Eight Myths About Dyslexia

I’m sure we all have heard the term dyslexia but let’s dive deeper into what dyslexia is truly about. Dyslexia is more common than one might think.

Let’s start with just a few myths about dyslexia:

·       Dyslexia is rare

·       Dyslexia can be outgrown and goes away once a child learns to read

·       Dyslexia is a vision concern

·       Individuals with dyslexia show a main sign of reading and writing letters backwards

·       Kids need to just try harder to read and write

·       Dyslexia is caused by parents and schools not implementing enough reading time

·       No one can diagnose dyslexia

·       Dyslexia is a medical diagnosis

·       Every child who struggles with reading is dyslexic

·       Intelligence and the ability to read are related

FALSE FALSE FALSE!

So, what is dyslexia? People with dyslexia see the same thing as everyone else. It is caused by a phonological processing deficit, so it isn’t about seeing language but about manipulating it. It impacts reading, spelling, and writing and is NOT a problem with vision. Phonological awareness skills are affected, which includes rhyming, manipulating sounds, sound/letter correspondence, and much more. Dyslexia run in families and occurs in one in five people.

Speech-language pathologists and other professionals that are part of the team assess the following skills:

·       Phonological awareness and phonics

·       Language-based memory

·       Oral reading fluency

·       Decoding

·       Spelling

·       Writing

·       Receptive vocabulary

All in all, each child is unique, has different learning styles, and learns at a different pace. Children with dyslexia are just as smart as other kids and can achieve great success in school and beyond!  

Reading is a complicated learning experience, and we are here to help! Check out our reading groups at TALK! The methods we use are proven to be effective. Find more information at https://talkbayarea.com/reading-group