Dyslexia is a condition that affects an individual’s development of literacy skills, particularly reading, spelling, and writing. According to estimates, it's the most common learning disability, affecting one in five people worldwide. It is neurobiological in origin and not related to a deficit in intelligence, lack of effort, or environmental factors. And, contrary to popular belief, dyslexia is found equally in males and females.
Because all states are beginning to expect schools to screen, diagnose, and intervene for students with dyslexia, educators need to understand the disability in order to effectively teach students who are diagnosed with it. So, what do we know about dyslexia?
Fact 1: Our brains are not wired to read
Brain research in the last thirty years has helped confirm early theories and extend our understanding about the development of reading skills. We know that spoken language is innate and most children learn through exposure to their first language. Reading, on the other hand, must be learned. There is no location in the brain specifically for reading; areas used for other skills such as speech or language comprehension are activated, and efficient neural pathways are developed for reading skills.
Fact 2: Early identification is possible
The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity has documented that dyslexia can be diagnosed at a young age in order to provide early evidence-based instruction. Brain imaging reveals that learners with dyslexia activate different and less efficient pathways when reading. Schools don’t have the ability to diagnose reading difficulties with neuroimaging, but parents and teachers often recognize many of the signs of dyslexia. For example, young readers with dyslexia often demonstrate difficulty with letter-sound connections, rapid automatic word recognition, and rhyming.
Fact 3: Targeted instruction can be successful
Students with dyslexia can learn to read and write. Strategies based on current understandings of brain circuitry enable educators to design effective learning experiences and interventions. By using this knowledge, educators can help students with dyslexia break the reading and spelling code.
Some of these strategies include:
- Sequential phonics instruction linked to spelling, in which teachers start with base knowledge (e.g., consonant and vowels) and build to more complex structures to form words (e.g., blending various types of vowels and consonants).
- Multisensory instruction that incorporates multiple ways to learn and/or reinforce instruction. Teachers use touch, sound, movement, and other senses to connect students to the material.
- Controlled texts to build fluency, in which students learn from text that contains only structures they’ve previously learned or will be learning with the text.