Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a neurological difference which affects a person's ability to process written and spoken language. It is characterized by difficulties with decoding, spelling, and accurate and/or fluent word recognition, despite exposure to adequate instruction and otherwise capable cognitive abilities.

Impaired phonological processing is typically the common explanation for such difficulties. Phonological processing is one’s ability to distinguish, produce, and manipulate the sounds in a word including syllables, onsets, rimes, and individual phonemes (smallest unit of speech).

Dyslexia exists on a spectrum and requires different targeting of skills.

Common Signs of Dyslexia

(Elementary)

Inaccurate recognition of letter-sound associations
Difficulty with different phonological skills such as segmenting or blending speech sounds, or manipulation of speech sounds with rhyming, substitution and/or deletion
Trouble decoding and spelling simple or unfamiliar words (i.e. “cot” instead of “cat”)
Inability to spell; may mix up letters (i.e. “quess” instead of “guess”), and have trouble tracking speech sounds or recalling symbol sequences
Labored reading
Inconsistent word recognition
Over-reliance on context and guessing

Common Signs of Dyslexia

(Secondary)

Difficulty with different phonological skills such as segmenting or blending speech sounds, or manipulation of speech sounds with rhyming, substitution and/or deletion (this may be less obvious)
Slow and labored oral reading requiring effort and stamina, loses meaning
Inability to spell; may mix up letters (i.e. “quess” instead of “guess”), and have trouble tracking speech sounds or recalling symbol sequences
Difficulty decoding new words and inconsistent word recognition
Spelling and written expression lag behind reading and indicate language processing weaknesses; longer writing assignments are very difficult
Avoids reading and vocabulary declines
Over-reliance on context and guessing as comprehension is impacted by the amount of effort required to decode the words, and a decline in vocabulary
Difficulty learning a foreign language

Interventions for Dyslexia

(Elementary)

Benchmark Phonics

Barton

FCRR

Heggerty

Imagine

Magnetic Reading

SIPPS

UFLI

Wilson

Interventions for Dyslexia

(Secondary)

Barton

FCRR

Language Live

Lexia

UFLI

Wilson

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