Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects reading. Children with dyslexia often fall severely behind in reading or may not learn to read at all. While dyslexic kids struggle with learning to read, they can become good readers if they are given research-based instruction focused on explicit, systematic phonics.
Here are some signs that a child may be dyslexic:
-trouble blending sounds (ex. the child struggles to identify that the sounds mmm-aaa-ppp say map or the sounds ssss-p-eeee-nnnn-t say spent).
-slow reading
-word substitutions. The child may read “The girl ran in the field.” as “The girl ran in the grass.” Phonetically, “grass” and “field” have nothing in common. Yet, the child will use word substitutions because their decoding skills are weak or nonexistent.
-memorizes books. The child will memorize books to make it seem like he can read. This can fool teachers and parents for years. There’s evidence that we can only memorize the most common thousand words or so. Once the child reaches, this quota, they can’t progress any longer. Eventually, a parent will recognize that the child has been memorizing books all along, not decoding.
-difficulty learning letter sounds
-low self-esteem related to school performance. I’ve worked with many intelligent children who developed a low self-esteem due to their difficulty with learning to read. Oftentimes, children will be candid and say things like, “I guess I can’t be a firefighter because I can’t read.” They will often believe that something is deficient in themselves. They need an effective dyslexia practitioner who teaches them to read and then they can understand that they just needed a certain methodology to learn to read.
Dyslexia doesn’t affect intelligence—many kids with dyslexia are highly creative intelligent. If you notice several of these signs, especially if they persist over time, it’s a good idea to ensure that the child is receiving research-based instruction.
Reading Elephant offers step-by-step printable decodable books in our shop.
Our printable books introduce one phonics sound at a time, allowing kids to gradually and systematically learn to read.
