Skip To Main Content

Understanding Dyslexia: Causes, Signs & Support with Dr. Benjamin N. Powers

Dr. Benjamin N. Powers
Executive Director, The Southport School 
Founder & Executive Director, The Southport CoLAB
President, The Dyslexia Foundation
Senior Scientist, Haskins Laboratories
Director, Yale and UCONN Haskins Global Literacy Hub
Faculty, Yale School of Medicine; UCONN

 

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning difference that impairs a person’s reading ability significantly below expected levels based on their overall intelligence. 

Causes and risk factors for dyslexia

  • Many factors can indicate whether a child is at risk for dyslexia, including:
  • Phonological awareness
  • Phonological short-term memory
  • Letter-sound knowledge
  • Rapid automatized naming
  • Oral language deficits
  • Family history 

Commonly overlooked signs of dyslexia

Dyslexia is often overlooked because it is a ‘hidden’ disability. Despite being classified as a “learning disability,” individuals with dyslexia are capable learners with a specific disability in reading. As a result, it may be difficult to discern that a student has dyslexia. Early difficulties with reading may be incorrectly attributed to factors like immaturity or lack of interest.

Common signs of dyslexia across age groups

Early Childhood:

  • Oral language mistakes, like saying beddy tear instead of teddy bear
  • Struggling to name familiar objects 
  • Rhyming difficulty
  • Difficulty with sequencing and multi-step directions
  • Family history

Grades K-2:

  • Remembering letter names and their sounds 
  • Confusing similar-looking letters or sounding letters
  • Struggling to read familiar words 
  • Substituting words when reading aloud
  • Difficulty spelling

Grades 3-5:

  • Confusing or skipping small words 
  • Difficulty decoding new words 
  • Trouble recognizing common words 
  • Struggling to explain what happened in a story
  • Poor spelling
  • Avoiding reading or getting frustrated or upset when reading

Tween, Teen, and Adult:

  • Reading slowly or omitting small words when reading aloud
  • Word substitutions
  • Difficulty understanding idioms and puns
  • Taking a long time to complete reading assignments
  • Finding it easier to answer questions about a page of text if it’s read aloud
  • Stress or anxiety associated with reading aloud

Managing dyslexia in children

Early identification is crucial, as research shows exponential benefits to early intervention. From a socio-emotional perspective, it’s important to help dyslexic students understand that dyslexia doesn’t define their potential. Parents and guardians should advocate for evidence-based instruction and support their child’s strengths inside and outside school.

How parents and guardians can support their children

  • Get early reading screenings
  • Support oral language development before kindergarten
    • There are opportunities to support a child’s language development school through public school systems before the child enters school.
  • Advocate for support in the school system
    • If a parent is unsure about how to engage their school system, there are several resources, like Wrightslaw, parent advocates, Special Education PTAs (i.e., SEPTAs), online or in-person parent support groups (e.g., Decoding Dyslexia CT)
  • Monitor reading benchmarks and raise concerns
  • Ensure evidence-based literacy instruction
    • Ask your child’s teacher if they are using an evidence-based literacy learning program, e.g., Wilson Reading Program, Orton-Gillingham
  • Have open conversations about learning challenges
    • Helping children understand that their relative areas of weakness do not define who they are, providing them with a clear understanding of their learning profile, equipping them to be strong self-advocates, and providing opportunities inside and outside of school to develop their academic self-confidence and self-esteem will pave a runway for future success.

Available treatments and resources

For students, effective reading instruction and social-emotional support are crucial. Parents can find help through community resources, like Smart Kids With Learning Disabilities, local support groups, SEPTAs, or online communities. Understanding that they are not alone is essential for parents, guardians, and children.

Supporting siblings

Supporting siblings may involve finding moments of attention, having open conversations about the need for extra support, and framing fairness as everyone getting what they need to be successful.