Dyslexia...Should My child Be Evaluated?

I receive many phone calls at SpeechAbility, LLC from families wondering whether their child should be evaluated for dyslexia. Questions range from: What are the warning signs of dyslexia? What are the benefits of a student being evaluated for this disorder? Will my child's school evaluate for dyslexia if I ask them to? Here are a few facts about dyslexia that can help your family decide if your student should be evaluated.

SPECIFIC WARNING SIGNS for YOUNGER CHILDREN MAY INCLUDE:

• Difficulty with remembering simple sequences such as counting to 20, naming the days of the week, or 

          reciting the alphabet 

• Difficulty understanding the rhyming of words, such as knowing that fat rhymes with cat 
• Trouble recognizing words that begin with the same sound (ex: bird, ball, and big all start 

          with b) 

• Pronunciation difficulties 
• Trouble easily clapping hands to the rhythm of a song  
• Difficulty with word retrieval  (frequently uses words like “stuff” and “that thing” rather than specific words 

          to name objects) 

• Trouble remembering names of places and people  
• Difficulty remembering spoken directions

OTHER WARNING SIGNS

• Does your child read slowly? 
• Does someone in your family have dyslexia?
• Is it difficult for your child to learn new reading concepts in school? 
• Does your child have to read something two or three times before it makes sense? 
• Is it uncomfortable for them to read out loud? 
• Does your child omit, transpose, or add letters when reading or writing even though they are past 2nd grade?
• Does your child make spelling mistakes in their writing even after Spell Check? 
• Do they find it difficult to pronounce uncommon multi-syllable words when reading? 
• Do they choose to read magazines or short articles rather than longer books and novels? 
• Is it extremely difficult for your child to learn a foreign language? 
• Does your child avoid work projects or courses that require extensive reading? 

If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, this may indicate dyslexia. Call SpeechAbiity, LLC if you have questions about whether you should have your child evaluated.

WILL MY CHILD'S SCHOOL EVALUATE for DYSLEXIA IF I ASK THEM TO?
Unfortunately, many schools are unfamiliar with how to evaluate or diagnose dyslexia. Even the most well-schooled reading specialist is likely to not have had any formal training or coursework on dyslexia. Kansas does not currently have any legislation mandating screening or evaluating dyslexia in the schools. The evaluation and treatment of dyslexia should be conducted much differently than other reading disorder assessments. In order to get diagnosed properly, a qualified dyslexia specialist should be used in all dyslexia evaluations. You should NOT have your student evaluated for dyslexia if your sole purpose is to gain special education help for your student at school. It is up to individual school districts as to what their policy on testing and qualifying students for special education services will be. An outside agency report (such as SpeechAbility, LLC's) will not automatically qualify your child for school services. While gaining understanding if your child has dyslexia is powerful, a report will not force a public school to take any additional action they are not willing to already take. However, the information gained in a dyslexia evaluation can be priceless. When the right remediation program is used through an Orton-Gillingham based approach, students can become very successful readers and spellers.