Is It Dyslexia? E-Book

April McMurtrey

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 398

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Hands-on resources for screening readers of all ages for dyslexia

In Is It Dyslexia?, certified dyslexia assessment specialist April McMurtrey delivers an accessible, hands-on framework for screening readers of various ages for dyslexia.. The book offers comprehensive, clear, and step-by-step processes you can apply immediately to confidently and accurately screen readersfor dyslexia. The author shares the tools and strategies used by professional screeners, as well as first, next, and final steps you can take as you move forward with your screening results.

The book includes:

• Explanations of what dyslexia is, as well as an overview of common talents and strengths often found in readers with dyslexia
• A collection of recommended accommodations for students with dyslexia in the home and school and effective literacy instruction for students with dyslexia
• A comprehensive dyslexia questionnaire, eleven different screening tests, and step-by-step instructions for administering them

Ideal for tutors, homeschool teachers, parents, instructional coaches, counselors, and speech-language therapists, Is It Dyslexia? comes complete with reproducibles and links to video tutorials required for screening students of various ages.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Table of Contents

Praise for

Is It Dyslexia?

Title Page

Copyright

About the Author

Introduction

Part I: Understanding Dyslexia

Chapter 1: Recognizing the Signs of Dyslexia

Michael's Story

Signs of Dyslexia

Summary

Chapter 2: Unraveling Misinformation about Dyslexia

John's Story

Myths about Dyslexia

Summary

Chapter 3: Embracing Dyslexia

Emma's Story

Systematic, Synthetic, Explicit Code‐Based Instruction

Summary

Chapter 4: What to Do If You Suspect Dyslexia

Your Story

Summary

Part II: Screening for Dyslexia

Chapter 5: Understanding the Dyslexia Screening Process

Introduction to the Screening Process

Dyslexia Screening Q&A

Summary

Chapter 6: Instructions for the Dyslexia Screening

Prepare for the Screening

Administer the Screening Tasks

Evaluate the Results

Summary

Chapter 7: Dyslexia Screening Packets

Kindergarten Screening Packet

Grade 1 Screening Packet

Grade 2 Screening Packet

Grade 3 Screening Packet

Grade 4 Screening Packet

Grade 5 Screening Packet

Grade 6 Screening Packet

Grade 7 to Adult Screening Packet

Part III: Moving Forward with Dyslexia

Chapter 8: Taking 7 Steps after Screening

Step 1: Talk to Your Student

Step 2: Celebrate!

Step 3: Evaluate Your Current Reading Program

Step 4: Study the Effective Literacy Instruction and Recommendations in the Following Pages

Step 5: Talk to Your Child's Teacher

Step 6: Read at Home

Step 7: Educate Yourself Further on the Topic of Dyslexia

Summary

Chapter 9: Effective Literacy Instruction for Students with Dyslexia

Phonological Awareness

Phonemic Awareness

Knowledge of the Correct Sounds of Each Grapheme, Especially Vowels

Proper Teaching of Phonetically Irregular Words

Phonics Instruction

The Importance of Connected and Controlled Text

Fluency Development

Vocabulary Development

Comprehension Development

Summary

Chapter 10: Recommendations for School and Home

Recommendations for School

Recommendations for Home

Summary

Index

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover Page

Praise for Is It Dyslexia?

Title Page

Copyright

About the Author

Introduction

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Index

Wiley End User License Agreement

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Praise for Is It Dyslexia?

“Is it Dyslexia? is a realistic and inspiring journey that provides much needed tools for families as they navigate a new landscape with their child's education.”

—Amy Noall, Psychologist, Educator, and Founder of The Scholars’ Grove

“You'll find valuable information and the best practices in Is it Dyslexia? A Comprehensive Guide to Screening, Understanding, and Supporting Children with Dyslexia. This manual outlines a roadmap for identifying at‐risk children, including early signs of dyslexia and detailed screening tools and evaluations. April McMurtrey's knowledge shines through as she guides you step by step through the screening process so that no child's struggle with dyslexia is overlooked.”

