Could Your Child’s Reading Difficulty be Dyslexia?
Atlanta Speech School
What is dyslexia? What challenges may arise for my child? Atlanta Parent talked to three professionals about dyslexia: the basics, how diagnosis works and tips for parental support.
The Basics of Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties
Dr. Ryan Lee-James, Director of Rollins Center for Language and Literacy and Chief Academic Officer at Atlanta Speech School
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that involves difficulty with reading, spelling or both. Children with dyslexia particularly struggle with phonology, connecting sounds with symbols, and morphology, understanding word parts.
What signs of dyslexia should parents look for?
Parents should be looking for disruptions in the natural language learning process. Use the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s website, asha.org, to learn about those early typical language milestones. From ages 0-5, language is an early and reliable indicator that can forecast academic challenges. Waiting until kindergarten may miss the most critical period for intervention.
How can parents help with language development?
Focus on building language in your environment with your child all day long. Build language with listening comprehension, rich vocabulary and social rules of conversation. Enjoy shared reading using picture books to explore creativity and storytelling. Listen to podcasts and talk about those with your child to build empathy and critical thinking.
Is there a connection between intelligence and dyslexia?
There is a misconception that children with dyslexia aren’t as smart. Many children will have exceptional abilities in other areas. They’re able to tackle complex problems and see challenges in different ways. Don’t count these kids out – if they receive intervention early on, they will be successful.
Are there any misconceptions you hear about dyslexia?
Some people will describe dyslexia as a gift or a superpower. Adults who have struggled with dyslexia may feel like their struggle has built their perseverance, but when we try to glamorize, it takes away from the real social-emotional harm that can been done to children. It can deprive them of the therapy and intervention they need.
The Howard School
Receiving a Dyslexia Diagnosis
Dr. Scott B. Hamilton, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Director of Psychological Services at The Howard School
What is the diagnosis process for dyslexia?
A psychologist conducts a comprehensive assessment looking at reading skills and the broader cognitive skills underlying successful reading. Two big markers are signs of dyslexia. One is phonological processing, the ability to manipulate the sounds of the language. The second is rapid automatic naming, the ability to associate a verbal label with something that’s processed visually.
What does testing look like?
It starts with an interview with the parents to get developmental history, what’s going well and what’s a struggle. Then, there’s an assessment with the child. We use research validated test kits to get a sense of what is typical in child development with a skill. This helps us make diagnostic decisions based on the area where they have challenges.
What should parents understand about the diagnosis process?
Testing is based on the scientific method we all learned in school: we have a hypothesis, we analyze the data, and we see if the data supports the hypothesis. Trust your teachers. If they say, “We’re seeing something here,” get it checked out early. The brain is especially adaptable in early ages, so early intervention is key.
When is it too early to test?
The earlier you address language and reading challenges, the better the lifelong trajectory. With delayed readers, we put the intervention in place, and they catch up quickly to grade- and age-level expectations. For kids with dyslexia, intervention closes the gap, but it is a lifelong disorder.
How is a student’s accommodation strategy created?
The psychoeducational report includes recommendations with tailored strategies for the student. Ideally, the psychologist says, “This student has this profile of indicators of dyslexia, so this is the kind of program or work that would be most useful.” Schools may require additional evaluation for students in order to provide accommodations.
The Schenck School
Putting Children on the Path to Success
Ellen M. Hill, Director of Community Engagement at The Schenck School & ReadSource
How should a parent talk to their child about dyslexia?
Because dyslexia is not an intelligence issue, they know they’re not succeeding. There’s a good chance they realize something is going on. Talk to them about how their brain is working differently. They need help learning the way their brain works best. It’s a relief for kids. It helps them understand. They may have to work harder, but they can do it.
How can parents encourage their children with dyslexia?
Focus on their strengths; please don’t take away the extracurricular activities they love. Keep their confidence by encouraging them that they have all the potential in the world. They just need to learn differently.
How can parents help their children succeed at school?
They might need help managing their workload. Both of my boys were diagnosed with dyslexia. At the beginning of the semester, whatever books they were going to be required to read, I downloaded audio versions for them if needed. Be an advocate for your child and teach them to become their own advocate. Don’t be afraid to partner with the teacher and the school system.
How can parents support learning at home?
The best app for reading is your lap. Read to your kids, so they can get the vocabulary they’d be getting if they were able to read themselves. Any type of reading practice – poetry, billboards, graphic novels – can be helpful. Get the audiobook and follow along with the book.
