Common Myths about Dyslexia

Even today, there are still many persistent myths about dyslexia. As a teacher, I encounter false beliefs about dyslexia regularly from parents and educators alike.

Five Common Myths

Myth #1: Dyslexia is when people see letters backwards.
Truth: People with dyslexia do not see things backwards. Dyslexia is not a vision problem. Individuals may have reversals in letters and numbers or say words backwards (saw for was) but this is due to confusion about directionality.

Myth #2: People with dyslexia can't read.
Truth: People with dyslexia can read, but their reading may be very slow and/or inaccurate. With specialized reading instruction, people with dyslexia can learn to read and spell at a higher level and with more accuracy and fluency.

Myth #3: Dyslexia is rare.
Truth: Most schools do not test for dyslexia, but just because they don't test for it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Current data from the National Institute of Health reports that 20% of the population in the United States is affected by dyslexia. That is 1 in 5 people.

Myth #4: More boys have dyslexia than girls.
Truth: Statistically dyslexia affects the same amount of boys as it does girls. Boys may be identified more often or sooner because they stand out more due to behaviors, while girls act quieter, more calm.

Myth 5: If a child has dyslexia, they will eventually "catch up".
Truth: Research shows that students who struggle to read, write, or spell in the mid-late 1st grade have a 90% chance of continuing to struggle with those skills throughout their education and even into adulthood.

Quick Facts about Dyslexia

•Dyslexia is hereditary. Children with a dyslexic parent have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disability.

•Dyslexia affects one in every five people in America.

•Reading disabilities are estimated to compromise 80 percent of all learning disabilities.

•Forty-percent of those with dyslexia have a secondary condition, such as Attention Deficit Disorder.

•Children are usually not identified as having a reading disability until the third or fourth grade.

•Children with dyslexia can be identified as early as 5 years old.

Source: www.readlearnservices.com

Closing the Gap in Reading

Closing the gap between your child’s reading level and grade level expectations

Time is of the essence – especially when it comes to reading ability. Typically students make reading gains that are year for year. Every year a child is in school, they will make one year’s gain in instructional reading level. That’s great if the student is already reading at grade level. What happens when a student is reading 1-3 years - or more, below grade level? How do these students ever catch up?

Reading research reveals that students with dyslexia need research-based, multisensory instruction in phonemic awareness and reading skills. Research also shows that 95% of reading failure is preventable when students are given the right type of instruction. The International Dyslexia Association supports the Orton-Gillingham sequence and methodology as best practice when working with students who have dyslexia. This type of instruction is explicit, systematic, intense (one-on-one is best), and delivered by a trained individual with consistency (minimum of two 50 minute sessions per week).

This excerpt is taken from an article I had published in the Camas/Washougal Post Record. You can find the rest of the article using this link: http://www.readlearnservices.com/Testimony---Specialist-Profile.html