—Patrice Badami, MA in Childhood and Special Education, and Host of the Acorn to Tree Family Podcast

“One of the most admirable aspects of April's work lies in her dedication to empowering parents and tutors. Is it Dyslexia? equips them with comprehensive dyslexia questions and answers, along with step‐by‐step screening tasks featuring easy‐to‐follow instructions. These invaluable resources empower individuals to screen their loved ones or students, make well‐informed decisions, and offer precise support, thereby making a profound impact on the lives of struggling readers.”

—Mary Medina, Owner, Breakthrough Reading Online Tutoring LLC, Certified Teacher, and Reading Specialist

“Is it Dyslexia? by April McMurtry is an indispensable resource for parents seeking to understand and support individuals with dyslexia. With a unique blend of personal experience and extensive research, April's book provides both comprehensive insights about dyslexia and practical screenings for personal use. Her compassionate approach empowers readers to recognize dyslexia, access crucial accommodations, debunk myths about dyslexia, and tap into the strengths often inherent in dyslexic individuals. This book's importance cannot be overstated, and it is a testament to April's expertise and dedication to making a profound difference in the lives of those affected by dyslexia.”

—Tania van Thiel Berghuys, Teacher, Certified Learn Reading Tutor

IS IT DYSLEXIA?

An At-Home Guide for Screening and Supporting Children Who Struggle to Read

APRIL McMURTREY

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Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data is Available:

ISBN 9781394194452 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781394194476 (ePDF)

ISBN 9781394194469 (ePub)

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover Image: © macondos/Adobe Stock

Author Photo: Devin Bovee

About the Author

April McMurtrey is the developer of the Learn Reading program, a reading curriculum designed for struggling and dyslexic learners. As a professional reading and dyslexia specialist, April has helped thousands of students break through their reading barriers and unlock the world of words. Her desire is for struggling readers of all ages to have access to quality reading instruction that will change lives and strengthen generations.

Introduction

One of my very first students as a dyslexia specialist was a 75‐year‐old woman named Gertie. She was extremely intelligent, talented, and severely dyslexic.

Gertie had started, maintained, and managed a successful embroidery business, yet she could not write down a message quickly if someone called her on the phone or read a lengthy, written request. She could not fully participate in any family, social, religious, or community experiences that required extensive reading or writing. This left her with feelings of isolation and inferiority.

Gertie “got by” alright, but she admitted to me that there was a cost to her lack of literacy skills. That most terrible cost was directly related to her life's most treasured memory.

Out of all the experiences in her 75 years, including births, marriages, successes, family togetherness, and happy times, her favorite experience was when she found out that she was not “dumb”—she was dyslexic.

A few months later, Gertie walked excitedly into our tutoring session with a huge smile on her face. She made a grand gesture of whipping a small piece of paper out of her sweater pocket and proudly laid it on the table in front of me. She then said with a huge grin, “I have been waiting for 75 years to know how to read that word!” That word is authentic!

Gertie now understood the cause of her literacy struggles and how to overcome those barriers in ways she had only dreamed of before.

I was with Gertie during the last weeks of her life. Do you know what she was excited to tell me when she saw me, just before she died? She told me that she wanted to donate her brain to science, to add to the study of dyslexia, so others could benefit from her “once‐thought‐of‐as‐dumb” brain.

If you are reading this, you may be one of the millions of people who take the ability for granted, yet millions of others are desperately trying to improve their reading skills. No matter how hard they try, they can't seem to identify and break down the barriers that are preventing them from reading fluently, accurately, and confidently.

What many of these hard‐working, intelligent, capable adults do not know, which would change everything if they did, is that they are very likely dyslexic.

Why would knowing you are dyslexic change everything? The answer is that there is a different way to learn to read and write if one has dyslexia. More of the same kind of instruction will not work. If it did, these intelligent, hard‐working people would have caught on already. Instead, dyslexics need instruction that is highly specialized and designed the way dyslexic brains are wired. This unique type of reading instruction is very different because their brains are very different. And the outcomes are also wonderfully different!

In this book, you will learn what dyslexia is and what it is not. You will learn how to screen for it, and most importantly, what to do if it is discovered.

Hope and help have arrived.

