Overcoming Dyslexia

Dyslexia is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed but seems to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. I have witnessed countless instances wherein someone reads something, like a phone number, and reverses the order of the digits and declares “Oh, I’m so dyslexic”. This popular misconception rests on the theory that dyslexics see letters and words backward. It is actually developmentally appropriate for all children to make letter reversals as part of the writing process. We all do it at times.

Historically, deficits in visual acuity were explored as the genesis for an “unexpected difficulty in learning to read” (Overcoming Dyslexia, Shaywitz, 2003). However, modern technology in the form of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic source imaging which measure blood supply and electrical activity respectively as a person reads, has allowed us to effectively unravel some of the mysteries of the human brain. These tools have provided information about how both dyslexic and non-impaired readers utilize neural pathways and have localized specific brain regions targeted in the reading task. The image on the left highlights these areas.

Currently the most compelling body of evidence supports the theory that dyslexia is predominately an issue involving phonological processing. This means that it takes a dyslexic individual longer to decode written text than for those who are not dyslexic. When so much effort is focused on decoding it affects fluency and comprehension resulting in reading that is slow and labored. By the time the sentence is read you no longer remember how it started.

Dyslexia can affect all areas of an individuals life.

The great news is that through remedial instruction, dyslexic students can actually ‘rewire’ their brains. With direct, explicit and systematic training in phonological awareness partnered with instruction to improve motivation, automaticity and fluency via repeated readings, dyslexics can learn to successfully cope with this chronic condition and overcome dyslexia!

I have a lot to say on this topic. Such as providing a list of early signs of dyslexia and the many positive attributes and strengths these individuals possess. I will write more on this topic in future entries but for now recommend a wonderful documentary entitled Ennis’ Gift: A film about learning differences. It was put out by the Hello Friend: Ennis William Cosby Foundation which also supports the certificate program in teaching young readers at risk at Fordham University.