Early Identification and Intervention for Learning Disabilities: Dyslexia

Identifying dyslexia as early as possible is crucial to prevent literacy difficulties from turning into reading failure. Screening children in the first two years of school can reveal those at risk of dyslexia and provide the opportunity for immediate intervention. Research indicates that intervention during the early years of schooling is most effective and helps prevent damage to both self-esteem and motivation.

While dyslexia cannot be assessed definitively until a child can read, an experienced teacher can quickly identify children who are struggling to keep up. These children should always be screened or evaluated for dyslexia. Genetic links make it important to look for a family member who also has dyslexia or displays the typical spelling difficulties associated with it. Other signs that should lead to testing include a history of delayed speech and repeated ear infections during infancy.

For first graders, several signs may indicate that a child is at risk of dyslexia. These include:

Not understanding that words can be broken down into sounds Making reading errors that are not related to the sounds of the letters on the page A history of parents or siblings with reading problems Complaining about how hard reading is Not wanting to go to school Showing problems with speaking and pronunciation Having trouble sounding out basic words like "cat" or "map" Not associating letters with sounds, for example, that "p" sounds like "paa"

As children progress through second through eighth grade, many teachers are not trained to recognize dyslexia. Intelligent, active children can hide their reading troubles, often slipping through the cracks. By the time a child reaches middle school, they may have fallen behind in reading, writing, and spelling.

Signs of dyslexia in grade school and middle school can be:

Being very slow in learning to read Reading slowly and awkwardly Having difficulty with new words and sounding them out Disliking or avoiding reading out loud Using vague and inexact vocabulary like "stuff" and "things" Hesitating while finding words and answering questions Using a lot of "umms" in conversation Mispronouncing long, unknown, or complicated words Confusing words that sound alike Having trouble remembering details such as names and dates Having messy handwriting

Early identification and intervention can significantly improve a child's chances of overcoming dyslexia. Regular screenings by experienced teachers and careful observation of these signs can make a crucial difference. With the right support, children with dyslexia can develop essential literacy skills and reach their full potential.