ave dyslexia lag significantly behind their peers despite good intelligence and problem-solving skills.
According to IDA, possible signs to look for in preschoolers include:
- Difficulty reading single words, such as those on flashcards
- Trouble learning the connection between letters and sounds
- Confusing short words, such as “it” and “to”
- Reversing letters, such as “b” for “d”
- Reversing whole words, such as “top” for “pot”
Having one of these symptoms doesn't mean your child has dyslexia. A lot of kids reverse letters before the age of 7. But if your child has several of these problems, or if you have a family history of dyslexia, it might be time for a formal evaluation.
There is no single test for dyslexia. "It's done by a battery of assessments," Mele-McMarthy says. "Very typically we look at information processing, a child's ability to engage in verbal reasoning tasks, non-verbal reasoning tasks, working memory, processing speed, an ability to rapidly retrieve and spell words, manipulating sounds, rhyming, and how well can they talk about difficult concepts."
A second component when making a diagnosis involves more closely examining how well the student reads and comprehends.
Achieving Success With Dyslexia
A dyslexia diagnosis does not mean your child won't finish school, go on to college, or succeed in work. But without some special assistance, children with learning disabilities can suffer from self-esteem problems.
"Instruction must be implemented with intensity and fidelity," Mele-McMarthy says. "A half-day or after-school training program won't work. … We teach in a multisensory way. It can also be done in a public school, but the teachers have to understand dyslexia.”
Learning disabilities don't have to hold your child back. There are a lot of famous individuals who have overcome dyslexia, including Charles Schwab, founder of the brokerage house Charles Schwab & Co.; actress Whoopi Goldberg; John T. Chambers, president and CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc.; and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.
With proper training, people with dyslexia can tackle, and master, just about anything in life.