Part IUnderstanding Dyslexia

In this part of the book, you'll read a story about a family who passes down the inherited trait of dyslexia from one generation to the next. You'll follow along with the family members as they move through the struggle of not knowing why a child struggles, their questions when dyslexia is suspected, and the beautiful results when dyslexia is finally discovered.

Chapter 1Recognizing the Signs of Dyslexia

In this chapter, you'll learn about Michael, a bright, capable boy who learns most things easily, except for reading and writing. You'll discover the signs of dyslexia so they can be easily recognized in your own child if they are present.

Michael's Story

Michael was a delightful and inquisitive toddler, born to adoring parents who read to him every night. His mother, Anna, wanted to expose her child to as many books as possible so he would get a head start in reading. Anna did not want Michael to struggle in school like she did and believed reading to him would help him to love books and eventually be good at reading. Michael's father, Jacob, also struggled in school, but he hated reading and so left storytime to his wife.

Michael hit all the development milestones in almost every way, except he was almost three and wasn't talking nearly as much as his peers, and what he did mutter was difficult to understand, especially by others. But he was bright, a joy to be around, and a cheerful, happy child.

When Michael was three, he did start talking more; however, his words were still difficult to understand most of the time. Jacob and Anna wondered if he might have a speech impediment. They decided to keep an eye on it, ask their friends who also had kids if they thought anything was wrong, and maybe ask the doctor about his speech if it didn't improve.

Anna's consistent nightly storytime did help Michael to love books! Jacob and Anna were somewhat surprised that Michael did not mind going to bed, like many of their friends' kids did. They believed it was because Anna would go to bed with him and read a story to him every night. Michael loved looking at the pictures and listening to his mom read in that special sing‐song way that occurs in children's books.

Michael did not lack exposure to print. Anna not only read to Michael, but used her finger to show him that the words were read from top to bottom and from left to right. She read books about shapes and colors and letters and numbers. She read books with rhyming words and a rhythmic cadence. She read books about the alphabet and pointed out what an A was, and a B, and the sounds that those letters made.

Michael had every opportunity that a young reader could hope for to begin his literacy journey.

That's why Anna and Jacob were extremely puzzled when Michael did not thrive in preschool. They expected him to be ahead of the curve with all the print exposure he had had, both written and verbal, since the day he was born. They didn't understand what she was saying when his preschool teacher, Miss Sarah, told them that Michael had trouble with the alphabet.

“How can that be?” Anna asked. “We've taught him the alphabet over and over. He has an alphabet poster in his room. I point to letters as we read and I teach him what they are! How is it possible that he is having trouble with the alphabet?” His parents were upset and confused. They had done everything right. What happened? Was it the teacher?

Anna asked some of her friends with kids in the same preschool if they had any doubts about the teacher or how their child was progressing. Most of them had glowing reviews about Miss Sarah and said their kids were doing just fine and were ready for kindergarten. Only one friend could relate, Anna's friend, Liz. She told Anna that her daughter, Lila, was also struggling and did not know why or how to help her. Anna and Liz could think of only two possible reasons for their kids' early struggles. It was either that the teacher was not teaching them properly, or that Michael and Lila were simply late bloomers. They hoped that Kindergarten would be better. It simply had to be.

Starting Kindergarten

For kindergarten, they were thrilled when Mrs. Nelson, a seasoned teacher, seemed to do a deep dive into phonics right away. This, they felt, was exactly what Michael needed. They allowed themselves to relax a little, knowing that this experienced teacher would teach their son how to read. They kept up with all his schoolwork, practiced with him what he was learning at home, and continued to read to him every night. They were confident that Michael would learn to read this year and be well prepared for first grade. Things were looking up.

By this time, Michael had two younger siblings, Luke and Eden. His parents were continuing their pattern of nightly storytime for all the kids, and teaching the younger ones the alphabet, shapes, colors, and numbers… . Just like they did with Michael. Before they even entered preschool, Jacob and Anna noticed a difference in their three kids. Luke and Eden began talking much earlier and much more clearly than Michael did. They also seemed to learn the alphabet and phonics at an earlier age. Why did Michael struggle, and Luke and Eden pick things up easily? They knew it wasn't a lack of intelligence. Michael was a bright child. They also knew it wasn't their preschool teacher, or what they were doing as parents, because it was all the same. So, what was it? Why did Michael have it so hard?

