One of the most common impediments to reading success is a condition known as dyslexia.  Dyslexia is a neurological disorder that presents obstacles to acquiring phonics knowledge (see “Why Is My Child Struggling?”) and ultimately makes reading abnormally difficult.  Common symptoms include:

• confusing letters that look similar (e.g. “b” and “d,” etc.) and/or that represent similar sounds (e.g. “d” and “t,” etc.)

• confusing the orders of letters in words

• struggling with “decoding” or sounding out words (see “Why Is My Child Struggling?”)

• struggling to learn new words

• slow, choppy, inaccurate reading in which words are often skipped, etc.

• complaints of dizziness, headaches, stomach aches and/or seeing text “move” during reading

• difficulty summarizing stories, explaining key events, etc. 

          If you suspect that your child has dyslexia, it is imperative to have them evaluated as expeditiously as possible.  For if a child does have undiagnosed dyslexia, it opens up a host of potential problems that will only compound with time.  Among others, such problems include continuously falling behind in reading and experiencing the heartbreaking self-esteem issues that often come with this (e.g. not feeling “as smart” as other kids, etc.).  But with a proper diagnosis, the child’s unique reading instructional needs can be fully understood and it becomes possible to meet those needs and get the child reading on grade level and beyond.  And in terms of how to get an evaluation, there are a number of options and choosing the one that is best for your child is obviously up to you.  But as at least a starting point, I recommend contacting your child’s school and/or your family doctor or child’s pediatrician and going from there.