Dyslexia - Let's Understand it Better

Dyslexia is essentially difficulty with decoding and spelling fluency which is evident from the early school years and persistent over time. The important words here are persistent and fluency. So despite having received the same instruction in reading as their peers and having acquired some skills in how to read, children with dyslexia are known to have consistent difficulty generalizing their reading skills to new words. Thus, reading fluently, that is reading without pauses/interruptions/estimations is difficult for them. Taking time to break down words becomes part of their reading process and so reading seems like a chore.

To be diagnosed as dyslexia, the disorder must affect a child's academic functioning to a significant degree. That is, the child must be performing worse than their peers in language-based areas of their curriculum. Additionally, this difficulty in decoding and spelling should not be due to lack of instruction or age-appropriate interventions. In fact, if the child responds readily to a little more intervention and support in language-based areas, then they probably do not have dyslexia. Another factor that is important to know especially when assessing for dyslexia is the presence of co-morbid disorders. Co-morbid disorders are disorders that are often found to be present within the same individual. For example, anxiety and depression are co-morbid disorders. Research indicates that around 40% of children with dyslexia often present with another disorder as well.

Dyslexia is often present with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyscalculia (math-related learning disorder), communication issues, comprehension as well as phonological and auditory-related issues. If you think about it, reading is basically mapping the structure of a letter/word to the sound that it makes and then using this knowledge to sound out words. Children with dyslexia present with difficulty in making these structure-sound associations, and the manner in which this is present can vary. Some are known to have difficulty with memorizing basic structure-sound associations, others have difficulty discriminating between different sounds, and yet others have difficulty retrieving words/names of things from memory. Thus, while phonological impairment is considered a core part of the diagnostic process, it may not present the complete range of issues a child with dyslexia may suffer from.

The most effective evidence-based interventions for dyslexia are phonologically based. This generally involves strengthening the child's awareness of phonemes (units of sound that distinguish one word from another), awareness of letters (done through multiple modalities of learning letters such as visual, tactile, verbal, etc.) and combining these with regular, supportive, structured reading practice.

Reading is such a core skill that is taught early and becomes the basis for all other learning. Thus, when a chid has dyslexia, there is an increased risk of a range of emotional and behavioral difficulties that can persist into adulthood. As with any disorder, early intervention is always ideal.

Links to Resources:

• Dyslexia Resource Center: https://www.dyslexiasc.org/useful-resources

• Tammy's Teaching Tools: https://tammysteachingtools.com/25-exceptional-dyslexia-resources-you-need-to-explore/

• Stanford University: https://dyslexia.stanford.edu/resources-for-parents/