real words is better than nonsense words
• Substitutes one small sight word for another: a, I, he, the, there, was

Strategies

• Provide a quiet area for activities like reading, answering comprehension questions
• Use books on tape or radio and videos
• Use books with large print and big spaces between lines
• Provide a copy of class notes
• Don’t count spelling on history, social studies or other similar tests
• Allow alternative forms for book reports
• Allow the use of a tablet or other computer for in-class essays
• Use multi-sensory teaching methods
• Teach students to use logic rather than rote memory
• Present material in small units