The Truth About Dyslexia

Think you know everything there is to know about dyslexia? Test your knowledge on the following misconceptions.

Myth #1: Dyslexia is about reversing letters.

The most basic sign of dyslexia is notreversed letters as many people think, but rather weak phonemic awareness skills. Phonemic awareness and auditory processing skills are the underlying cognitive abilities to hear and remember the smallest individual units of sound in a word.

The word dyslexia actually means poor with words or trouble with reading. This could mean reading fluently, out loud, reading new words, and/or pronouncing words correctly.

Some of the most common symptoms include:

1. Difficulty transferring what is heard to what is seen and vice versa.

2. Struggles pronouncing new words.

3. Poor at distinguishing similarities/difference in words (no, on)

4. Weak at letter sound discrimination (pin, pen)

5. Low reading comprehension

Myth #2: Dyslexia is a lifelong label.

Dyslexia doesn’t need to be a permanent diagnosis or condition. As with almost all learning struggles, the most common root cause is one or more weak cognitive skills the fundamental tools of effective learning.

Cognitive skills are the underlying tools that enable us to successfully focus, think, prioritize, plan, understand, visualize, remember and create useful associations, and solve problems, explains Tanya Mitchell, co-author of Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Up the Smart in your Child.A child’s cognitive skill set is made up of several cognitive skills including auditory processing, visual processing, short and long-term memory, comprehension, logic and reasoning, and attention skills. In children with dyslexia, the weakest cognitive skills are phonemic awareness and auditory processing, although other areas may suffer as well.

Myth #3: Only a special ed teacher can screen for dyslexia.

Some brain training companies offer free screening tools to kids and teens to help evaluate for several types of learning issues. Here are some sample questions taken from a free online test created by LearningRx (LearningRx.com), a national brain training franchise:

1. Does your child misread similar words?

2. Does your child need words repeated when taking spelling tests?

3. Is your child’s oral reading slow or choppy?

4. Does your child make spelling errors in written assignments?

5. Does your child have difficulty sounding out unknown words?

If you answeredyes to three or more of these questions, visit LearningRx.com to learn more about initial testing.

The good news is, weak cognitive skills can be improved, says Mitchell.Brain training does for the mind what physical exercise does for the body. A diagnosis of dyslexia doesn’t need to remain with a child throughout life.

Wendy Burt-Thomas is a full-time freelance writer and editor with more than 1,000 published pieces. Her third book,The Writer’s Digest Guide to Queries is now available in most major bookstores.

Sidebar:

A sample profile of dyslexia:

1. Family history of reading problems

2. Predominant in males (8:1, M:F)

3. Average/above average IQ

4. Math proficiency not uncommon

5. No enjoyment of leisure reading

6. Poor visual memory for language symbols

7. Auditory language difficulties in word finding, fluency, meaning, or sequence