Understanding Dyslexia

Definition

Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003 definition of dyslexia and related disorders

“Dyslexia” means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.
“Related disorders” include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia, such as developmental auditory imperception, dysphasia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability. TEC §38.003(d)(1)-(2) (1995)

International Dyslexia Association definition of “dyslexia”

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. (Adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, November 12, 2002)

Characteristics

Students identified as having dyslexia typically experience primary difficulties in phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness and manipulation, single-word reading, reading fluency, and spelling. Consequences may include difficulties in reading comprehension and/or written expression. These difficulties in phonological awareness are unexpected for the student’s age and educational level and are not primarily the result of language difference factors. Additionally, there is often a family history of similar difficulties.

Primary reading/spelling characteristics of dyslexia

Difficulty reading words in isolation
Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words
Difficulty with oral reading (slow, inaccurate, or labored without prosody)
Difficulty spelling

It is important to note that individuals demonstrate differences in degree of impairment and may not exhibit all the characteristics listed above.

Reading/Spelling characteristics are most often associated with

Segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
Learning the names of letters and their associated sounds
Holding information about sounds and words in memory (phonological memory)
Rapidly recalling the names of familiar objects, colors, or letters of the alphabet (rapid naming)

Consequences of dyslexia may include

Variable difficulty with aspects of reading comprehension
Variable difficulty with aspects of written language
Limited vocabulary growth due to reduced reading experiences

Common risk factors

The following may be associated with dyslexia if they are unexpected for the individual’s age, educational level or cognitive abilities.

Preschool

Delay in learning to talk
Difficulty with rhyming 2
Difficulty pronouncing words (e.g., “pusgetti” for “spaghetti,” “mawn lower” for “lawn mower”)
Poor auditory memory for nursery rhymes and chants
Difficulty adding new vocabulary words
Inability to recall the right word (word retrieval)
Trouble learning and naming letters and numbers and remembering the letters in his/ her name
Aversion to print (e.g., doesn’t enjoy following along if a book is read aloud)

Kindergarten through third grade

Difficulty breaking words into smaller parts, or syllables (e.g., “baseball” can be pulled apart into“base” “ball” or “napkin” can be pulled apart into “nap” “kin”)
Difficulty identifying and manipulating sounds in syllables (e.g., “man” sounded out as /m/ /ă/ /n/)
Difficulty remembering the names of letters and recalling their corresponding sounds
Difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation)
Difficulty spelling words the way they sound (phonetically) or remembering letter sequences in Very common words seen often in print (e.g., “sed” for “said”) Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with the following:
Difficulty recognizing common sight words (e.g., “to,” “said,” “been”)
Difficulty decoding single words
Difficulty recalling the correct sounds for letters and letter patterns in reading
Difficulty connecting speech sounds with appropriate letter or letter combinations and omitting letters in words for spelling (e.g., “after” spelled “eftr”)
Difficulty reading fluently (e.g., reading is slow, inaccurate, and/or without expression)
Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words in sentences using knowledge of phonics
Reliance on picture clues, story theme, or guessing at words
Difficulty with written expression

Fourth grade through high school

Fourth Grade through Sixth Grade

Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with

Difficulty reading aloud (e.g., fear of reading aloud in front of classmates)
Avoidance of reading (particularly for pleasure)
Difficulty reading fluently (e.g., reading is slow, inaccurate, and/or without expression)
Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words in sentences using knowledge of phonics
Acquisition of less vocabulary due to reduced independent reading
Use of less complicated words in writing that are easier to spell than more appropriate words (e.g.,“big” instead of “enormous”)
Reliance on listening rather than reading for comprehension

Middle School and High School

Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with

Difficulty with the volume of reading and written work
Frustration with the amount of time required and energy expended for reading
Difficulty reading fluently (e.g., reading is slow, inaccurate, and/or without expression)
Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words in sentences using knowledge of phonics
Difficulty with written assignments
Tendency to avoid reading (particularly for pleasure)
Difficulty learning a foreign language

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