Springs Literacy Center strives to provide all students who struggle with literacy aquisition the opportunity to learn in a different way that allows them to experience and achieve success. We are committed to providing instruction that is steeped in research based practices in order to best serve the individual needs of our students
Reading is complex. It requires our brains to connect letters to sounds, put those sounds in the right order, and pull the words together into sentences and paragraphs we can read and comprehend.
People with dyslexia have trouble matching the letters they see on the page with the sounds those letters and combinations of letters make. And when they have trouble with that step, all the other steps are harder.
Dyslexic children and adults struggle to read fluently, spell words correctly and learn a second language, among other challenges. But these difficulties have no connection to their overall intelligence. In fact, dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading in an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader. While people with dyslexia are slow readers, they often, paradoxically, are very fast and creative thinkers with strong reasoning abilities.
Dyslexia is also very common, affecting 20 percent of the population and representing 80– 90 percent of all those with learning disabilities. Scientific research shows differences in brain connectivity between dyslexic and typical reading children, providing a neurological basis for why reading fluently is a struggle for those with dyslexia.
Dyslexia can’t be “cured” – it is lifelong. But with the right supports, dyslexic individuals can become highly successful students and adults.
Some of the brightest children struggle to read. Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence—average, above average and highly gifted. Many gifted people at the top of their fields are dyslexic. While people with dyslexia are slow readers, they often are very fast and creative thinkers.
This is unfortunately a myth that seems to have nine lives. Many young children reverse letters when learning to write, regardless of whether or not they have dyslexia. In fact, most children with dyslexia do not reverse letters. Click here to learn the signs of dyslexia.
At its core, dyslexia is a problem accessing the sound of spoken language. It is not a visual disorder. Early screening, early diagnosis, early evidence-based reading intervention and appropriate accommodations are what is needed to help dyslexic individuals.
Many dyslexic students perform very well in school. These students are usually highly motivated and work extremely hard. In many cases they have been identified early and have received evidence-based interventions and accommodations, such as extra time on tests, which allows them to demonstrate their knowledge. Dyslexic students have completed rigorous programs at highly selective colleges, graduate and professional schools.
Since reading is based on spoken language, clues can appear before a child starts school. As discussed in detail in Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz and partially excerpted in “Recognizing the Signs of Dyslexia,” children with dyslexia often have slightly delayed speech and don’t recognize rhyming words. A family history of dyslexia may also be present. Tests for dyslexia can be performed early on so children can start school with the help they need to reach their potential, and parents can know what accommodations are necessary.
Many excellent tools and strategies help children with dyslexia learn to read and perform to their full potential in school. These include evidenced-based reading programs and accommodations, such as extra time on tests. For more information on accommodations click here. Of course, the most important steps are screening the child for dyslexia and identifying him or her as having a diagnosis of dyslexia.
Most critically, students need to be diagnosed correctly and understand the implications of their diagnosis—especially that they are bright and can have a fulfilling future. In addition, such students benefit from and typically require extra time on tests, taking tests in a quiet space, using text-to-speech technology and taking notes on a laptop. For more information on accommodations click here.
If the student qualifies for an IEP (Individualized Education Program) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the IEP recommends accommodations, then the school must provide them. If the student does not qualify for an IEP, he or she may still be eligible for accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For more information on the laws covering dyslexia, click here.
This is discussed in detail in Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz and partially excerpted in “Recognizing the Signs of Dyslexia.”