Key Challenges for Students with Dyslexia: The Myths & Facts

Because the student with dyslexia is often a bright and curious child, dyslexia may be overlooked as a possible disability. There are so many myths tied to dyslexia that parents, teachers, and other stakeholders may not suspect dyslexia. One of the first major challenges a student with dyslexia faces is just getting the proper diagnosis. This post will attempt to bust the myths and deliver facts about the key challenges for students with dyslexia. 

Busting Common Dyslexia Myths

MYTH 1: Dyslexia is a thinking disability.

It is important to recognize that dyslexia is not a thinking disability. Slow reading does not mean that a student is a slow thinker (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020). Dyslexia, however, is “clinically defined as a specific deficit in phonological processing” (Hruby, 2019). Children who are bright and even gifted can suffer with dyslexia. A very bright child who has trouble reading may have dyslexia. Bright children can be overlooked as having dyslexia because they are viewed as “too smart.” On the other hand, students who are dyslexic may be labeled as “not smart.” In either case, these children fail to get the support they need, and their self-esteem pays the price. 

MYTH 2: Transposing or reversing letters is a key sign of dyslexia.

Transposing or reversing letters is not a sign of dyslexia. It is quite common for emerging readers and writers to transpose or reverse letters (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020). A student who is dyslexic may not transpose or reverse letters; therefore, parents and teachers must be able to identify the legitimate characteristics of dyslexia, mainly great difficulty reading and spelling, in order to support those students who need it. 

MYTH  3: Dyslexic students have low reading comprehension skills

While it is true that students with dyslexia have a processing issue that impacts their ability to read, many student with dyslexia can perform well on reading comprehension assessments (Shaywitz, 2020). However, they are using their inference skills to decode using context. Reading comprehension scores may not deliver a clear picture of whether or not a child is struggling with decoding texts. Therefore, if you know your child is struggling with reading even though their reading scores are considered average, ask to have your child screened. 

MYTH 4: They will grow out of it

One of the biggest challenges facing children with dyslexia is the notion that they will grow out of it. If a child is showing the characteristics of dyslexia, it is important to get them screened as soon as possible. Many teachers, counselors, and even parents may believe that a child who is struggling with reading may just need more time to develop their skills (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).  While this may be true, it is important to get your child screened. If they do have dyslexia, waiting will only worsen the situation. Every year that a child suffers with dyslexia is another year of feeling unsuccessful and, sadly, they can grow to feel hopeless and they may perceive of themselves as dumb. This is known as Empty Bucket Syndrome, and, unfortunately, a student who keeps struggling without any positive feedback eventually runs out of gas to continue trying (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020). 

Now that we understand the major myths associated with dyslexia, let’s take a look at the facts. It is important to know the characteristics of dyslexia in order to act quickly in order to give the student the support they need to thrive. 

Understanding the Facts

FACT 1: Fuzzy Phonemes

Phonemes are the sounds that make words. Students with dyslexia have a processing disorder that keeps them from properly decoding phonemes. This processing disorder often impacts a student’s ability to pronounce words correctly. Therefore, if you hear a student who regularly mispronounces words such as “aminal” instead of “animal” or “lotion” instead of “ocean,” this “baby talk” can be characteristic of dyslexia. A student who struggles to find the correct word or often uses vague language such as “stuff” or “things” may have dyslexia (Shaywitz & Shaywitx, 2020). Struggling to say words properly reflects their inability to phonologically process the words in their brain.

 

FACT 2: Rhyme Time

Because students with dyslexia can not properly decode words, they often can not perceive whether words rhyme or not. For instance, a student with dyslexia may not have the phonological awareness to understand that “mat” rhymes with “cat.” (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020). Checking a child’s ability to comprehend how words rhyme is one way to assess if they have dyslexia.  

FACT 3: Slow Flow

Fluency, or the ability to read quickly or with ease, is a measure of a child’s reading ability. In fact, the National Reading Panel states that fluency is the most important factor in determining if a student is a strong reader (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).. Therefore, if a child is not a fluent reader, they may be dyslexic. A child who stumbles slowly through a sentence struggling to sound out the words may be having trouble decoding texts. Research reveals that students who have to spend too much of their mental energy decoding texts do not have the reserves to then comprehend those texts (Rasinski, 2017). Slow test taking or taking a long time to complete work can also reveal fluency troubles. The child dealing with dyslexia is having to work extra hard to read, process, and understand. This can be absolutely exhausting! 

What can we do to help our children face these challenges?

Screening:

If you believe a child is dyslexic, get them screened as soon as possible. As the adult, you must be the child’s advocate. The child who has been identified as dyslexic can begin to get the support they need to thrive; however, without support, they will continue to experience difficulties in school.  The younger a child is when identified as dyslexic, the more quickly they will receive the tools and support they need to overcome the challenges that dyslexia presents. Additionally, children who receive the diagnosis of dyslexia actually experience an increase in self-esteem due to the fact that they have an explanation for why they are struggling in school (Glazzard, 2010). 

Self-Esteem:

The most important way to support your child is to help them to continue developing their self-esteem. A child does not grow out of dyslexia; therefore, children with dyslexia need to understand who they are, how they learn, and they must learn to advocate for themselves. Your child will have to learn how to use their learning strengths in order to conquer their weaknesses. The research of Kalka and Lockiewicz (2018) reveals that “the usage of one’s own personal resources, and external support from significant persons or institutions can serve as protective factors...diminishing the factors of long term stress” (p.493). Students with dyslexia may learn differently, but they must understand that dyslexia will not keep them from reaching their full potential. 

Support at Home:

As the parent of a child with dyslexia, you have a vital role to play in being your child’s advocate and partner. It is important  to educate yourself about dyslexia in order to support your child. Communicate with your child’s teachers in order to support what the child is learning in school with plenty of practice at home. Finally, the best practice for children with dyslexia is guided oral reading (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020). Make time every day for your child to spend time reading aloud to you. Help your child sound out the words with which they are struggling. Help them embrace the challenges they will face as a reader and a learner.  

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