Understanding and Learning with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a Specific Learning Disability that is recognized by federal law (IDEA 2004) as a disability that qualifies an individual for special education. Dyslexia affects the way individuals process and manipulate the sounds in words. People with dyslexia may struggle to correctly match letters to the sounds that they make. Additionally, they may have trouble reading print, as letters may appear “switched around” and words become difficult to make sense of. Dyslexia can affect performance in school, though it does not always. Children whose dyslexia goes undiagnosed may begin to believe that they are not smart or are destined to be unsuccessful in school. While of course this is not true, without intervention, many children with dyslexia struggle significantly in school. It can be difficult to diagnose and easy to confuse with other learning based disabilities. Importantly, dyslexia does not correlate with lower intelligence. In fact, many of the most celebrated artists, entrepreneurs, and inventors are dyslexic. 

Children whose dyslexia goes undiagnosed may develop poor mental health. When children have undiagnosed dyslexia, they work extremely hard in school just to keep pace with their peers. As a result, these children may begin to develop anxiety or even depression-like symptoms such as low self esteem and confidence, hopelessness, and a negative affect. These symptoms are easily avoided when children receive appropriate and adequate interventions for their dyslexia. 

Educators are trained in recognizing and flagging early signs of dyslexia that their students may demonstrate. If a classroom teacher notices warning signs of dyslexia in a child, they will refer the student to the screening process for dyslexia and other special education services. This process begins with informal observations of the child in their natural learning setting. If observers agree that the child is demonstrating signs of dyslexia, they will proceed to conduct more formal assessments in order to make a dyslexia diagnosis. Read more about the process at the following link: Understanding the Special Ed Process. It is crucial to note that a child cannot receive special education services without a formal diagnosis and written consent from their parents. If a learning (or other) disability is suspected, seeking formal diagnosis is an important first step towards intervention. 

Dyslexia looks different for everyone that has it. While there are some signs of dyslexia that may be more universal, not all children will demonstrate these signs. For example, some children may struggle to learn how to read, while others may have a speech delay, and still others may struggle to follow directions. When looking into the “warning signs” of dyslexia, many parents become anxious or disheartened about their child’s academic journey. Here at Rally Reader, we want to emphasize that learning disabilities – and disabilities in general – do not indicate that a child cannot or will not learn. We believe that all children can become lifelong learners with the appropriate support. 

** A note about language: In this article, as well as other articles on our website, we utilize Person First Language (i.e. “people with dyslexia”). Rally Reader recognizes that identity is personal and the way a person self describes is most important when discussing someone's disability. While this matter is much more nuanced, in this article we opt for using person first language when addressing and talking about the disability community.

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