A Mother's Opinion Regarding the Book
I have the good fortune of having a dyslexia specialist at the elementary school my children attend. While my children have not yet been labeled dyslexic, or even as having a reading disability, they are currently being tested by the special education team at the school.The dyslexic specialist suggested I read "Overcoming Dyslexia" by Sally Shaywitz, M.D. in the meantime.
"Overcoming Dyslexia" has turned out to be a wonderful resource for me.
Sally Shaywitz, M.D. is described as a neuroscientist, a professor of pediatrics at Yale, and co-director of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of the Sciences, and of the National Reading Panel, mandated by Congress to determine the most effective reading programs.
Dr. Shaywitz divides the book into four parts: Part 1 "the Nature of Reading and Dyslexia" Part 2 "Diagnosing Dyslexia" Part 3 "Helping Your Child Become a Reader" and Part 4 "Overcoming Dyslexia: Turning Struggling Readers into Proficient Readers."
In Part one she did an amazing job of summarizing the history of the study of reading disorders, particularly dyslexia, and explains the work of the Connecticut Longitudinal Study (of which she was a member).
A few points I found particularly interesting:
"The Connecticut Study indicates that reading disability affects approximately one child in five." Page 30
She also writes that in the study a child was identified as having a reading disability through administering a test of intelligence and a reading test to each child individually. The Connecticut Study then found that 20 percent of children were reading below their age, grade or level of ability.
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