Despite what you might have heard about reversed letters, dyslexia simply means “poor with words or trouble with reading”. The word is nothing more than a way to identify a reading problem. Dyslexia does not need to be a permanent diagnosis or condition.
Diagnosis:
A professional cognitive skills test can pinpoint the exact cause of learning problems. In people with dyslexia, the cognitive skills that are usually weak include phonemic awareness and auditory processing, although other areas may be weak as well.
Symptoms:
- Struggles pronouncing new words
- Weak at letter sound discrimination (pin, pen)
- Poor at distinguishing similarities/differences in words (no, on)
- Difficulty transferring what is heard to what is seen and vice versa
- Low reading comprehension
Treatment:
Cognitive skills training attacks the root causes of dyslexia by strengthening weak cognitive skills, especially phonemic awareness and auditory processing.
- Reading to your child or assisting them with reading can increase the skills necessary for them to excel on their own later.
Characteristics:
- Family history of reading problems
- Predominant in males (2:1, Male: Female)
- Average/above average IQ
- Math proficiency not uncommon
- No enjoyment of leisure reading
- Poor spelling
- Auditory language difficulties in word finding, fluency, meaning, or sequence
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