THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DYSLEXIA & FREE RESOURCES

 

DYSLEXIA

Is my child Dyslexic? Why does my child struggle to read with slow and choppy fluency? Why does my child have weak comprehension skills? Is there help for my child?

You are not alone if you are concerned about your child’s reading skills. I tutor reading and writing skills for Varsity Tutors and often hear these questions from my clients. If you would like some guidance on how to help your child, don’t waste time and email me!

 

Let me put your mind at ease. It is a good chance that your child is not Dyslexic. Your child may lack foundational phonemic awareness skills that, with time and practice, can get caught up to his/ her/their reading levels. We did have two years of disruption in the classrooms with the Covid 19 pandemic. All students found themselves getting behind in their academics. However, research has found that 1 out of every five people are dyslexic. Your child will need to be formally screened to know for sure. I can give you some guidelines with some information and a checklist to see if your child has any symptoms. 

 

 

DYSLEXIA, WHAT IS IT? 

First, let’s discuss what Dyslexia is; then, we will go over my free checklist to see if your child has any of the Dyslexia symptoms. (Keep in mind if your child is in K-2nd grade, he/she/they may have average developmental language skills that some children struggle with) Let’s face it the English language is not easy and does not make sense at times.) 

DYSLEXIA

Dyslexia is defined as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. Children who have dyslexia have difficulties with correct and fluent word recognition. Poor spelling and decoding of words are difficult for children who struggle with dyslexia. These difficulties are often a result of difficulties in the phonological awareness of language. Phonological awareness is connecting the proper letter sound to the letter recognition. This can also lead to additional cognitive difficulties in English Language Arts and the ability to learn during classroom instruction. These difficulties lead to problems with reading comprehension and a lack of desire to read, even for fun. Lack of reading reduces vocabulary building, a vital part of reading success.  (Adapted by the IDA Board of Directors: November 12, 2002, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. NICHD). 2002.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIA

• Difficulties with spelling CVC words as “kat” for “cat.”
• Difficulties with decoding as “c-a-t” and especially sounding out an unknown word, even when taught phonics.
• A deficit in the phonological component of language with the inability to blend sounds to form words, as in the word “chick” and the failure to separate words into individual sounds such as “ch” / “i” / “ck.” 

SECONDARY CONSEQUENCES

• Reduced reading experience can affect the growth of his or her vocabulary and background knowledge of words and what the words mean. Writing a complete sentence that makes sense requires good reading and decoding skills. When children miss these early foundational skills, it affects the rest of their language and grammar development. 

POOR DEVELOPMENT IN GRADES PRE-K-12

 

 

PRESCHOOL LANGUAGE SIGNS:

• Late Talkers
• Difficulties with speech
• Mispronouncing words
• Limited vocabulary
• Don’t understand rhymes or syllables
• Difficulties speaking words with the same initial sound dog-dug
• Difficulties with answering questions, following directions, and understanding instruction

PRESCHOOL PRINT CLUES:

• Resists reading and may demonstrate behavior problems
• Mixes up or has trouble remembering the names of letters and numbers
• They might even struggle with the letters in their name

KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE

• Lack of understanding that letters represent speech sounds and make words when put together
• Low level of phonemic awareness and taking apart sounds in words.
• Difficulty recognizing common words at, sit, cap, hat
• Poor spelling

 

SEVENTH & EIGHTH GRADES

 

• Reading is slow and laborious- can’t keep up with classmates and demonstrate low self-esteem.
• Multiple Assignments are overwhelming and laborious. Cannot take notes or follow along
• Written work is laborious, frustrating and students feel hopelessly lost  
• She /he/they continues to read slowly, getting further behind in development

• Comprehension and vocabulary have declined due to a lack of reading.
• Writing is of poor quality and has trouble with essays, for example, topic sentences, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and use of transitional words.
• Needs accommodations and modifications
• Remediation is still critical.

COPING STRATEGIES

 

• Avoidance
• Resistant
• Depressed
• Antisocial

These coping strategies lead to depression and hopelessness. 

MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL ISSUES

 

• The volume of work increases as students struggle to get further behind
• The level of self-directed responsibility increases as the student falls even more behind
• New skills: Note taking, organization, time management, study skills,
• Students fail in executive functioning skills as development is seriously weak or non-existent

SELF IMAGE

Dyslexia can affect a person’s self-image. They feel “dumb.” They feel they are less capable than they are and are discouraged about school and their future. They can’t keep up with the demands of expectations as they are viewed as lazy. They hide in video games where they feel a certain amount of success.

 

DYSLEXIA AND OTHER RELATED DIFFICULTIES

Dyslexia presents itself with additional problems or comorbidity. Some examples of comorbidity include:

• ADD/ ADHD-Attention disorders
• Dysgraphia- inability to correctly write a sentence, paragraph, or essay. Students struggle with much anxiety and stress over their writing skills. 
• Oral language
• Executive Functioning skills/ organization
• Dyscalculia- difficulties with math problems, especially word problems

LACK OF A SOLID FOUNDATION OF PROPER LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

The child with  Dyslexia will get further and further behind in all areas of language and emotional development. 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

It is imperative that early screening be done to rule out any issues in language development. Before children enter school, early screening will provide early intervention to give students a solid foundation to build their reading, speaking, and writing skills. 

The following are free resources. I do not receive any compensation for the resources. I want to help parents build a resource for their toolbox.

 

RESOURCES FOR THE PARENTS OF STRUGGLING READERS

Free Dyslexia Checklist  Below

Free Dyslexia Checklist

 

Great Minds.org

GreatMinds.org

Study.com

Study.com

All About Reading

All About Reading

Free Dyslexia Checklist

Free Dyslexia Checklist