As kindergarten progressed and the first progress report came home, Jacob and Anna's hearts sank. Michael was performing below the benchmarks in almost all academic areas. They comforted themselves by saying that they knew he was struggling going in and that they just needed to give Mrs. Nelson some time to work her magic.

They were hopeful when it was time for mid‐year parent‐teacher conferences. Michael had had half a year at school now and they were hopeful that his second report card would show improvement. At the conference, Jacob and Anna discovered that Mrs. Nelson was as pleasant and skilled as they hoped she would be. Michael's teacher told them how much she loved teaching Michael and then honestly laid out for them three concerns.

Michael was behind in reading, and they needed to read to him every night and practice the sounds of the letters with him at home in order to bridge that gap.

He couldn't form words that rhyme and they needed to practice that with him at home, too.

She was referring him to speech therapy. Mrs. Nelson ended the meeting by telling them that he was a pleasant student and worked hard, but she was placing him in a special group with other kids who were behind, so he could get extra help from the aide.

They left feeling like they had both just been punched in the gut. Did Mrs. Nelson blame them for Michael's lack of reading skills? Jacob and Anna tried to tell her that they practiced the sounds of the letters regularly, but they didn't know if she believed them. Was it really their fault? Did they drop the ball with rhyming? Anna told Jacob that she read rhyming books to him all the time, and that she didn't know what more she could do. She felt terrible and was determined to somehow do better. Together, they admitted that they were surprised that she was referring him to speech therapy. Was his speech really that bad? They had become accustomed to his speech patterns and admittedly forgot to bring it up with the doctor. They decided that if the teacher recommended it, they would pursue getting Michael into speech therapy.

Jacob and Anna worked with Michael for the rest of his kindergarten year. There were letters taped up all over the house. Fridge starts with /f/. Sink starts with /s/. Michael was making progress isolating the beginning sounds of household objects, but it was hard for him to know which sound came next or to break off the ending sound of the word. To him, most of the time, one syllable was one sound. It seemed like he couldn't hear all the other sounds within the word.

They also worked with him on sight words because he wasn't learning them fast enough in class. According to his teacher, Michael should fluently read over 50 sight words by the end of his kindergarten year. He couldn't even read 10 consistently. And that was with all the extra help he was receiving.

Mrs. Nelson also said that by the end of the year, Michael should be able to recite his address and phone number, so they worked on those things for months. Jacob and Anna knew their child was smart and didn't understand why Michael had such a hard time memorizing these things when Luke, who was a year and a half younger than him, could already repeat them. Why was learning some things so hard for this intelligent boy? What was going on?

Dealing with Homework

When Michael began first grade, he was on top of the world. He loved kindergarten and knew he would love first grade too. He got his backpack ready and was excited to see his friends from last year and meet his teacher.

Miss Oaks was also a wonderful teacher and knew the importance of reading in first grade. The first thing she did was assess all her students to see where they were as readers so she could place them in appropriate reading groups. Michael was placed in the “bluebird” group, which he thought was great because his friend, Lila, was also in that group.

Michael began getting what seemed like significant amounts of homework, which was a daunting and unpleasant task for him. He didn't really like schoolwork and wasn't excited about having to do it at home, too. Jacob and Anna set time every day after school to go through his homework assignments together. As the year went on, they too began to dread homework because they found themselves getting frustrated. They felt terrible and hated that Michael often ended up in tears. Homework seemed to take much longer than it should for someone in the first grade.

There was also another surprising issue that suddenly appeared around the middle of the school year. Seemingly out of nowhere, Michael suddenly started wetting his pants in class. He had never had any sort of trouble with this in the past, but now Anna was getting called to bring Michael some dry pants almost every week! When she asked him why he was having a hard time making it to the bathroom, he just said, “I don't know.” He did not need this extra pressure and embarrassment in class! Jacob and Anna were seriously beginning to worry about their oldest son. What was happening in class? What was their son going through, and how could they help him?

