Could My Child Have Dyslexia?
When your child starts school there are many challenges and changes for your child – a new environment, a new teacher, new routines to learn, and new friends to make. And that’s before learning any of the skills and curriculum that will be taught.
Dyslexia is a type of specific learning disorder. People with dyslexia find reading, writing and spelling difficult. These challenges are persistent even after they’ve had lots of opportunities to learn and develop their skills. Dyslexia is not a reflection of a person’s intelligence or a predictor of future successes. In fact, Steven Spielberg, Jamie Oliver and Jennifer Aniston all have dyslexia and are successful in their chosen fields.
What Causes Dyslexia?
It is unknown why some people have dyslexia, but current research suggests:
- an underlying problem with phonological awareness exists. This is the ability to identify the difference between different speech sounds
- short-term memory challenges are present. This can impact a person’s inability to recall instructions or spelling patterns, and remember multiple things at once
- the person has difficulties with recognising written words and the parts within the words. This can cause challenges when reading
- there is a possible genetic link within families. If one person has dyslexia, then it is possible another person does as well.
What it Might Look Like:
Some indicators of dyslexia include:
- spoken language has developed slowly and responses to verbal questions may be using only a few words or very short sentences
- identifying words that rhyme is hard to do
- learning the names of letters and their corresponding sounds is difficult despite appropriate exposure and practise
- not knowing the difference between letters and numbers
- difficulty sounding out and blending sounds together to then say the word
- guessing words when reading
- mis-reads lots of common and short words
- avoids reading, or prefers to listen to reading rather than read themselves
- spelling is difficult when writing.
It doesn’t necessarily mean your child has dyslexia if they have difficulty with some of the indicators mentioned above. If you are concerned about your child’s reading development, then you need to take action.
Recommendations
If you are concerned about your child’s reading development, it is recommended that you:
- speak to your child’s teacher. Get a general sense of how they are going at school and then ask for specific information about their reading skills. Are they finding it hard to remember all of the letters and the sounds they make? Do they volunteer to read aloud? Do they roll their eyes when it is time for literacy? Do they avoid writing or find it really hard to get started? Are there lots of spelling errors in their writing, even with simple words they should know? Do they write numbers in their texts? Is your child receiving additional support for the development of their reading skills? If so, for how long and how often each week?
- seek a formal assessment with a psychologist. Psychologists can evaluate a child’s difficulties with learning and provide recommendations as to how the child can be supported at school.
If your child is identified as having dyslexia, don’t despair. Although dyslexia is not something a person can grow out of, people can develop coping and support strategies to help them decode and construct texts successfully. Specialised interventions, such as explicit small-group phonics instruction, can also help.
If you are concerned with your child’s learning progress, or you would like to learn how to support them in the best way possible, please contact the friendly team at Progressive Psychology on 0477 798 932 to make an appointment with one of our friendly psychologists today.
Jacki Noney is a Provisional Psychologist at Progressive Psychology