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Recommended reading and other sources of information about dyslexia and effective interventions.

What is Dyslexia*

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological 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 reading comprehension problems and, therefore, reduced reading experience which can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.


What are the signs of dyslexia?

Individuals with dyslexia usually have some of the following characteristics:


  • Late in learning to talk; difficulty pronouncing words and acquiring vocabulary or using age appropriate grammar
  • Difficulty following directions; confusion with before/after, right/left, and so on
  • Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs
  • Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships; difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems

Difficulty with written language
  • Difficulty putting ideas on paper
  • Many spelling mistakes
  • May do well on weekly spelling tests, but there are many spelling mistakes in daily work; difficulty in proofreading

Difficulty with reading
  • Difficulty learning to read
  • Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming word, or counting syllables in words (phonological awareness)
  • Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (Phonemic Awareness)
  • Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (Auditory Discrimination)
  • Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters
  • Difficulty remembering the names and/or shapes of letters; reverses letters or the order of letters when reading
  • Misreads or omits common small words; "stumbles" through longer wordsords
  • Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading; slow, laborious oral reading

*Adapted from the International Dyslexia Association, 2003