Dyslexia: Is it a Learning Disability?

In every classroom there are a handful of bright children who struggle to learn to read. This problem has existed since people began to develop written language. Research over the years has increased our understanding of language and learning disabilities (LD) and how the brain works. Today language and learning disabilities are recognized in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV). We acknowledge that LD can occur in children, can persist through their life span and can have an extremely negative affect on a child's life, yet there is still confusion about what constitutes a language and learning disability and how best to help the children whom are plagued by these disorders.

Perhaps the most confusion revolves around the inability to read and the learning disability called dyslexia. Dyslexia is a well-recognized learning disability in the field of psychology. In their 2010 published textbook, Abnormal Psychology, the authors define dyslexia as a problem in reading and writing where an individual struggles in word recognition, comprehension, spelling, memory and reading fluency. Despite that dyslexia is currently widely researched throughout the world and that the government issued the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to set up centers in the U.S. to study dyslexia, most K-12 schools in the U.S. do not acknowledge or test for this learning disability. Perhaps this is because the American Psychology Association does not currently recognize dyslexia as a separate language or learning disorder in the DSM-IV. However, this may change in the future. Currently the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity is heading a campaign to legitimize dyslexia and grant accommodations to students with dyslexia.

What do we know about dyslexia? It is a complicated learning disorder that affects reading, writing, spelling and language. There is wide spread consensus that dyslexia is characterized by phonological deficits. However, research demonstrates that there are additional deficits. Individuals with dyslexia also have poor verbal short-term and long-term memories, poor recognition of visual symbols, poor procedural learning and poor auditory skills. What does this mean for the student with dyslexia?

Unfortunately, it means that an intervention based solely on improving phonics, while important for helping poor readers with the sound language connection, is not a complete intervention. More is needed to help the student with dyslexia. Children who face daily reading struggles will tell you that dyslexia is real. Researchers worldwide back up their sentiments. Let's stand behind Yale's center for Dyslexia and call for change. Go to http:dyslexia.yale.edu/LegalizeDyslexia.html and sign the petition that asks Congress to require testing for dyslexia and to grant accommodations for these students so that they will be given the tools to succeed.

As summer begins to draw to a close and as the new school year looms quickly ahead, it is a great time to begin intervention that will help your child succeed in school. If your child struggles to read, write and spell, intervention is available that not only helps with ALL the deficits involved in dyslexia, but also utilizes the strengths of your child. Wired2Learn offers a complete, research-based dyslexia intervention to help with phonics, memory, verbal processing and auditory skills.

For more information on dyslexia, assessment of dyslexia or intervention for dyslexia, please call Wired2Learn at 699-6232.