In this segment on Dyslexia, NPR describes the three main things you can do for your dyslexic child. I'm elaborating on the three topics they discuss.

1. It's never too early to start: This means not waiting to see how your child does in a few years; this means acting now. The earlier you intervene, the more likely they are to maintain a sense of confidence and self-worth in school and out. With proper support, your child is also much more likely to become a reader and to maintain grade level results or close. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes for your child.

2. Find something your child is good at: This is an item that is in my "action steps" as I believe it's an incredibly important component to caring for a dyslexic child. School, reading, spelling, math science etc. may always be a challenge for the dyslexic student, and they may never feel as though they are excelling or able to keep up with their peers. If you notice your child loves to play the guitar, to paint, to run, or theatre etc. then sign them up and help them to feel that sense of achievement in an area that they can easily thrive in. This is essential. So much of my work ends up being about building my student's confidence because all they've known is struggle. Give them an opportunity to thrive.

3. Make a dyslexia budget: Often I hear from parents that they really want to sign their child up for tutoring, however, they just can't afford it right now. If a recession hits, it's often the first item to go because "it isn't essential". Unfortunately, we are a long ways away from parents and schools getting the financial support they need. There will undoubtedly be expenses to come. Thankfully, more and more evidence is coming out that suggests that dyslexic children can thrive if they have intensive reading intervention. This means committing to showing up for tutoring sessions just as your child shows up to school everyday. The earlier you invest in tutoring for your child, the greater potential they have to succeed. It is a great gift you can give them, even if you have to work the extra hours.

Parents and friends, I'm excited to post this first part of a series on Dyslexia by NPR. Being dyslexic has it's challenges, for sure, but those who are dyslexic do not lack in intelligence. I will remind you of one of my favorite quotes about dyslexia which states: "Dyslexia is defined as a specific and significant impairment in reading abilities, unexplainable by any kind of deficit in general intelligence, learning opportunity, general motivation or sensory acuity." (Critchley, 1970)

Dyslexia, does however, have to do with a difficulty in being able to break words apart into syllables and sounds. This short piece by NPR touches on how difficult it is to read a big word such as galloping or discombobulated without proper training. The work I do with my students (and the general Orton-Gillingham approach) addresses this very issue. All of the work we do together is training the brain how to read a word, to recognize sounds, syllables, spelling patterns and rules in a logical way. Because of this very precise method of teaching, I'm proud to say that my students who have had training in decoding multi-syllable words would be able to confidently decipher both galloping and discombobulated. This program works!

Listen to the piece or read the transcript; invite your children to listen too. I bet they will identify with the people in the story.

I'm excited to hear what they will discuss in the next part of this series. Regardless, it has inspired me to write a piece on how the brain function of a dyslexic person differs in comparison to a "regular" brain. Most people are unaware of this and I find it to be the most interesting component to understanding dyslexia. Stay tuned!