Individuals diagnosed with Dyslexia have trouble matching letters with their corresponding sounds. This makes reading much more difficult. However, people who are diagnosed with dyslexia are often very intelligent and successful individuals. According to the International Dyslexia Association, “Many individuals with dyslexia have not only been successful, they have changed the world. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Pablo Picasso all struggled with dyslexia. Research has shown that wiring in the brains of people with dyslexia is different, and many believe that this different wiring of the brain causes people with dyslexia to see problems in different ways that can support innovation and success. ”
The International Dyslexia Association also cautions, “In public school settings where many teachers are not knowledgeable about this condition, students with dyslexia may be considered stupid or lazy. Parents who have children diagnosed with dyslexia should seek out reading instruction that is based upon a systematic and explicit understanding of language structure, including phonics. This reading instruction goes by many names, Structured Literacy, Orton- Gillingham, Simultaneous, Explicit Phonics, and others.”
Reading Remedy Tutor uses the Wilson Reading System, a structured literacy program based on phonological-coding research and Orton-Gillingham principles. The Wilson Reading System directly and systematically teaches the structure of the English language. Through the program, students learn fluent decoding and encoding skills to the level of mastery. Depending on the severity of the dyslexia, tutoring is recommended using the Wilson system, 2 to 3 times per week for up to 1 to 3 years.
Here are two websites that offer additional resources about Dyslexia:
- The International Dyslexia Association www.eida.org
- Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity www.dyslexia.yale.edu
The Preschool Years
- Trouble learning common nursery rhymes, such as “Jack and Jill”
- Difficulty learning (and remembering) the names of letters in the alphabet
- Seems to be unable to recognize letters in his/her own name
- Mispronounces familiar words; persistent “baby talk”
- Doesn’t recognize rhyming patterns like cat, bat, rat