What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is defined as “a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin...characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities” (Lyon, International Dyslexia Association, 2002). This results in a deficiency in the phonological component of language that contrasts greatly with the student’s other cognitive abilities.2 A student with dyslexia may be very intelligent, but still struggle with reading comprehension and decoding new vocabulary.

Signs of Dyslexia

Signs that a child may have dyslexia include:

·      Difficulty correctly sounding out and spelling words

·      Struggles with learning and remembering the names of letters

·      Avoiding reading

·      Reversing the letter “b” into a “d” and vice-versa

·      Omitting parts of words when reading

·      Reliance on context to understand what they are reading

·      Poor Organization

As a result, dyslexia can affect a student’s behaviour, resulting in:

·      Poor self-esteem

·      Outbursts due to frustration

·      Low confidence and motivation

However, it is important to remember that dyslexic are often noted as having many strengths, such as:

·      Creativity

·      Compassion

·      Ability to quickly learn new concepts (Shaywitz, 2003)

Ways to Help Dyslexic Students

Students with dyslexia can be taught strategies and tools to help them succeed in school. Using a systematic approach, students starting with individual sounds then use these sounds to decode words. A combination of visually seeing the letter, hearing the corresponding sounds, and tracing the letter creates a multisensory foundation for phonetic understanding (Gillingham & Stillman, 1997). Students then work their way towards understanding different types of syllables and how to properly apply affixes.