Understanding and Supporting a Child with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that is caused when your brain cannot decipher what your read into understandable language. Many children have problems learning because they do not understand what they are trying to read. I have a form of dyslexia. I was unable to read as a child. I read, but the words would not stay still on the page. The letters just seemed to take on a life of their own. I sometimes still have the problem, and I have to read and re-read to get what is being said in the written word. Over the years, I have learned to focus more and I don't have as many problems with dyslexia.

Having dyslexia is not a sign of impaired intelligence. Most people with dyslexia are of normal intelligence, they just have a problem interpreting the written word. It can be hard to spot before your child starts school, but sometimes the clues are there. If your preschool child began talking later than other children his age, or if they have problems learning new words he may have a learning disability. Once your child begins school and he cannot recognize words, or if he cannot tell what letters make up the words, he may have a reading disability.

When I was in school, I failed 2nd grad because I couldn't read. I had problems all the way through high school because the words didn't mean anything to me. It was irritating to me also, because the letters seemed to fly around the page. The letters used to play tricks on me. A "b" would be a "d" and vice versa. I often read "saw" for "was". I was labeled borderline retarded. It was awful, the kids made fun of me because I was put in the "dumb class". It was the lowest section for the grade level each year. The only other class to go to after that was special education. There was a stigma in those days if you were in a class like that. Students and teachers alike thought I was stupid because I could not read well. I don't know if I really grew out of it, or I learned to cope and adapt, but I don't have so much of a problem anymore.