Our daughter was diagnosed with Dyslexia in first grade. October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and I wanted to share with you some facts you may not know about dyslexia as well as signs so that you can be aware to help children in your life.
Here are a few facts about Dyslexia that I did not know before our diagnoses:
- Dyslexia is the most common learning disability affecting 10-15% of the population. (1 in 5)
- Dyslexia commonly runs in families.
- Those with Dyslexia use only the right side of the brain to process language, while non-dyslexics use three areas on the left side of the brain to process language.
- Many educators will refer to “remediation” as the “treatment” for dyslexia. You are never “cured” of dyslexia, but the right educational approach can help your child learn the elements of spoken and written language in the way their brain can acquire language skills.
- Some famous names you may recognize: Whoopee Goldberg, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs, Jay Leno, Henry Winkler and David Rockefeller.
Here are some signs of Dyslexia based on the age of children in your life:
In Preschool:
- Having problems learning and remembering the names of letters in the alphabet.
- Having difficulty learning the words to common nursery rhymes.
- Being unable to recognize the letters of their own name.
In Kindergarten and First Grade:
- Not understanding that words break apart into sounds.
- Complaining about how hard it is to read.
- Not wanting to go to school.
- Showing problems with speaking and pronunciation.
- Having trouble sounding out basic works like cat or map.
- Not associating letters with sounds.
Second through Eighth Grade:
- Being very slow in learning to read.
- Reading slowly and awkwardly.
- Disliking or avoiding reading out loud.
- Using vague and inexact vocabulary, such as “stuff” and “things”
- Mispronouncing words that are long, unknown or complicated.
- Confusing words that sound alike.
Early intervention is key.
You can start by reaching out to your child’s school as well as getting the teacher’s opinion. I am so thankful that we researched to find more information about Dyslexia when we realized our daughter was struggling.
