Unlocking Potential: The Dyslexic Experience

WRITTEN BY SARAH GUGGENHEIM ALEXANDER

When she was in third grade, my daughter’s STAR test scores placed her in the 97th percentile in math, 22nd percentile in reading. That was the last straw for her father and me. Since preschool, we had been told she would “catch on,” she would “figure it out,” and “kids progress at different rates.” But now it was clear, she was not a kid learning at her own speed – she was a smart kid who couldn’t read. Three months later, we had a diagnosis: Developmental reading disorder or, more commonly, dyslexia.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia, which affects one in five students, is a neurodevelopmental difference in the way the brain processes language. Turns out, human grey matter is not hardwired for reading, and some brains create the necessary neuronal pathways more readily than others. Dyslexia has no connection with intelligence, nor is it the result of laziness or poor vision.

Individuals with dyslexia may struggle with word sounds, letter recognition, decoding words, spelling and fluency in reading. This leads to difficulties with comprehension as well as expressing thoughts in writing. Its severity can vary widely among individuals; while some may exhibit mild symptoms, others face more significant challenges.

Dyslexia is not hard to identify, even as early as kindergarten. Common signs include:

• Difficulty with phonemic awareness: Children may struggle with rhyming or pronouncing multi-syllabic words. Sometime their speech may be hard to understand.

• Slow or inaccurate reading: Dyslexic students often read slowly and with difficulty, guess at unknown words and skip small words such as “to,” “at” and “the.”

• Poor spelling: Dyslexic kids tend to spell phonetically (pikl, bak), leave out letters (“wat” for want), and reverse letters and numbers well past the first grade.

• Dislike of reading and writing: When reading and writing are difficult, it can result in frustration, fatigue and anxiety and may cause a child to avoid those activities.

But it is also more than just an academic problem. Dyslexia has documented links with mental illness, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency and economic well-being. Dyslexic students are twice as likely to drop out of high school; 40% of individuals with dyslexia experience depression and anxiety; 43% of individuals with dyslexia live in poverty; and 85% of youth in juvenile detention facilities have a reading disability. When we neglect to identify and address dyslexia, individual challenges become a concern for our whole community.

So, What Do We Do?

Research has long shown that individuals with dyslexia benefit from structured literacy instruction. Often referred to as “Orton Gillingham Methodology,” – referring to two of the early pioneers in dyslexia research – these programs provide explicit and systematic instruction in the rules and patterns of our language. Brain imaging technology shows that this approach actually creates new pathways in the brain for reading and writing. Depending on the severity of a student’s dyslexia, this instruction may be effective in a classroom or small-group setting, while other students require intensive one-on-one tutoring.

In addition to instructional support, students with dyslexia benefit from technology tools, such as text-to-speech software, as well as accommodations like oral tests or extra time on tests. These adjustments allow a dyslexic student to demonstrate their mastery of a subject without being hampered by their reading and writing difficulties.

It’s also important for those with dyslexia to understand and embrace their dyslexia. A lot of research has been done on the specific strengths that dyslexics tend to share, such as talents for spatial awareness (think: architects, engineers), empathetic thinking (think: actors, psychiatrists), and storytelling (think: writers and filmmakers), among others. When students understand that their dyslexia comes with advantages along with challenges, they are more likely to find success in school and work.

Like ADHD and ASD, dyslexia illustrates the diverse range of cognitive abilities and learning styles that exist within the human population. Today, my daughter is a thriving high school senior, with college on the horizon. With the right instruction, she learned to read and spell and, just as importantly, she learned to ask and advocate for the supports she needed to succeed academically and emotionally. When we recognize dyslexia, seek appropriate intervention and provide a compassionate environment, we empower dyslexic children to unlock their full potential.

Sarah Guggenheim Alexander is the Associate Director of READMontana www.readmontana.org, a Bozeman-based 501c3 providing Resources, Education, and Advocacy for Dyslexia.