What Is
Dyslexia?Our Definition
Of Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. More simply put, it can be described as an word-level reading skills despite adequate effort, learning opportunities, and normal language skills.
Reading is critical for all school subjects. Secondary consequences almost always include poor writing and spelling skills, along with problems in reading comprehension and a compromised reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and inhibit background knowledge.
Poor reading can also affect behavior in and out of school. Often, children who display school behavior issues are poor readers. How well children succeed in school affects their future endeavors in life.
Possible Indicators
Of Dyslexia
Ages Preschool-4:
- A delay in speaking (18 vs. 12 months)
- Struggles naming familiar objects
- Mispronounces words, like saying “stuffed aminal” instead of “stuffed animal”
- Difficulty remembering sequences of things, like singing or saying the letters of the alphabet, days of the week, etc.
- Trouble learning nursery rhymes
- Trouble remembering the days of the week
- Difficulty in learning and remembering letter names or unable to recognize letters in his or her name.
- Struggles to remember and follow directions with multiple steps.
Ages 5-6:
- Trouble recognizing letters or numbers
- Trouble writing name
- Trouble recognizing rhyming words (cat, bat, rat)
- Trouble connecting letters and sounds
- Trouble recognizing words that start with the same sound
- Trouble hearing the individual sounds in words and blending sounds to make a word
- Difficulties in pronunciation that continue past normal time (e.g. psigetti for spaghetti, hangburger for hamburger
Ages 6-7:
- Difficulty recognizing common parts in words (mat, rat)
- Trouble reading one-syllable words (mat, top)
- Struggles to read familiar words (cat or the), especially if there aren’t pictures.
- Substitutes words when reading aloud, like saying house when the story says home.
- Complains reading is hard
- Reading errors suggest problems connecting sounds and letters (big for goat)
- Trouble reading common sight words: where, two
- Refuses to read aloud
Ages 7-11:
- When speaking, mispronounces long words
- Avoids reading whenever possible and often gets frustrated or upset when reading.
- Confuses words that sound alike (tornado for volcano)
- Has word finding problems
- Guesses wildly when reading multisyllable words
- Confuses or skips reading “little words” such as an, the, for, of
- Has poor spelling and may spell the same word correctly and incorrectly in the same exercise.
- Struggles to explain key details in a story
- Has trouble finishing school work on time
Ages 12-18 (tweens and teens):
- Reads painstaking slow, leaving out small words and parts of longer words when reading aloud
- Can’t seem to remember common abbreviations
- Often seems to search for words; selecting an easier substitute like gate instead of fence.
- Trouble understanding idioms and puns. They often just don’t “get” the joke.
- May have an easier time answering questions about a passage if text is read aloud and they can respond orally.
- It takes a very long time to complete assignments.
Adults with Dyslexia:
- May hide reading problems
- Often have developed compensatory skills and rely heavily on context
- May spell poorly; relies on others to correct spelling
- Avoids writing; may not be able to write
- Often very competent in oral language
- Relies on memory; may have excellent memory
- Often has good “people” skills