What is Dyslexia?

Einstein Montessori

What dyslexia is not

Before trying to explain what dyslexia is, it might be better to first explain what it is not. Although students with dyslexia may have problems recalling the orientation of letters and may also have difficulties distinguishing the difference between, but not limited to, letters like b and d, people with dyslexia do not see backwards or upside down. That is a common misconception which leads parents to the wrong conclusion as to why their child is having problem reading. Dyslexia is not a disease, a lack of intelligence, or a developmental delay.

Defining Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a language-based reading disability which denies the student the ability to decode the written language. They commonly add, omit, substitute, shift, or repeat sounds in words when reading or letters in words when spelling. The primary cause of dyslexia is a weak level of phonemic awareness, which is a language processing disability. Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize individual sounds when they are combined with other sounds. When letters are combined that sound alike, dyslexic people do not recognize the individual sounds. They hear combined sounds, but cannot separate the combinations of sounds into individual sounds. This weakens the person’s ability to decode words because they simply cannot seperate the sounds. These reading and spelling difficulties occur despite adequate teaching, home environment, motivation, intelligence, or sensory acuity. Dyslexia is a medical diagnosis, made by a qualified physician or psychologist. Typically, it is the speech pathologist that understands and is trained to do proper evaluations and therapies

Learn what causes dyslexia.

Einstein Montessori

Why Can’t a Dyslexic Child go to a Regular School?

Many school districts are reluctant to test students or even use the word dyslexia. They choose to use the term “learning disability” or LD. From their perspective it means the same as dyslexia. But in reality, it is a much broader definition which includes, but is not limited to, mathematical disabillities and written expression disabilities. The term “learning disability” may imply that these children cannot learn or learn more slowly. Dyslexics can be extraordinarily bright and often have a knack for solving problems and thinking outside the box.

Customized by See Level Marketing.