Anna made an appointment to see Miss Oaks. She wanted to see what insight the teacher had into what was happening in class and how, together, they could help Michael.

Miss Oaks praised Michael's behavior and mentioned that he was a joy to have in class. However, she also mentioned several things that she was concerned about now that more than half the year had gone by.

First, she said that Michael was struggling to sound out words. He was doing better at knowing what each letter said, but when he went to try to blend those sounds together in a word, he got mixed up and couldn't do it. It was almost like he didn't know phonics at all.

Second, Miss Oaks said Michael depends too much on guessing and sometimes doesn't even try to sound out the word when he reads. She said he could come to the word

cabin

on a page, and say,

house

, which doesn't even have ANY of the same sounds in it! He is purely and entirely guessing. This strategy is causing him to miss most of the words on a page which then completely eliminates any chance for comprehending what he reads. She told Anna that Michael does not seem to want to apply the phonics that he knows and instead seems to want to guess his way through his schoolwork. She kindly asked that Anna work with him more at home and maybe talk with him about the importance of doing his best in school.

Third, Michael takes much longer than his peers to complete in‐class assignments and so was often unable to finish. This meant he had to stay in from recess or lunch to finish his work, so he misses out on playing with his friends, having a good time, being able to relax and refresh, and enjoy being a kid. Miss Oaks told Anna that Michael struggles with his work ethic and that it seems that he doesn't care very much about school, so he slacks off during class. She asked Anna to speak with Michael about trying hard and the rewards that would bring. Miss Oaks said she would love for Michael to work hard enough to earn the reward of recess.

Anna knew Miss Oaks meant well and wanted what was best for their son, but her heart dropped and she found herself speechless. She knew Michael tried hard! She knew he wanted nothing more than to work as fast as his friends and go outside and play! Anna was so taken back by what she had just heard that she finished the meeting as soon as she could and ran out of the classroom fighting back tears.

It seems both she and Michael would do anything to get out of that classroom.

Anna then had a thought. Should I homeschool my son?

Jacob and Anna were determined to do whatever it took to help Michael succeed, even if it meant pulling him out of school and figuring out a way to homeschool him. But for now, they decided to keep him in the classroom.

They focused more and more on helping Michael become aware of his strengths and talents. He had always been good at athletics and he was brilliant at creating unique masterpieces with Legos. They decided to make sure he had plenty of time to develop the things he was good at, versus spending all of his free time trying to improve in areas where he was weak. This boy needed a good dose of positive self‐esteem.

His last report card indicated that he never did master his timed math tests, or the memorization of the days of the week and months of the year in order, but his marks for behavior were excellent.

By the time Michael ended first grade, he was still below grade level in language arts and in some areas of arithmetic, but he was also the star of his soccer team and his bedroom was decorated with all of his amazing lego creations.

Though Michael spent ample time that summer doing things that he enjoyed like soccer and playing with his friends, Jacob and Anna also sent him to tutoring twice a week to try and bridge the gap between where he was performing and where he needed to be prior to entering second grade. They were always very positive with him and encouraged his efforts as much as they could.

Specific Concerns

Second grade started off great. Michael's teacher was kind and had a gentle personality. There were no reading groups, and Michael felt a little relief when school seemed a little easier than he expected. Maybe the tutoring that summer paid off!

Jacob and Anna were actually looking forward to the first parent‐teacher conference. Finally, they were going to get some good news! But as they left, all three of them hung their heads in sad silence. The joy was short‐lived.

After a few brief positive remarks about Michael, Mrs. Ballard then presented a list of concerns. She invited Michael to go play so she could talk to his parents alone. Jacob and Anna uncomfortably braced themselves as she began.

Michael was unable to accurately read an analog clock, something they had been working on for over a month.

She was concerned about some aspects of his speech. He was in second grade now and should not still be saying “frow” a ball. And no matter how hard she tried to teach him the difference between the short‐

i

and the short‐

e

sounds, he still could not reproduce those sounds correctly. He also consistently confused those two sounds when he tried to sound out a word.

Michael still did not know his left from his right. He often put the wrong hand over his heart when he recited the pledge of allegiance and acted confused when she asked him which was which.

