For starters, a child who struggles to read does not automatically have dyslexia. There
are several factors involved when assessing and diagnosing dyslexia, or other
neurobiological disorders. As a parent or guardian, it’s important to take all warning
signs into consideration without assuming the worst before talking to the experts.
Dyslexia is defined by the Yale Institute for Dyslexia & Creativity as, “an unexpected
difficulty in learning to read. Dyslexia takes away an individual’s ability to read quickly
and automatically, and to retrieve spoken words easily, but it does not dampen their
creativity and ingenuity.”
The best way to determine if your child has dyslexia is through a proper dyslexia
assessment by a licensed diagnostician. If you have questions about scheduling an
assessment in your area, please email info@dyslexiahouston.org and we would love to
connect you with one of our team members.
If you’re still assessing your child’s early warning signs for yourself, keep reading to find
6 other reasons your child may be struggling to read.
● Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and repeat speech sounds. If
your child has a lower phonemic awareness than average, this may be causing
their reading struggles.
● Children with a limited vocabulary or background knowledge of a subject may
struggle to read or understand what is being read.
● Some children will struggle to read if their experience with books is limited. If they
are lacking the motivation to read, have you considered rotating new
age-appropriate books into their daily routine?
● Children who have dysgraphia, or difficulty writing, can be misdiagnosed with
reading disorders and vice versa. These are all reasons an accurate diagnosis is
important for providing the proper treatment.
● If your child does not feel comfortable reading out loud, you need to assess their
environment. Children need safe and loving environments to learn and flourish to
their full potential.
● Lastly, poor instruction that doesn’t meet a child’s unique needs can be the
underlying factor in any learning disorder. Dyslexia School of Houston was
founded to be the solution for families who are lacking the proper support in their
schools.
Remember – all of these symptoms can co-exist with dyslexia, or indicate dyslexia is the
root of their reading problems. The best thing you can do for your child struggling is to
find prevention now, rather than intervention later.
For more answers, explore our resources at www.dyslexiahouston.org or call
(832) 767-0915 to visit with one of our licensed team members.
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