Does your child still have trouble improving their reading skills no matter how hard they try? Your little one could very well be struggling with a reading disability — a disorder in which a person displays difficulty with some part of the reading process. Such a diagnosis doesn’t mean your child is less intelligent than their peers — they just have an additional set of challenges to face when developing their abilities.
Perhaps your child has struggled in the process of learning to read. Familiarizing yourself with these four most common reading disabilities can help you understand what’s going on and how to help.
A reading disability is a condition in which a sufferer displays difficulty reading. Examples of reading disabilities include developmental dyslexia, alexia (acquired dyslexia), and hyperlexia (word-reading ability well above normal for age and IQ).
( Source: Wikipedia ).
Dyslexia
Around 80% of people with reading difficulties have dyslexia. Dyslexia specifically affects a person’s ability to process what they read and, sometimes, the language they hear. A child with dyslexia typically doesn’t have any other neurological, sensory or intellectual difficulties — they just have trouble with word recognition and spelling.
To pinpoint a potential cause of dyslexia, pay attention when your child reads to you. Do they regularly jumble letters of words and numbers? For instance, a child with dyslexia might read the word “bed” as “deb” or the number 13 as 31. They might also have trouble remembering their sight words, both when reading and writing.
Early intervention is the key to treating the condition. If you catch it in the first years of elementary school, your child will likely learn to cope and succeed academically. While dyslexia might not be fully treatable, you can use plenty of techniques to assuage the issue and help your child enjoy learning once again.
Hyperlexia
Perhaps your child has no trouble reading even relatively complex vocabulary. At the same time, they have no comprehension of what they’re reading and saying. If this sounds like your little one, they may suffer from hyperlexia. Some children with the condition begin reading as early as the age of two, even without parental instruction. You may notice your child has an excellent memory, too — they might repeat sentences over and over, and yet, they cannot communicate as well as they can read.
Children with hyperlexia learn to speak and comprehend what they read by picking up the sentences and repeating them to learn words’ meanings. As such, they have trouble expressing themselves. They have to break down the sentences they know to form new ones that explain what they want to say.
Hyperlexia has links to autism — it’s often one of the first signs a parent will notice if their child is on the spectrum. If you suspect your little one has hyperlexia, speak to their pediatrician and ask for a referral to someone who can perform an evaluation.
Seek a Diagnosis and Get Reading
The good news is that a reading disability will not permanently affect your child’s progress. People with all kinds of disabilities go on to live extraordinary lives, and your child is no different – in fact, this is something they can overcome effectively with the right plan. Once you know what’s going on under the surface, you and your child can work to improve their reading. With a bit of perseverance, your little one will likely start to catch up with their peers.
Reach out to your child’s pediatrician for a diagnosis and take advantage of school resources if you think they have a deeper issue when it comes to reading. With experts’ help, you can develop a plan to help your child learn in the way that’s best for them. Over time, reading will feel less like a chore and more like a fun activity you can both enjoy.
About the Author: Alyssa Abel is an experiential education writer who covers a variety of topics from learning styles to emerging methodologies. Read more of her work on her blog, Syllabusy.
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay