Tips for Parents: Dyslexia | PDF
Español/Spanish: Consejos para padres - La dislexia
Often times when children have difficulties with reading and writing, they are considered to be slow learners. The real problem may be a learning disability called Dyslexia.
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is one type of learning disability that affects how a child perceives and processes words, numbers, and symbols. Dyslexia affects an estimated 10 percent of all school children. Dyslexia was first identified in 1899 by an eye surgeon in Glasgow, Scotland.
Tips for Parents: Signs to Look For
In most cases, signs of dyslexia show up as soon as children begin learning to read. The most common clue is when a child perceives the letters of a word backwards, upside-down, or reversed. A child’s writing can also show evidence of dyslexia if words and letters are written in a jumbled manner.
Other signs to look for include difficulties in sounding out words, weak spelling skills, a problem remembering new words, poor hand-eye coordination, and difficulty comprehending what is read.
Is it Permanent?
Although dyslexia has traditionally been regarded as a permanent disorder, Yale school of Medicine finds that dyslexia varies in severity and in duration. The traditional view has been that dyslexic children are somehow distinct and different from children who are just poor readers. Yale suggests that “dyslexia occurs along a continuum with normal reading ability.”1 In other words, children can grow out of their dyslexia as they grow in the reading process.
For more information:
The International Dyslexia Association is a non-profit organization that offers leadership in language programs, research, and publication—all related to dyslexia.
“Dyslexia—The Signs to Look For,” a video from The Learning Community.
Stowe, Cynthia. “How To Reach and Teach Children and Teens with Dyslexia: A Parent and Teacher Guide to Helping Students of All Ages Academically, Socially, and Emotionally”. Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Marshall, Abigail. “The Everything Parent's Guide To Children With Dyslexia: All You Need To Ensure Your Child's Success”. Adams Media Corporation, 2004
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