All About Dyslexia
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My child struggles with reading. Could it be dyslexia?
It is possible! Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with recognizing words, decoding words, spelling, and reading fluency (reading rate and accuracy).
What is dyslexia?
According to the International Dyslexia Association, “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties in word reading and/or spelling that involve accuracy, speed, or both and vary depending on the orthography. These difficulties occur along a continuum of severity and persist even with instruction that is effective for the individual’s peers. The causes of dyslexia are complex and involve combinations of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences that interact throughout development. Underlying difficulties with phonological and morphological processing are common but not universal, and early oral language weaknesses often foreshadow literacy challenges. Secondary consequences include reading comprehension problems and reduced reading and writing experience that can impede growth in language, knowledge, written expression, and overall academic achievement. Psychological well-being and employment opportunities also may be affected. Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective.”
What does dyslexia look besides struggling to read?
In addition to difficulties with reading, a dyslexic child may struggle with other aspects of school such as writing, handwriting, and spelling, as well as other subjects such as math, science, and social studies. When we think of dyslexia, we generally think of struggling to read, but in reality, it affects many more aspects of daily life.
Does my child have to be "behind" or struggling in order to be dyslexic?
No! It is a myth that a child has to be struggling in order to be dyslexic. A child can be considered gifted and talented, but yet be dyslexic.
A dyslexic child may excel in other areas, such as art, music, science, technology, math, dance, sports, etc. Dyslexia may interfere a little bit or a lot, but that does not mean that your child is struggling or behind in everything he/she does.
Does dyslexia ever go away?
No! Dyslexia does not ever simply "go away." However, through dyslexia therapy, a child can learn strategies and skills to effectively cope with being dyslexic.
Does dyslexia only occur in people who speak English?
No! Dyslexia can occur in speakers of many languages, especially those that are alphabetic - that means languages in which letters represent sounds.
How common is dyslexia?
It is said that 1 in 5 people are dyslexic, or roughly 15% of the population. It is very common. Your child is not alone! In a classroom of 20 students, approximately 3 may be dyslexic, whether identified or not.
Lots of famous people are thought to be dyslexic!
Many of your friends, neighbors, teachers, others in the community, and maybe even your own family members have dyslexia.
You are not alone!
Actors and Actresses:
Jennifer Aniston
Will Smith
Robin Williams
Bella Thorne
Tom Holland
Tom Cruise
Keanu Reeves
Keira Knightly
Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom
Sylvester Stallone
Jim Carrey
Artists:
Pablo Picasso
Leonardo Da Vinci
Andy Warhol
Athletes:
Kobe Bryant
Magic Johnson
Mohammad Ali
Tim Tebow
Nolan Ryan
Authors:
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Patricia Polacco
Hans Christian Andersen
Musicians:
Gwen Stefani
John Lennon
Cher
Politicians:
John F. Kennedy
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Andrew Jackson
Woodrow Wilson
Inventors, Creators & Entrepreneurs:
Albert Einstein
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin
Elon Musk
Alexander Graham Bell
Steve Jobs
Tommy Hilfiger
Henry Ford
I think my child may be dyslexic. What should I do?
If you suspect that your child may be dyslexic, early screening and intervention is key!
Think about it!
When you were in school, did you explicitly learn concepts such as these?
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound; a grapheme is a letter or letter group that represents a sound; and a morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning
Even though there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, there are 44 phonemes, and 250 graphemes - this means that some letters have multiple sounds or combine with other letters to create new sounds
Humans brains were not created to read - it just doesn't come natural to us, that's why it can be difficult to learn how to read
There are 5 ways that you can read the letter "a" depending on the syllable type or where it is located within a word
"Ou" can be read as a diphthong or a digraph, such as in the words "house" and "soup"
Digraph "ch" can be read 3 ways - words such as "chef" come from French; words such as "school" come from Greek; words such as "chair" come from Anglo-Saxon
We spell the word "tapping" with "p-p" because the one-syllable base word ends in 1 vowel and 1 consonant and we are adding a vowel suffix
We spell the word "taping" as such because the base word ends in a final silent "e" and we are adding a vowel suffix, so we just drop the "e"
We spell the word "pass" with "s-s" because if we spell it with 1 "s," it would be read as "paz"
This is the type of explicit instruction that a dyslexic child needs in order to understand the WHY behind our language. Most of us just "picked it up" when we were in school, but a dyslexic child may not be successful with this.
What is Texas House Bill (HB) 3928?
House Bill (HB) 3928, also known as the Beckley Wilson Act, was passed in the State of Texas in August of 2023. In the past, students receiving a public education could be evaluated for dyslexia under Special Education or under Section 504. In short, HB 3928 mandates that a student must be evaluated for dyslexia under Special Education. Also, in being under the Special Education umbrella, once identified with dyslexia, teachers have the option to adjust the dyslexia services to meet the needs of the child. Read more about HB 3928 on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website.
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