Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading.

Students with dyslexia may experience difficulties in other language skills such as spelling, writing, and speaking. Dyslexia is a life-long status, however, its impact can change at different stages in a person's life.

It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment. Download the fact sheets below.

Academic Language Therapists

Accommodating Students with Dyslexia

Adults and the Workplace

Dysgraphia

Dyslexia Basics

Dyslexia and Related Disorders

Getting the Best IEP for Your Child

JTF Testing for Dyslexia

MSL Approaches

MSL Teaching

Social-Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia

Why Home School A Dyslexic Child

How to Find and Select an AcademicTherapist.pdf

FAQ, Identify, and What To Do

Print Friendly - FAQs, Identify and What To Do

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I get a diagnosis of dyslexia?
A: A child or adult can be evaluated for dyslexia by a trained professional. These professionals are trained to do a psychological assessment as opposed to a mental health evaluation.

Q: Can a person be cured of dyslexia?
A: Dyslexia does not have a cure. It is a neurologically based difference that results in difficulties with various aspects of written and spoken language. Individuals with dyslexia are often gifted in other areas. With the assistance of a sensitive, trained, professional and an appropriate program of instruction, children and adults with dyslexia can successfully develop good language skills.

Q: How does a person with dyslexia learn best?
A: It is best for a person with dyslexia to be taught reading, writing and spelling using a multi-sensory teaching method such as Orton-Gillingham or Alphabetic Phonics. A person with dyslexia may experience weaknesses in one or more receptive or expressive channels, yet be very strong in other forms of learning such as artistic expression, music or athletic ability.

Q: What is a multi-sensory method?
A: Multi-sensory teaching methods use many sensory channels for learning language sounds simultaneously or within the same lesson. This may be referred to as VAKT, or visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile. Teaching with this method allows learning to take place in areas of strength and will support learning in areas of weakness.

Q: Do you have a tutor list that you can mail to me?
A: Tutor requests are handled on an individual basis.

Identify Dyslexia

The first step in getting help with dyslexia is to identify it. Students who are not doing as well in school as expected are good candidates for testing. While there is no single test for diagnosing dyslexia, a thorough assessment involves a series of tests, cognitive, language, social, emotional and academic. Professionals can identify how individuals learn by performing a comprehensive evaluation, focusing on:

• Background Information
• Cognitive/Intellectual Ability
• Specific Language Skills
• Listening Comprehension
• Academic Evaluation
• Phonemic Awareness

Some of the more common characteristics of dyslexia are listed below:

Early Warning Signs

• Delayed speech & articulation problems
• Phoneme confusion
• Difficulty with directionality
• Lack of dominant handedness
• Difficulty learning alphabet, numbers, days, months, time
• Delayed vocabulary growth
• Poor ability to follow oral directions

Critical Warning Signs

• Weak phonemic awareness
• Difficulty with:
  -rhyming
  -segmenting
  -blending
  -distinguishing sounds in words or in isolated letters
• Tendency to insert or delete a sound in a word

Difficulties in Reading

• Slow and labored reading
• Inaccurate oral reading
• Poor decoding (reversals, omissions, substitutions, additions, phoneme confusion)
• Not fluent
• Ignores or changes small words
• Deletes or changes suffixes
• Tires easily
• Reading comprehension compromised

Difficulties in Spelling

• Reverses, transposes and rotates letters
• Deletes and add letters
• Persistent misspellings of common non-phonetic words such as "they" or "where"
• Errors in copying
• Level of oral vocabulary not evident in writing

Difficulties in Handwriting

• Unusual and tight pencil grip
• Writing letters is slow and labored
• Poor letter formations, spacing and alignment of letters and words

Difficulties in Written Expression

• Writing is slow and labored
• Numerous errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar
• Organizing thoughts and getting thoughts to paper are difficult
• Easily overwhelmed by the multitude of tasks required to write

Difficulties in Math

• Solving word problems
• Mastering math facts
• Poor number formations, misaligned numbers, number reversals, insertions, deletions and transposing digits
• Number sequencing
• Remembering the sequence of steps to solve a problem
• Physical and temporal directionality
• Processing confusion
• Visual discrimination of numbers and signs, such as 6 and 9 or 2 and 5
• Poor visual tracking
• Auditory discrimination of numbers, such as 13 and 30 or 15 and 50
• Errors in copying from the board

General Difficulties

• Learning time concepts and time management skills
• Study and organization skills
• Following directions
• Sequencing
• Processing language
• Word-retrieval
• Short-term to long-term memory

Social Difficulties

• Low frustration tolerance
• Difficulty with interpreting nonverbal cues
• Difficulty with making and keeping friends
• Misunderstanding figurative language
• Poor social judgment
• Weak problem solving /coping skills
• Difficulty in accepting changes in routine
• Low self-esteem
• High-risk for depression

What To Do

Once a diagnosis of dyslexia or specific learning disability (SLD) is made, everyone can work together to develop an education plan. The goal is to teach people with dyslexia in a way that they can learn. Research has shown that these students learn best when information gets presented in small units, material is directed to all of the senses, and �over-teaching� reinforces new concepts. This is called a multi-sensory, structured language method.

Who can help? If you are the parent/teacher of a child who may have dyslexia there are several things you should do:

• Hold a parent/teacher conference
• Consult with the child's doctor (rule out any visual, hearing, or emotional impairments)
• Consult with the Student Service Coordinator at your school for assessments
• Seek a private assessment if necessary
• Determine eligibility for school services
• If necessary complete 504 Modification Plan or Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• Select a therapist, tutor or Remedial Program to meet the needs of the child

If you are a young adult and you may have dyslexia or if you have never been properly diagnosed, there are several services and sources of information available to you.

• Ask your high school counselor for a copy of the school's official documentation of your learning disabilities. It is necessary for acceptance to any institution of higher education. This documentation may no longer be available once you leave high school or reach 21 years of age.
• Ask your counselor for copies of all special assessments and tests administered for the provision of special services.
• Keep these documents in a file or binder and retain for future use.
• If you have not completed high school, enroll in the GED (General Educational Development) Program to obtain your high school diploma. GED information resource

If your are an adult , unemployed or underemployed, contact the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

• If you do not have current documentation of your disability and you are over 22 years of age seek a private assessment with a psychologist or other professional qualified to administer IQ and other academic tests to determine if dyslexia is present.
• If necessary, request specific accommodations from your employer. Request free handouts
• Consider one-on-one tutoring with a multi-sensory trained tutor.
• Educate yourself about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA 1972)
• Americans with Disabilities Act web site - http://www.ada.gov
• College Guide & Resource List free handouts