Speaking is instinctive, reading is not. Reading is a learned skill. Some children do not acquire the ability to learn to read due to weak cognitive skills.

 

40% of students either can't read
or have problems reading; and
for 88% of these students, the reason for the problem is a weak cognitive skill.

 

Dyslexia can be accurately diagnosed early in younger children and also in older students and adults. Dyslexia can then be treated through the use of highly effective targeted brain skill training (BST).

 

It is a common misconception that people who are dyslexic see "backwards", when in fact, that is irrelevant to a diagnosis of dyslexia.

 

Another misconception is that dyslexics are not smart. This is completely untrue. Many dyslexics are highly intelligent and successful people (e.g., Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo DeVinci, Thomas Edison, General Patton, and Woodrow Wilson.).

 

Many dyslexic students have outstanding reasoning skills and are highly creative and imaginative, and many excel in areas not depending on reading, such as computers and visual arts.

 

Diagnosing Dyslexia

 

The following are some signs (broken down by age/grade) that may indicate a child has dyslexia. (These are merely guidelines and are not in any way meant to replace professional testing. If you suspect your child may have dyslexia, please contact the Attention and Achievement Center for a consultation.)

 

Pre-School

• Delay speaking
• Difficulty learning nursery rhymes
• Difficulty remembering in general
• Confusing words that sound alike

 

Kindergarten and 1st Grade

• Leaves off beginning or ending sounds (lephant)
• Inverts sounds within words (aminal)
• Difficulty breaking words apart: /d/./o/./g/
• Problems associating letters with sounds: "d" with /d/
• Reading errors that aren't connected with the sound of letters "boy" for "dog"
• Difficulty reading common one-syllable words (example: boy, cat, dog)
• Usually recognizes correct word, just can't express it
• Thinks reading is difficult

 

2nd Grade through 6th Grade

1. Speaking
   • Difficult pronouncing long words
   • Leaves out parts of words
   • Difficulty finding the right word, uses similar sounding words ("potion" for "ocean")
2. Reading
   • Reading skills are slow to develop
   • Doesn't know how to read a new word
   • Difficulty reading unknown word; can't sound out parts of words or long words
   • Guesses when reading new words
   • Difficulty reading small words (e.g., "that", "what", "an", "in", "it")
   • When reading aloud, lots of mispronunciations, substituting words and leaving out words entirely
   • Uncomfortable reading aloud
   • Difficulty reading math word problems
   • Reading is slow, tiring and not fun
   • Poor spelling and vocabulary

 

Young Adults and Adults

1. Speaking
   • Continues to have oral language problems and difficulties reading aloud
   • Mispronounces names of people and places
   • Difficulty with parts of words
   • Struggles to remember names and words
   • Has a greater vocabulary for listening than for speaking
2. Reading
   • Reads slowly
   • Has had difficulty reading since childhood
   • Still has weak phonologic skills

 

Different Types of Dyslexia

• Developmental Dyslexia:
  Primarily weak phonologic skills - other cognitive skills are satisfactory
• Language-learning Dyslexia:
  Weakness in all cognitive skills
• Acquired alexia:
  Difficulty or inability to read due to brain trauma, tumor or stroke
• Hyperlexia
  Good word decoding, but poor comprehension

 

Early Evaluation and Treatment Is Preferred

 

While dyslexia can be successfully diagnosed and treated at any age, since preventative measures are better than remedial measures, early diagnosis and treatment results in more significant and faster improvements.

 

Without training, reading difficulties will not lessen over time. Nearly all 3rd graders who have difficulty reading will struggle through High School and into adulthood.

 

However, with the proper diagnosis and treatment, the Attention and Achievement Center can work with your child to improve their learning skills, enabling them to achieve a lifetime of academic success!

 

 

The Attention & Achievement Center offers
cognitive skill assessments and training
to help your child unlock their
full learning potential and achieve academic success!!

 

For additional information, call the
Attention & Achievement Center at 925-280-9100

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