What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a common neurobiological learning difficulty that affects the development of reading, spelling and written language skills. It is not related to intelligence, effort or motivation. With early identification and evidence-based intervention, students with dyslexia can make significant progress and become confident, successful learners.
ABOUT DYSLEXIA
WHAT IS DYSLEXIA
Dyslexia is a common, lifelong learning difficulty that affects the development of reading and spelling skills. It is neurobiological in origin, meaning that the brain processes written language differently.
Dyslexia is not related to intelligence, motivation, effort or educational opportunity. Many individuals with dyslexia are highly capable learners who simply require explicit, structured instruction to develop literacy skills.
CAUSES
Research has shown that dyslexia has a strong genetic basis and often runs in families.
The primary difficulty is usually related to phonological processing – the ability to recognise, remember and manipulate the sounds within spoken words. This impacts a student's ability to connect sounds to letters when reading and spelling.
Brain imaging studies have demonstrated that individuals with dyslexia process written language differently from typical readers.
EFFECTS
Students with dyslexia often experience difficulties with:
✔ Reading unfamiliar words accurately
✔ Reading fluently and automatically
✔ Spelling words correctly
✔ Remembering letter-sound relationships
✔ Learning and recalling phonics patterns
✔ Decoding longer or multisyllabic words
These difficulties can make reading and writing more effortful and time-consuming than for their peers.
FACTS
Approximately 10–15% of the population experience dyslexia, with around 3–5% experiencing severe difficulties. In a typical classroom of 30 students, there may be 3–5 students with dyslexia.
Some individuals with dyslexia may also experience:
- Dysgraphia (writing difficulties)
- Dyscalculia (mathematics difficulties)
- Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
- ADHD
- Difficulties with working memory
- Reduced processing speed
SIGNS OF DYSLEXIA IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS
The signs of dyslexia can vary depending on age and severity.
Early Years
- Difficulty learning letter names and sounds
- Trouble recognising rhymes
- Delayed development of reading skills
- Difficulty blending sounds into words
Primary School
- Slow or inaccurate reading
- Difficulty spelling common words
- Guessing words when reading
- Avoiding reading tasks
- Difficulty learning times tables and sequences
Secondary and Beyond
- Slow reading speed
- Persistent spelling difficulties
- Difficulty taking notes quickly
- Fatigue when reading large amounts of text
- Reduced confidence in literacy tasks
How To Support A Child With Dyslexia
✔ Read with your child regularly
✔ Listen to audiobooks together
✔ Praise effort and persistence
✔ Provide explicit reading and spelling instruction
✔ Break large tasks into smaller steps
✔ Use assistive technology when appropriate
✔ Focus on strengths as well as areas of difficulty
✔ Seek evidence-based intervention early
What Not To Do
❌ Tell a child they simply need to "try harder"
❌ Compare them to siblings or classmates
❌ Make them read aloud without preparation
❌ Assume they will "grow out of it"
❌ Focus only on weaknesses
❌ Use intervention programs that lack research evidence
❌ Wait for failure before seeking support
MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT DYSLEXIA
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Myth: Children with dyslexia see letters backwards.
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Fact: Dyslexia is primarily a language-based difficulty, not a visual problem.
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Myth: Children with dyslexia are not intelligent.
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Fact: Dyslexia occurs across the full range of intellectual ability.
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Myth: Children will simply grow out of dyslexia.
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Fact: Dyslexia is lifelong, but evidence-based intervention can make a significant difference.
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Myth: More reading practice alone will fix dyslexia.
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Fact: Students typically require explicit, systematic and structured literacy instruction.