dyslexiaid
London
Reading is complex. It requires our brains to connect letters to sounds, put
those sounds in the right order, and pull the words together into sentences and
paragraphs we can read and comprehend. People with dyslexia have trouble
matching the letters they see on the page with the sounds those letters and
combinations of letters make. And when they have trouble with that step, all the
other steps are harder. Dyslexic children and adults struggle to read fluently,
spell words correctly and learn a second language, among other challenges. But
these difficulties have no connection to their overall intelligence. In fact,
dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading in an individual who has the
intelligence to be a much better reader. While people with dyslexia are slow
readers, they often, paradoxically, are very fast and creative thinkers with
strong reasoning abilities. Dyslexia is also very common, affecting 20 percent
of the population and representing 80– 90 percent of all those with learning
disabilities. Scientific research shows differences in brain connectivity
between dyslexic and typical reading children, providing a neurological basis
for why reading fluently is a struggle for those with dyslexia. Dyslexia can’t
be “cured” – it is lifelong. But with the right supports, dyslexic individuals
can become highly successful students and adults.
