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Dyselxia: the most common language-based learning disorder

By Christy Jepson
Does your child struggle with reading, sounding out words and spelling? One in five students have a language-based learning disorder and dyslexia is the most common one. However, not a lot of parents recognize that their child has dyslexia because we typically think of dyslexia as having problems with letter reversals or seeing 'wiggly' letters on a page. But that is only a small fraction of the symptoms of dyslexia.

Not every child with dyslexia shows the exact same symptoms, making it hard to get the specific help needed at school or home. Besides struggling with reading, decoding and spelling, other classic dyslexic symptoms include: messy handwriting, lower comprehension, difficulty with copying things from a board, unusual pencil grip, adding or omitting words when reading, guessing what a word is by just looking at the first couple of letters, struggles with math story problems, poor memory for sequential problems, mispronounces long words, rote memorization issues, often knows the math answer but can't put the 'work' on paper and they often complain a lot of stomachaches and headaches.

With the right kind of instruction and approach, students with dyslexia can improve their reading, spelling and writing. The language disorder will never go away, but with the right kind of intervention, the child can become a better reader, speller and writer.

The Dyslexia Center of Utah (DCU) is a non-profit tutoring center that helps anyone who might think they are struggling with reading, writing and spelling. Seventeen years ago, Shelley Hatch started the center and since then it has grown to five locations in Springville, Lehi, American Fork, Riverton, Woods Cross and soon a St. George location.

Their goal and vision at DCU is to inspire and transform students with learning disabilities into confident, independent and successful readers. The center offers small group or private tutoring,and an assessment (not a formal dyslexic diagnosis, but only assesses what your child struggles with, their strengthens and weaknesses).

Hatch's advice to parents who have a child that struggles with reading is, "Don't panic!" She recognizes that parents can easily get in a mode of helplessness by thinking their child will never graduate and then they feel like they need to try a whole bunch of programs to help. But she suggests one thing---"to change up the learning." Hatch encourages parents to use other methods or ways of learning with their struggling child.

"If your child is artistic, use that talent at home as a way for your child to show understanding of a story you read aloud; draw a picture of the problem in the story or draw the main character. Just because your child has a word decoding weaknesses or messy handwriting or poor spelling doesn't mean they can't learn through a variety of venues," said Hatch. She also encourages them to listen to audio books as that continues to expose them to literature and the oral skills they need.

Most students who struggle academically also struggle with self-esteem. They don't like going to school and often complain that they are sick. "I let them know that we can teach them the way their brain understands it. They can learn just like any other student and it's ok if they learn it in a different way. Their brain just works a little differently. But dyslexia doesn't keep them from being great at other things!" said Hatch.

The fact is, children who have dyslexia usually have average or higher IQs, but they do not test well. But because of their dyslexia, these children have: more vivid imaginations, they can utilize the brain's ability to create and change perception, they are highly aware of the environment, they are more curious than the average person, they think and perceive things using all their senses, they think mainly with pictures and not words, they are talented in drama, sports, arts, story-telling, and art, they excel when they do hands-on experiments, they often 'think out of the box' and they are emotionally sensitive to others.

The Dyslexia Center of Utah uses the Slingerland Approach which is an adaption of the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is known as one of the most successful ways in which children with dyslexia can learn and retain information.

So the best thing to do if your child is struggling acadmically is recognize it, read all about it and find different learning approaches and resources that can help them find success and improve their academic ability.

To get more information about the Dyslexia Center of Utah, the cost for the tutoring and assessment, call them at 801-756-1933 or email dcu@dyselxiacenterofutah.org.
The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2024 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 


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