Characterized by difficulties with written language, including reading and writing. Children with oral language deficits may find themselves struggling with reading comprehension in the school-age years. Others may have specific difficulties with basic reading or spelling only, which may fit the classification of dyslexia. Children may be classified with a learning disability. Building a solid foundation of skills in both oral and written language will support all children in both their academic and personal endeavors.
What are Reading Disabilities & Dyslexia?
As children age, their language needs may also change, such as when they enter school and have to use language to make sense of what they hear, read, or spell. Language develops in the brain, and so does the ability to learn to read and write. Letters and printed words represent the spoken sounds and words of a language. Without a robust spoken language system, the ability to read, spell, and comprehend what you read becomes very difficult. This is because reading, spelling, and reading comprehension are each language-based skills. Children who struggle with the skills of basic reading (decoding) and reading comprehension may receive additional support at school through the implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) under the classification of a Specific Learning Disability.
Another term to describe difficulties with reading may include Dyslexia. The term dyslexia literally means difficulties with words (dys: difficulty, lexia: words). Children with dyslexia often have average to above average IQs and listening comprehension skills, but they struggle to read and spell words. Because they struggle to read (decode) the words in a passage, children with dyslexia may also perform low on tasks of reading comprehension, despite their otherwise high language comprehension skills.
What are Reading Disabilities & Dyslexia?
As children age, their language needs may also change, such as when they enter school and have to use language to make sense of what they hear, read, or spell. Language develops in the brain, and so does the ability to learn to read and write. Letters and printed words represent the spoken sounds and words of a language. Without a robust spoken language system, the ability to read, spell, and comprehend what you read becomes very difficult. This is because reading, spelling, and reading comprehension are each language-based skills. Children who struggle with the skills of basic reading (decoding) and reading comprehension may receive additional support at school through the implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) under the classification of a Specific Learning Disability.
Another term to describe difficulties with reading may include Dyslexia. The term dyslexia literally means difficulties with words (dys: difficulty, lexia: words). Children with dyslexia often have average to above average IQs and listening comprehension skills, but they struggle to read and spell words. Because they struggle to read (decode) the words in a passage, children with dyslexia may also perform low on tasks of reading comprehension, despite their otherwise high language comprehension skills.
To adequately read and spell, children need to recognize that letters represent the sounds of spoken language. They also need to be able to discriminate between similar sounds. Children with dyslexia often demonstrate difficulties with this sound (or phonological) system of language, which impacts their ability to read and spell appropriately. They may have poor phonological awareness, phonological memory, or rapid naming skills.
The good news is that with explicit, structured intervention, children with dyslexia can learn the skills and strategies necessary to be successful in school. Besides dyslexia, some children may struggle with reading for other reasons. For example, children with language disorders (see the section above) may struggle with tasks of listening (or spoken language) comprehension, which also impacts their ability to understand what they read (written language). It is also possible for a child to have both dyslexia and a developmental language disorder. For these children, the tasks of reading (decoding) and reading comprehension will both be difficult, due to the underlying language difficulties. No matter the profile, a comprehensive language/literacy evaluation is the best way to identify why a child is struggling with language-based tasks at school (such as reading, spelling, and reading comprehension) and to create an individualized treatment plan with specific targets for the child’s needs.
To adequately read and spell, children need to recognize that letters represent the sounds of spoken language. They also need to be able to discriminate between similar sounds. Children with dyslexia often demonstrate difficulties with this sound (or phonological) system of language, which impacts their ability to read and spell appropriately. They may have poor phonological awareness, phonological memory, or rapid naming skills.
The good news is that with explicit, structured intervention, children with dyslexia can learn the skills and strategies necessary to be successful in school. Besides dyslexia, some children may struggle with reading for other reasons. For example, children with language disorders (see the section above) may struggle with tasks of listening (or spoken language) comprehension, which also impacts their ability to understand what they read (written language). It is also possible for a child to have both dyslexia and a developmental language disorder. For these children, the tasks of reading (decoding) and reading comprehension will both be difficult, due to the underlying language difficulties. No matter the profile, a comprehensive language/literacy evaluation is the best way to identify why a child is struggling with language-based tasks at school (such as reading, spelling, and reading comprehension) and to create an individualized treatment plan with specific targets for the child’s needs.
Did you know?
Dyslexia is primarily a language-based skill, not a problem with vision or ‘seeing letters backwards.’ Children with dyslexia often demonstrate difficulties with the phonological (sound) system of language.
Approximately 1 in 5 people have dyslexia, although this number may vary.
Speech-Language Pathologists are uniquely qualified to provide evaluation and treatment for children with reading disabilities or dyslexia, due to our robust understanding of the sounds of oral language.
With proper evaluation and treatment, children can be taught strategies to help them learn to read and spell.
Did you know?
Dyslexia is primarily a language-based skill, not a problem with vision or ‘seeing letters backwards.’ Children with dyslexia often demonstrate difficulties with the phonological (sound) system of language.
Approximately 1 in 5 people have dyslexia, although this number may vary.
Speech-Language Pathologists are uniquely qualified to provide evaluation and treatment for children with reading disabilities or dyslexia, due to our robust understanding of the sounds of oral language.
With proper evaluation and treatment, children can be taught strategies to help them learn to read and spell.
What the evaluation looks like
I often pair a language evaluation with a literacy (i.e., reading disability or dyslexia) evaluation to look at how language is impacting the acquisition of academic skills, such as reading and spelling. I may administer a variety of standardized, as well as non-standardized assessments, in order to get a full picture of your child’s needs.
To begin, I will look at your child’s awareness of the sound structure of language, called phonological processing. I like to use the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, Second Edition (CTOPP-2), which allows me to identify how well your child can discriminate and manipulate the sounds in a language. For example, I may ask your child to tell me the first or last sound in a word I say to him/her. I also may ask your child to delete a syllable or sound from a word. These phonological awareness skills are important for word-level reading and spelling.
Another test I like to use is the Test of Integrated Language & Literacy Skills (TILLS). This is also a standardized test that measures a child’s language skills in both oral and written modalities. It helps me identify what might be causing a child to struggle in school with reading and/or comprehension. To administer this test, I will give your child a variety of tasks, some spoken and some written. For example, I will ask your child to identify pairs of words that go together and then explain why. Additionally, I may read short passages to your child and ask him/her to retell the story and answer questions about what I read. Lastly, I will ask your child to read and write, so that I can analyze their use of spelling patterns and complex sentence structure.
Each of these tasks are important diagnostic indicators for children who may have language disorders that are also impacting the language-based skills of reading and writing at school. The goal of a language/literacy evaluation is to create a specific treatment plan for your child, tailored to his/her individual needs.
What treatment looks like
During treatment for reading disabilities or dyslexia, I will help your child recognize and discriminate the sounds in words. Then I will use a structured word study approach to help your child map letters to sounds through guided spelling and reading activities. I have access to the SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing curriculum, which is a speech-to-print, structured literacy word study program. However, as a licensed clinician, I understand that any program I use is simply a tool in my clinical belt. Through my training and experience, I will be able to identify break-downs in your child’s learning in real time and provide professional scaffolding to support your child’s needs. This may include recognizing why one sound is harder for your child to discriminate over another or why a certain word structure may be more difficult for your child to master.
It is my goal to not only help your child learn successful strategies for reading and spelling but to help you learn the strategies for helping your child as well. This way you will be able to support your child when I am not there. You will be invited to participate in the treatment session with me, as we teach your child together.
How to get started
Contact me today for an evaluation. I will give you a written report of any diagnosis and treatment plan.