Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies

Tracey Wood

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9780471752851
• eBook ISBN:
  9781118068519
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Personal Development

Includes tips and strategies for kids, teens, and adults with dyslexia

Understand what dyslexia is, assess schools and programs, and help your child succeed

Does your child mix up d's and b's? Does he or she have trouble reading? If so, the cause may be dyslexia. But don't worry -- these days, there are many ways to overcome dyslexia. This hands-on guide leads you step by step through your options -- and explains how anyone with dyslexia can achieve success in school and life.

Discover how to
* Recognize the symptoms of dyslexia
* Understand diagnostic test results
* Set up an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
* Work effectively with teachers
* Improve your child?s reading skills

Part I

Figuring Out What Dyslexia Is All About

In this part . . .

**IN a DROPCAP**

This book contains a tremendous amount of information, so in this part I help you get off on the right foot with some basic but essential facts. First, you find out what dyslexia really means (and what it doesn’t mean). I cover its possible causes and the different forms that it takes. Then, when you’re revving, I show you how dyslexia may be indicated in your child’s behavior, no matter how old he is. Got your water and sensible footwear? Off you go!

Chapter 1

Understanding the Basics of Dyslexia

In This Chapter

Pinpointing dyslexia’s true definition

Targeting the symptoms of dyslexia

Having your child assessed

Sorting through schools and programs

Participating in activities at home

Seeing your dyslexic child grow up

Today in a bookstore, I got held up in the magazines section. The problem was that I just couldn’t decide what topic appealed to me the most: “Sixteen foods to make me stronger, happier, sexier, and smarter,” “Ten minutes to a flatter belly,” or “Eat around the clock.” Wouldn’t it be nice if this book offered you a similar approach to dyslexia, with topics such as “Sixteen surefire ways to outsmart dyslexia,” “Ten minutes to perfect reading and spelling,” and “Raising a reader without lifting a finger”?

But in real life, people like to hear the truth. So in this book I give you the plain and simple truth about dyslexia — not the shortcut answers like you might find in those magazines I saw. And it all starts in this chapter with an easy-as-pie outline of what dyslexia really is, a simple sketch of how it shapes your child’s life, and a lightning tour of the programs and treatments you can find in and out of the classroom.

Defining Dyslexia in Plain Terms

Plenty of children struggle with reading. Their parents get extra help for them, and after a few months, they catch up. Sometimes the problem disappears suddenly without any intervention at all.

Dyslexia isn’t like that. If you’re wondering whether your child has reading problems or dyslexia, and what the difference is, here’s the simple answer: A child with dyslexia has enduring and unexpected difficulty with reading and writing. She’s bright, you give her loads of extra help, but she just doesn’t get it. A blast of extra help won’t make everything right for her because she needs a different kind of help over a longer time than just a few months. She’ll probably learn to read and write at about age 10, but all through her life she’ll need to read and reread written text several times before she fully comprehends what she’s read. In addition, when she writes important stuff, she’ll need to complete several drafts.

Watch out: Misconceptions about dyslexia abound. Here’s what dyslexia isn’t:

Stupidity

Laziness

Retardation

Brain damage

Willfulness

Distractibility

Research about dyslexia provides insight into the possible causes of dyslexia. For instance, dyslexics use a different part of the brain when they read than nondyslexics do, and they use more of it. Dyslexia also tends to run in families. And some psychologists break dyslexia down into several types, including phonological dyslexia and visual dyslexia.

In Chapter 2, I give you the full scoop about the definition, causes, and types of dyslexia. I also tell you about different conditions related to (and often mistaken for) dyslexia.

Dyslexia shouldn’t prevent your child from achieving her goals or dreams. Plenty of professors are dyslexic. They have strategies and routines that help them achieve high standards. Oh, and your child may like to know that famous folks like Tom Cruise and Orlando Bloom (Hollywood actors) and Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Computers) are just three of the many high-flyers who have dyslexia.

Zeroing In on the Symptoms of Dyslexia

Here’s the thing about dyslexia. One teacher or psychologist may tell you your child lacks “automaticity of language,” or perhaps “auditory perceptual skills,” while another tells you she has “dyslexia.” Some practitioners never use the term “dyslexia,” but psychologists who do diagnose it look for a fairly standard bunch of ...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Figuring Out What Dyslexia Is All About
• Chapter 1: Understanding the Basics of Dyslexia
• Chapter 2: Pinpointing What Dyslexia Is (And Isn’t)
• Chapter 3: Being Alert to Symptoms of Dyslexia at Any Age
• Part II : Determining When to Get a Diagnosis
• Chapter 4: Watching Your Child Carefully at a Young Age
• Chapter 5: Acting Quickly with Your School-Age Child
• Chapter 6: Testing Your Child for Dyslexia
• Part III : Exploring Your Options for Schools and Programs
• Chapter 7: Choosing the Best School for Your Child
• Chapter 8: Investigating the Individualized Education Program
• Chapter 9: Securing Help without an Individualized Education Program
• Chapter 10: Working Productively with Your Child’s Teacher
• Part IV : Taking Part in Your Child’s Treatment
• Chapter 11: Putting Memorizing, Visualizing, and Rhyming to Good Use
• Chapter 12: Playing with Phonics
• Chapter 13: Sprinting Ahead with Reading Basics and Practice
• Chapter 14: Taking Advantage of Multisensory Methods
• Chapter 15: Handling Everyday Activities and Difficulties
• Part V : Moving beyond the Childhood Years
• Chapter 16: Assisting Dyslexic Teens
• Chapter 17: Heading Off to College
• Chapter 18: Succeeding with Dyslexia in Adulthood
• Part VI : The Part of Tens
• Chapter 19: Ten Tools for Making a Dyslexic’s Life Easier
• Chapter 20: Ten Well-Known Dyslexia Programs and Treatments
• Part VII : Appendixes
• Appendix A: An Informal Assessment of Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Skills
• Appendix B: Contacts and Resources