Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. Kids with dyslexia have trouble reading accurately and fluently. They may also have trouble with reading comprehension, spelling and writing.
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that makes it difficult for people to read. It’s the most common learning issue, although it’s not clear what percentage of kids have it. Some experts believe the number is between 5 and 10 percent. Others say as many as 17 percent of people show signs of reading issues. The reason for the wide range is that experts may define dyslexia in different ways.
Dyslexia is mainly a problem with reading accurately and fluently. Kids with dyslexia may have trouble answering questions about something they’ve read. But when it’s read to them, they may have no difficulty at all.
Dyslexia can create difficulty with other skills, however. These include:
- Reading comprehension
- Spelling
- Writing
- Math
Signs and Symptoms
Dyslexia impacts people in varying degrees, so symptoms may differ from one child to another. Generally, symptoms show up as problems with accuracy and fluency in reading and spelling. But in some kids, dyslexia can impact writing, math and language, too.
A key sign of dyslexia in kids is trouble decoding words. This is the ability to match letters to sounds and then use that skill to read words accurately and fluently.
One reason kids have difficulty decoding is that they often struggle with a more basic language skill called phonemic awareness. This is the ability to recognize individual sounds in words. Trouble with this skill can show up as early as preschool.
Signs of dyslexia can look different at different ages.
Here are some examples of signs of dyslexia:
Preschool
• Has trouble recognizing whether two words rhyme
• Struggles with taking away the beginning sound from a word
• Struggles with learning new words
• Has trouble recognizing letters and matching them to sounds
Grade School
• Has trouble taking away the middle sound from a word or blending several sounds to make a word
• Often can’t recognize common sight words
• Quickly forgets how to spell many of the words she studies
• Gets tripped up by word problems in math
Middle School
• Makes many spelling errors
• Frequently has to re-read sentences and passages
• Reads at a lower academic level than how she speaks
High School
• Often skips over small words when reading aloud
• Doesn’t read at the expected grade level
• Strongly prefers multiple-choice questions over fill-in-the-blank or short answer.
Dyslexia doesn’t just affect learning. It can impact everyday skills and activities, as well. These include social interaction, memory and dealing with stress.
Possible Causes of Dyslexia
Researchers haven’t yet pinpointed exactly what causes dyslexia. But they do know that genes and brain differences play a role. Here are some of the possible causes of dyslexia:
Genes and heredity: Dyslexia often runs in families. About 40 percent of siblings of kids with dyslexia have the same reading issues. As many as 49 percent of parents of kids with dyslexia have it, too. Scientists have also found a number of genes linked to issues with reading and processing language.
Brain anatomy and activity: Brain imaging studies have shown brain differences between people with and without dyslexia. These differences occur in areas of the brain involved with key reading skills. Those skills are knowing how sounds are represented in words, and recognizing what written words look like.
The brain can change, however. (This concept is known as neuroplasticity.) Studies show brain activity in people with dyslexia changes after they get proper tutoring. And scientists are learning more all the time.
Treatment for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at NCI
An Interdisciplinary Clinical Team Approach
We use a multi-layered treatment approach when treating neurodevelopmental disorders. Patients are treated by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians that includes: a clinical neuropsychologist, a clinical psychologist or behaviorist, a cognitive rehab/speech language therapist and a neuromodulation clinician.
We provide a comprehensive combination of traditional, complementary, as well as, experimental treatments not typically available at any other clinics. For instance, when treating cognitive disorders we typically treat by combining cognitive rehabilitation, with cognitive enhancers, and one or more forms of neuromodulation superimposed on comprehensive behavioral health plan that utilizes specific nutrition requirements, heart-rate variability training, maximizing sleep and the reduction of stress. Similar combination therapies are used for treating a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions such as OCD, as well as, in the treatment of chronic pain and fatigue.
Some of these treatments and consultation options include:
Neurocognitive Rehabilitation
Patients admitted to the cognitive rehabilitation program enter a module based on their primary type of cognitive impairment, e.g., the Attention, Working Memory and Executive System impairment module. Each patient will receive specific treatments for this type of cognitive disorder using a combination of remedial, adaptive and compensatory interventions that have been developed at the NeuroCognitive Institute for their module.
Neuromodulation
We often combine cognitive and language rehabilitation with neuromodulation. Neuromodulation is evolving as a treatment option for treating the cognitive, behavioral and psychiatric symptoms and deficits resulting from neurodevelopmental disorders.
Techniques include invasive procedures such as deep brain stimulation and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), as well as, non-invasive techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation tDCS, neurofeedback and rTMS. At NCI, we only use non-invasive neuromodulation intervention combined with other rehabilitation interventions to enhance treatment response.
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and language therapy focuses on improving speech and abilities to understand and express language.
NCI has speech therapists who can help assess speech delays, restore speech and language skills from young children to adults with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Behavioral Health Interventions
Behavioral health interventions focus on changing or modifying a patient’s lifestyle such as diet and introducing specific exercise programs to enhance cortical and cognitive functioning.
Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals
We use various medications to treat the cognitive, neurobehavioral and neuropsychiatric deficits and symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Contact Us
If you or know anyone who needs help, contact The NeuroCognitive Institute for assessment and treatment. Call (973) 601 0100 or sign up as a new patient and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Source: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/understanding-dyslexiaSource: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/understanding-dyslexia