He was still reversing several letters and numbers. He would often confuse

b

and

d

and he would also write numbers like 12 as 21, or 15 as 51 and the five would usually be reversed.

His spelling was not only bad, but bewildering. She was concerned about his lack of ability to spell high‐frequency words and the spelling he did use often had no connection to how it was actually spelled. The letters he chose to use to spell a word sometimes left her completely puzzled. It was like the letters had no meaning in the word whatsoever.

Mrs. Ballard then threw in one more small detail that wasn't impacting his academics, but felt she should still say something. Mrs. Ballard was concerned that he still asked her or other teachers to tie his shoes. She kindly asked Jacob and Anna if they would please teach him how to tie his shoes, or else buy him some slip‐ons.

When they retrieved Michael at the end of the conference, he could tell that his parents were sad and his demeanor changed instantly. He wondered what was said. And he especially wondered if that one question that was always in the back of his mind was true…was he really just, dumb? Did they just learn the truth?

Their trip to go get ice cream afterward didn't help lighten the mood much, but they tried to keep the conversation light and their feelings masked. They ended their outing by asking Michael if he would like to take a trip to the shoe store for a new pair of fancy slip‐ons.

Anna cried that night. Ever since Michael was born, she had tried to give him a head start with reading! She exposed him to books, read to him every night, put flashcards all over the house, explained what the letter sounds were and how phonics worked. Why, then, did he still struggle? What had she not done or left out? Was this her fault? If she had done better, would he be reading at grade level? What could she have done more? Jacob tried to comfort her as she expressed her feelings and concerns, but his heart was also broken. He knew what it was like to struggle in school. He knew what it was like to panic when it was your turn to read in class. And he absolutely knew what it was like to feel like you were less smart than all the other kids in your class. He knew because he had been there and his heart ached for his little boy.

The next morning, Anna and Jacob decided to keep trying and explore additional options that they had not yet tried. They searched the internet and ordered a new phonics kit to work on with him at home. They also signed up Michael for one of those expensive tutoring clinics. If they cost that much, they must be able to truly help their students, right? They hoped that was the case anyway. They couldn't really afford it, but made sacrifices to send him there. They would do anything they could to help Michael succeed.

Michael continued using the at‐home phonics lessons at home and went to the tutoring center through the end of second grade, but his grades stayed about the same. So, his parents decided to double the time at the tutoring center during the summer. Michael felt deflated. He wanted to go outside and play, not go to tutoring every day. But he also, deep down, hoped it would help.

Confidence Plummeting

When third grade came, even after all that extra help and time at the tutoring center, Michael was reading at an end‐of‐first grade level. He had made some progress, but not enough. He was still a full year behind.

In class, he read slower than his peers, and some kids laughed when he made mistakes like reading dig for big or god for dog. His reading was labored and inaccurate. He even misread tiny, little words that everyone was supposed to know, like of, how and does. Sometimes he got stuck on them, and other times he left them out altogether, without even knowing he skipped them. Then, after working extremely hard to read a page, he was in such a state of high stress that he usually had no idea what he just read.

In third grade, he was also expected to copy a lot of things from the board. He didn't understand why this took him much longer than everyone else to copy assignments. He had to look up and grab just a few letters then look down and write them down, then look back up, try to remember where he left off, grab a couple more letters, write them down, and repeat the process. He usually made mistakes when he tried to copy, so he often got assignments or dates wrong. This would make his mom mad because she didn't want him to miss assignments and get further behind.

The frustration around school came home with him and no matter what he did, he couldn't get out from under the “I'm stupid” cloud that seemed to follow him everywhere. When he was on the soccer field or when he was playing with his Legos were the only times he felt like a normal kid. All other free time was spent studying and struggling. He hated it. He hated how he felt when he couldn't do the work. And he most definitely—hated school.

By the end of third grade, Michael complained almost daily of stomachaches or headaches in the mornings, hoping his mom would not make him go to school. When he was there, he often told the teacher he was sick when it was reading time, so he could go to the nurse or go home, and not have to be humiliated in class.

