Could My Child Be Dyslexic?
Dyslexic people struggle to read, but typically excel in other areas. If your child has poor reading grades, has difficulty reading words in isolation and has persistent poor spelling skills, he/she could be at risk for dyslexia.
What Is Dyslexia?
The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as a specific language based learning disability which is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from the deficit in the phonological (sound) component of the language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.
What Are The Signs Of Dyslexia?
Kindergarten - 3rd Grade:
- Failure to understand that words are made up of parts or individual sounds
- Difficulty learning the letter names and their corresponding sounds
- Difficulty reading single words in isolation
- Choppy and labored reading
- Difficulty spelling phonetically
4th Grade - High School
- History of reading and spelling difficulties
- Avoids reading aloud
- Reads most materials slowly; oral reading is labored, not fluent
- Avoids reading for pleasure
- Persistent difficulty with spelling
What Can I Do To Help My Child?
Parents should work to build their struggling reader's self esteem. Praise their every effort as often as possible. Stay in close contact with teachers and be aware of reading progress. If you and your child's teacher believe your child could be at risk for dyslexia, contact us.
Coastal Bend Dyslexia Therapy (CBDT) can provide screening services or a full assessment for dyslexia. We can also provide remediation for dyslexia using direct, explicit, systematic, sequential instruction of the alphabetic principle, including intense phonics instruction.
How We Help
To experience greater reading success, dyslexic individuals require direct, explicit, intense, multi-sensory phonics instruction that is therapeutic in nature. Basic Language Skills, an Orton-Gillingham program developed by the Neuhaus Education Center in Houston, Texas, is used by CBDT to remediate dyslexia. It is recommended that students receive dyslexia therapy for a minimum of fifty minutes, three to four times per week. Therapeutic services are available in small group settings or individual private lessons. These sessions can be provided in private schools (if permitted and available) or at CBDT.