What is Dyslexia?
“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” **
What are the causes of Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is brain-based and has a genetic component. Dyslexia runs in families. About 40% of siblings of children with dyslexia will also have the condition, and almost 50% of the children of a parent with dyslexia will be affected. If both parents have dyslexia, 75% of their children likely will be impacted.
Tracking the genetics of dyslexia is complicated because more than one gene is involved, and environment also plays a role in the development of the disability. Studies on twins have shown that about 30% of the risk for dyslexia comes from a child’s early environment, with poverty and parent education being risk factors. For a child with a genetic predisposition, the early literacy environment and quality of instruction are especially critical (Dorta, 2021).
The inherited genes impact both the structure and functioning of the areas and pathways of the brain that are used for reading. With the development of brain imaging technology in the 1990s, scientists have been able to demonstrate that dyslexia is brain-based. The brain models below represent the normal activation patterns of the reading brain compared to the “neural signature” of the dyslexic brain engaged in the same task. **
What are the signs of Dyslexia?
The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using written language. It is a myth that individuals with dyslexia “read backwards,” although spelling can look quite jumbled at times because students have trouble remembering letter symbols for sounds and forming memories for words. Other problems experienced by people with dyslexia include the following:
Learning to speak
Learning letters and their sounds
Organizing written and spoken language
Memorizing number facts
Reading quickly enough to comprehend
Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments
Spelling
Learning a foreign language
Correctly doing math operations
Not all students who have difficulties with these skills have dyslexia. Formal testing of reading, language, and writing skills is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of suspected dyslexia. **
What are the rights of a person with Dyslexia?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) define the rights of students with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities. These individuals are legally entitled to special services to help them overcome and accommodate their learning problems. Such services include education programs designed to meet the needs of these students. The Acts also protect people with dyslexia against unfair and illegal discrimination.
** All this information came from either the International Dyslexia Assocation or the Wisconsin Dyslexia Roadmap. Both sites are available under the Resources tab.