Reading is one of the most important skills your child needs to master. He will need to read in every subject in school and in almost every facet of life. Suzy’s case is typical. Suzy has dyslexia. “Dr. Silbert, maybe you can tell me what’s wrong with Suzy. Does she have dyslexia or some other learning problem? She reads the word ‘ride’ over and over on page one. Then she turns the page and can’t remember how to read the word ‘ride’. She acts like she’s never seen it before. She also skips words and puts them in. I can’t help it, but I end up yelling at her and she ends up crying. Something’s wrong!
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning disability. People with dyslexia have trouble with some or all of the following: unscrambling words, combining letters, reading fluently, reading orally, and understanding what they have read. Dyslexia is a neurological disorder, often genetic, that interferes with language processing. Although dyslexia appears to be a visual problem, it is not. Actually, it’s more about listening than seeing. More specifically, dyslexia is associated with difficulties in receptive and expressive language, including phonological processing. Some professionals, however, use the term “dyslexia” to refer broadly to reading problems in general. Unfortunately, reading problems caused by dyslexia spill over into every part of the school curriculum: social studies, science, and English, even word problems in math. It is important to address a reading difficulty as early as possible because children can develop emotional problems as a result of the frustration, disappointment, guilt, anger, and fear associated with their inability to read easily. Dyslexia can seriously affect your child’s success in school. Fortunately, dyslexia tests can be used to diagnose and identify the various types of dyslexia. Once a child has been diagnosed with dyslexia, parents can get help with their child’s reading challenges.
What are the symptoms of dyslexia?
Has difficulty learning the alphabet – Exhibits speech and language problems – Does not understand rhyming words – Has difficulty associating a sound with its written symbol – Skips words or adds extra words when reading – Switches words while reading – Guess words from wild way – Reads a word correctly several times on a page, but then forgets it within seconds – Reads slowly and with great difficulty – Knows very few words for his age and grade level – Comprehends poorly – Comprehends well but has difficulty deciphering – Cries or gets angry when asked to read
How can parents help their dyslexic child?
1. Have your child tested. Have your child evaluated for a learning disability at school. Tell your child’s teacher or principal that you think your child might have dyslexia. You can also have your child evaluated by a qualified professional outside of the school.
2. Gather information. If your child is classified as dyslexic or learning disabled, find out about classes, accommodations, and electronic support systems from your state department of education and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
3. Read about dyslexia. “Overcoming Dyslexia” by Dr. Sally Shaywitz, is an excellent resource.
4. Get audiobooks from your child’s school or the library. Audiobooks help middle and high school students read literature, history, and science books.
5. Find a dyslexia tutor. Hire a qualified reading tutor who uses a phonics-based reading program like Orton-Gillingham.
6. Play memory and word games. Make phonics flash cards.
7. Improve fluency. Read easy-to-read books with your child, one or two levels below grade level. Computerized books or reading books and audio books also help improve fluency. Reading poems and plays over and over again also works.
Raising a dyslexic child requires patience. Be sure to give your child adequate time. Those with reading problems tend to need more time than the average reader because they use different neural pathways in the brain when decoding. Although they will eventually read and even become great readers, they will still need more time.