About Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

The definition adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors is as follows: “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.”

Characteristics

My logo might have caught your attention, but reading and writing letters backwards is a myth that doesn’t define dyslexia! Did you know that many young children reverse letters when initially learning and it is considered normal up to a certain age? Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference, not a visual problem. See the Signs of Dyslexia document below.

Effective Instruction

Research shows that students with dyslexia need explicit and systematic instruction in all the major components of literacy development and should include individualized, intensive and multisensory methods. The Texas Dyslexia Handbook lists the following components: phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllabication, orthography, morphology, syntax, reading comprehension, and reading fluency.