Michael's self‐esteem was spiraling downhill. His confidence was plummeting. He was showing signs of depression and anxiety. And his parents were at a complete loss. Was all lost for their little boy? What was going on? Was there any hope for Michael?

Getting By

During fourth and fifth grades, Jacob and Anna did everything they could to build up Michael. They encouraged him to develop his strengths. They enrolled him in anything he wanted so that he could look forward to something and at least feel good about himself in some areas. And it was working. Michael was exceptionally gifted not only athletically, but his mechanical abilities were also extraordinary. He could fix just about anything and loved taking things apart and putting them back together again. He enjoyed solving puzzles and building models. He was also a brilliant storyteller. Michael loved letting his imagination soar. He could come up with creative concepts and ideas and fold them into beautiful stories. The only problem was, he just couldn't write them down. When he tried, his writing would not even come close to reflecting the masterpiece that he could orally deliver. His writing was a smokescreen for his intelligence. It was there, you just couldn't see it.

When Michael went to junior high school, he was placed in some lower classes, which completely humiliated him. His teachers complained that he could read and spell a word just fine on one page, but not on the next and they were puzzled at his inability to decode or spell unknown words because they knew he was a bright kid. Michael's spelling was admittedly and embarrassingly atrocious. He would add or omit letters whose sounds weren't even in the word. He placed an e at the end of almost every unknown word because he was entirely confused about silent‐e and so just threw it in at random, hoping some of them would end up in a correctly spelled word. He used the talk‐to‐text feature of his cell phone to send almost every message to his friends, hoping to disguise his spelling problem.

Though his academics hadn't improved much and he still struggled with his self‐image, he had a lot of friends. Michael was extremely well liked by his peers. He was funny, empathetic, observant, and intuitive. His high social IQ and surprising maturity helped him to be, have, and keep good friends, which would be a great help to him as he entered high school the following year. He also impressed his friends, as well as his art teacher, with his ability to sketch. He didn't even know he had the skill until he took an art class and discovered he was completely drawn to art, and was better at it than most of his friends. He ended up taking a sketch book with him almost everywhere, especially English class, so he could do something that he was good at when he felt completely inept at everything academic.

Michael's people skills and his athletic ability propelled him to popularity in high school. He was the star of the track team and in his sophomore year he helped his school win the state championship. He was also mature, kind, and level‐headed. These were some of the reasons he was encouraged by his friends to run for school president.

Even though Michael was good at sports and well liked by his peers, he still suffered from a low self‐image, particularly around academics. He had to work twice as hard as anyone else he knew just to get acceptable grades. He struggled in almost every subject because of his reading challenges. He had to work extremely hard to figure out unknown words which was an obstacle to comprehension. He didn't understand why he still, even after all these years, had trouble decoding unfamiliar words. He made a concerted effort to listen carefully when the teacher was teaching because if he listened to the content, he could comprehend it much better than if he read it. He had to rely on what he heard because his note‐taking skills were abhorrent. He often just gave up trying to write what the teacher was saying and instead focused on listening as hard as he could. Yet, even if he felt he had a pretty good grasp of the material, he still panicked on almost every test. He always felt rushed and stressed as he tried to answer the questions on exams and he absolutely dreaded questions that required an essay response.

Michael managed to just get by in most classes, but he did great in electives like art, shop, and music. Though he struggled in music to read the notes on the staff, he could play things by ear easily and discovered that he really enjoyed this new‐found talent. Michael's worst classes were Spanish and English. Even though he had a private tutor for both of those subjects, he still barely made good enough grades to keep performing in sports. Maintaining his grades was a constant battle and it was absolutely not due to lack of effort. Michael tried harder than anyone he knew, and still got the poorest results on his tests and report cards.

Michael decided, with his friends' encouragement, that he would accept the opportunity to run for school president. He felt like he could do a good job because he was good at thinking outside the box and solving problems, but he was worried about the looming speech he would have to make in front of the entire school. He wasn't scared about being in front of a lot of people; he just knew that he had difficulty speaking fluently. He often had a hard time getting the words out that he wanted to say without stammering or pausing, and he sometimes confused the pronunciation of similar sounding words. He also knew that he flapped his arms and hands around wildly when he spoke, usually to help others understand what his mouth had a hard time articulating. The honest truth was he was just not a good public speaker. Or at least that's what he thought. He was afraid he would sound like an idiot in front of everyone. But, he went for it anyway! He worked hard on his speech, and presented it with just a few awkward pauses and noticeable gulps. He felt a lot more scared than he looked and ended up doing just fine. And he won.

