Frequently Asked Questions
What is dyslexia?
It is a language based disability.
Are There Other Learning Disabilities Besides Dyslexia?
Yes. Dyslexia is one type of learning disability. Other more common learning disabilities (there are many more) include the following:
Dyscalculia – a mathematical disability in which a person has unusual difficulty solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.
Dysgraphia – a neurological disorder that involves handwriting. It is a written language disorder in serial production of strokes to form a handwritten letter and involves not only motor skills but also language skills – finding, retrieving and producing letters, which is a sub-word level language skill. The impaired handwriting may interfere with spelling and/or composing, but individuals with only dysgraphia do not have difficulty with reading.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders (ADHD) can and does impact learning but they are not learning disabilities. An individual can have more than one learning or behavioral disability. In various studies as many as 50% of those diagnosed with a learning or reading disability have also been diagnosed with ADHD. Although disabilities may co-occur, one is not the cause of the other.
How Common Are Language-Based Learning Disabilities?
15-20% of the population has a language-based learning disability. Of the students with specific learning disabilities receiving special education services, 70-80% have deficits in reading. Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties. Dyslexia affects males and females nearly equally as well as, people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds nearly equally.
Can Individuals Who Have Dyslexia Learn To Read?
Yes. If children who have dyslexia receive effective phonological awareness and phonics training in Kindergarten and 1st grade, they will have significantly fewer problems in learning to read at grade level than do children who are not identified or helped until 3rd grade. 74% of the children who are poor readers in 3rd grade remain poor readers in the 9th grade, many because they do not receive appropriate Structured Literacy instruction with the needed intensity or duration. Often they can’t read well as adults either. It is never too late for individuals with dyslexia to learn to read, process, and express information more efficiently. Research shows that programs utilizing Structured Literacy instructional techniques can help children and adults learn to read.
How Do People “Get” Dyslexia?
The causes for dyslexia are neuro-biological and genetic. Individuals inherit the genetic links for dyslexia. Chances are that one of the child’s parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles has dyslexia. Dyslexia is not a disease. With proper diagnosis, appropriate instruction, hard work, and support from family, teachers, friends, and others, individuals who have dyslexia can succeed in school and later as working adults.
What are the signs of dyslexia?
The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using reading and writing skills. Problems experienced by dyslexics include:
Learning to speak
Organizing written and spoken language
Learning letters and their sounds
Memorizing number fact
Spelling
Reading
Learning a foreign language
Correctly doing math operations
Not all students who have difficulties with these skills are dyslexic. Formal testing is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of suspected dyslexia or other learning disabilities.
Why is my child struggling in school?
When children are struggling in school, it’s important to find out why. It may be that a disability is affecting your child’s educational performance. If so, your child may be eligible for special education and related services that can help. To learn more about special education, keep reading. This publication will help you learn how you and the school can work together to help your child.
As a first step, the school may need to try sufficient interventions in the regular education classroom and modify instructional practices before referring your child for special education evaluation.
Who is eligible for services?
Children with disabilities are eligible for special education and related services when they meet IDEA’s definition of a “child with a disability” in combination with state and local policies. IDEA’s definition of a “child with a disability” lists 13 different disability categories under which a child may be found eligible for special education and related services. These categories are listed below. IDEA describes what each of these disability categories means. You’ll find those descriptions online at: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/categories/
________________________________
IDEA’s Categories of Disability
Autism
Deafness
Deaf-blindness
Hearing impairment
Intellectual disabilities
Multiple disabilities
Orthopedic impairment
Other health impairment
Serious emotional disturbance
Specific learning disability
Speech or language impairment
Traumatic brain injury
Visual impairment, including blindness