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Dyslexia

Dyslexia is the largest learning disability facing children—in fact, it makes up about 85% of all people with learning disorders. Since it is such a problem, and children are still slipping through the cracks in the school system and not getting the help that they need, it is important for parents to watch for the signs and to know what types of treatments have shown the best results:

Signs to Watch for:

• In Preshool—
By the time your child has finished preschool (usually around 4 or 5 years old), they should be able to learn simple rhymes, say most words correctly, and learn most of the letters of the alphabet. If your child has problems in any of these areas, you may not need to seek any advice yet, but you should most definitely keep these signs in mind and pay close attention to how your child does once they are in kindergarten.

• Kindergarten—
This is when the symptoms will become more prominent and obvious. It can include such things as your child not being able to remember what sound a certain letter makes, or still not comprehending that letters make individual sounds (this is because, essentially, people with dyslexia do not hear the sounds of individual letters in a word—instead, they hear it as one sound). Another sign to watch out for is if your child confuses or interchanges small words.

• Above Kindergarten—
As your child gets older, they may have a horrible fear of reading out loud, and still may confuse small words. They may also have a lot of trouble sounding out large, unfamiliar words.

While none of these signs mean that your child definitely has dyslexia or any other learning disorder. What it does mean is that you should pay very close attention to your child's progress, and if at any point you feel that your child is having difficulty at school because of these issues, or if your child asks for help, you should ask their teacher for an evaluation.

If the teacher refuses (which has been a problem for many parents when making such a request), you should write a letter to the principal formally asking for an evaluation of your child. When a request is submitted to the school in writing, the school is required by law to test your child for free to determine whether they qualify for special education. In order to find out any more information that this, you will have to take your child to have a private evaluation done.

If the results show that your child has a learning disability (meaning that their IQ and academic performance maintain a significant discrepancy), an IEP can be established for your child. An IEP is an Individualized Educational Plan, and will have an ultimate (year-long) goal that your child will try to reach. By breaking this down into steps and checking with the school on a regular basis, you will be able to keep better track of your child's progress. This way, if there is a problem, you aren't waiting—and essentially losing—an entirely school year to find out.

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