At Michael's graduation, he didn't walk with honors, but no one clapped and cheered more loudly than Jacob and Anna. They were beyond proud of their amazing, hard‐working son! He succeeded in every way he possibly could. He tried his absolute best and pushed harder than he thought he could. He had become an exceptional young man and they were beaming with love, joy, and respect for their son.

Michael was simply relieved that it was all over.

Working with His Strengths

After high school, Michael didn't attend college. Instead, because he was a natural craftsman, he started working for a cabinetmaker and became exceptionally skilled in the craft. Michael loved working with his hands and creating beautiful items from raw materials. After several years, Michael opened his own carpentry business and earned a highly respected reputation in the community. He was a successful businessman and knew that his business ran more smoothly when he delegated tasks that he was not good at (like paperwork, messaging, etc.) to others who were adept at those skills. When he concentrated on what he excelled in, creating, he and his business thrived.

Eventually, Michael got married and started a family. His first child was a son who they named John. Michael and his wife, Mary, wanted to expose John to as many books as possible from the very beginning. Michael did not want his son to go through the same academic struggles as he did. He and Mary read to John every night; they put flashcards all over the house, and they taught him his first lessons in phonics. So, they were a little surprised when his preschool teacher told them that John was behind his peers in recognizing the letters and recalling the sounds in the alphabet.

Michael's heart sank to a depth he did not know it had, but Mary recognized these early signs and knew what to do.

Signs of Dyslexia

As you can see from Michael's story, a child can go a lifetime without recognizing the signs of dyslexia. In this section of the book, you will learn exactly what dyslexia looks like so you can recognize the signs in your own family. This important knowledge will empower you to understand why your child struggles with reading and how to change the course of their academic path.

Challenges

The following are challenges for a dyslexic person.

Family History of Reading or Spelling Difficulties

Dyslexia is highly inheritable, so there will almost always be some indication of reading or spelling difficulties in a close family member. Typically, the mother or father will have some memory of struggling in school, or a recognition of their reliance on a spell check or a dislike for reading in public.

If neither parent recognizes any signs of dyslexia in themselves, then the scope can be widened to look at siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

If the family examines its members carefully, there will almost always be recognition of a family member who displays some signs of dyslexia either currently or in their early school years.

Delayed Speech Compared with Peers of the Same Age

It is not uncommon for toddlers who have dyslexia to lag behind their peers in speech development. They may be considered “late talkers.”

Dyslexia is a language processing disorder. Language is processed in several ways: through speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Therefore, toddlers with dyslexia may not form three to four word sentences until well after they are three years old.

Inability to Pronounce Words Correctly after Ample Teaching/Persistent Baby Talk

A lack of strong phonemic awareness skills, a hallmark of dyslexia, is the reason why those who have the condition have extreme difficulty pronouncing certain words correctly, even after repeated correction.

In the speech of young children, this can mean so‐called “baby talk” persists well past babyhood. The mispronunciation of certain words can persist through their childhood, adolescence, and even into adulthood.

When a person struggles with phonemic awareness, they struggle to discern and pronounce sounds in order. Other sounds may be inserted, omitted, or changed altogether.

A young child with dyslexia may persist in pronouncing spaghetti as basketti, throw as frow, or packpack for backpack.

Adults with dyslexia may continue to mispronounce words such as flustrated for frustrated, supposebly for supposedly, cimannon for cinnamon, or dyklexia for dyslexia.

Difficulty with the Alphabet

Students with dyslexia will likely struggle with all four requirements for learning the alphabet.

Learning the names of the letters (including both uppercase and lowercase).

Learning all of the sounds each of those letters makes.

Learning the sequence of the letters.

Learning the pencil strokes needed to create each uppercase and lowercase letter.