The most common learning disability is dyslexia, which affects 1 in 5 school-age children. When a child demonstrates difficulty with reading it is important to seek help rather than waiting to see if the problems will be outgrown. Early intervention is key to overcoming reading issues. Do not wait to seek help if you suspect your child has dyslexia. Below are signs to look for if you are concerned about your school-age child.
Does your child have difficulty with:
- Rhyming
- Pronouncing words correctly
- Remembering names of people and objects
- Remembering facts or information such as their telephone number, address, or birthday
- Understanding and following directions, especially when they involve more than one step
- Knowing left from right
- Staying organized
When reading does your child:
- Have difficulty connecting letters with their sounds
- Guess words from the beginning sound
- Consistently demonstrate errors such as reversals (p/q, b/d, no/on), omissions (lit/ lift, back/black), transpositions (nets/nest, clasp/claps), or substitutions (where/there, what/that)
- Omit suffixes when reading or add suffixes to words that do not have them
- Struggle with learning and remembering sight words – may recognize sight words when reading them on a list but doesn’t always recognize them in text
- Have difficulty remembering words read earlier in a text
- Spend so much time attempting to decode words that it is difficult to comprehend what has been read
- Have difficulty learning new vocabulary words
When writing does your child:
- Memorize words for a test but be unable to spell them a week or two later
- Consistently demonstrate errors such as reversals, omissions, transpositions, or substitutions (see the examples for reading errors listed above)
- Spell a word several different ways in a paragraph or page of writing
- Have messy handwriting
As a result of the difficulties these children encounter, they frequently avoid reading and writing. Such students often struggle with self-esteem as well and the problems can snowball as the child becomes more frustrated.
Public schools evaluate children for learning disabilities but most do not test specifically test for dyslexia. As a result, many schools do not provide the type of instruction children with dyslexia need in order to be successful. It is vital that children be identified at an early age, ideally before the end of second grade, so they can receive the individualized, multisensory instruction they need. Don’t wait to seek help. Have your child evaluated.
Kim Laue is the owner of Colorado Reading Solutions in Loveland, Colorado, and has been in private practice for 17 years. Contact Kim at 970-689-2290 or klaue@coloradoreadingsolutions.com.