Key Points

What is dyslexia?


Dyslexia is a specific type of Learning Disability related to reading and spelling normally resulting from a difficulty with the phonological component of language.


In the video below, Susan J. Schwartz  MA Ed, Senior Director, Learning and Diagnostic Center  of the Child Mind Institute defines dyslexia and explains some of the most common characteristics.

What causes dyslexia?


Dyslexia is:

  • Hereditary
  • A difference in the way the brain works
  • Not due to lack of intelligence
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What are the characteristics of dyslexia?


The primary symptoms of dyslexia as identified by the Australian Dyslexic Association are:

  • Problems learning the letter sounds for reading and spelling
  • Difficulty in reading single words,such as on flash cards and in lists (decoding)
  • Lack of fluency
  • Reading slowly with many mistakes
  • Poor spelling
  • Poor visual coding (orthographic coding)

There are a number of myths about dyslexia which are unsubstantiated these are:

  • Dyslexia is a general term for any learning difficulty
  • Individuals with dyslexia do not try hard enough
  • Dyslexia is a visual problem with mirror writing and letter reversals being key indicators
  • Dyslexia is just a phase

Who has dyslexia?


  • Current research suggests 1 in 5 people have dyslexia.
  • Dyslexia effects as many girls as boys.
  • Many successful and highly creative individuals have dyslexia.

How do you treat dyslexia?

  • There is no 'cure' for dyslexia, people with dyslexia have to work with their disability and persist with overcoming their difficulties, look at the page Living with Dyslexia for more information.
  • A diagnosis of dyslexia can aid the delivery of the most effective education  for the person with dyslexia. 
  • To verify that an individual is dyslexic they must be assessed by a qualified examiner.  The details of the process in Australia can be found on the page Diagnosing dyslexia in Australia and information for other countries can be found on the  International Dyslexia Association (IDA) website.
  • The use of an explicit and systematic instruction of all the components of reading and writing can help a person with dyslexia learn to read.
  • Using a multi-sensory approach to learning can aid a person with dyslexia to decode language, details of this method can be found on the factsheet MSL Teaching.

What can I do to make my classroom dyslexia-friendly?


In order to provide an inclusive learning environment that is acceptable for students with dyslexia, teachers must be:
  • Flexible (i.e. adopt accommodations suggested by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) )
  • Understanding of what it means to have dyslexia (IDA factsheet)
  • Aware of latest research and new understandings (IDA)
  • Systematic in teaching of spelling and reading
  • Prepared to use ICTs to enable students with dyslexia

Final Word

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Image courtesy of: http://3.bp.blogspot.com
Each person with dyslexia has a unique set of issues and skills which they have to learn manage.  In the videos below two people who have dyslexia talk about their experiences with living with this condition.  The first video is of Orlando Bloom, a successful actor, talking about his experience of dyslexia at the Child Mind Institute conference.  The second video is part 1 of a 4 part BBC documentary called Don't call me stupid, where a British soap-actress undergoes diagnostic tests for dyslexia, receives multi-sensory learning strategy instruction and talks about her experiences with having dyslexia.