Dyslexia Prevalence Worldwide
Dyslexia Prevalence Worldwide
Blog Article
Early Intervention For Dyslexia
Children with dyslexia need to be identified and receive intervention early. This prevents them from falling behind academically, emotionally and socially.
Children who are identified with dyslexia and receive appropriate support in kindergarten through first grade can narrow or even close the achievement gap with their peers. They can reach their full potential in school and beyond.
Pre-K to 3rd Grade
Many students with dyslexia are not identified until they have significant trouble in reading and writing. This lag in identification and intervention means that struggling students are likely falling behind their peers, both academically and emotionally. Research shows that when students receive early intervention for dyslexia, 95% of them do not continue to struggle with reading problems into high school. In contrast, 74 percent of students who receive no intervention will continue to have reading difficulties into high school.
Children who are at risk for reading problems can be reliably identified with screening assessments, such as the Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR), Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), and Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI). These tests are used in kindergarten or first grade to help teachers locate students who may need more targeted instruction. Students with dyslexia often see the most success when they learn strategies that use multiple senses. To that end, the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children has developed a 100-lesson reading intervention called BUILD.
4th to 8th Grade
Students with dyslexia can still benefit from early intervention, even when they reach 4th grade. However, it is harder to catch them up as they are exposed to more complex texts and content, and the teaching methods used in most schools have a lower success rate.
By this stage, they may be struggling with surface dyslexia (irregular words or phonological deficits) or double-deficit dyslexia (both rapid naming deficit and phonological deficit). Early intervention generally includes specialized instruction, assistive technology, and modifications to classroom materials, tests, and assignments.
A multidisciplinary team is often involved in creating and implementing these interventions, including classroom teachers, special educators, reading specialists, speech-language pathologists, and physicians. Regular meetings and open communication between these professionals help ensure the program stays on track and is individualized to each student. Parents also play an important role, providing valuable insights and supporting their children at home. They can also be helpful advocates in bringing about change.
9th to 12th Grade
Students with dyslexia often experience trouble with phonological awareness, which is the ability to break words down into their individual sounds. Explicit, systematic instruction helps students establish strong connections between phonemes and graphemes, the building blocks of reading and spelling. Multisensory learning techniques also help strengthen connections in the brain related to language and reading skills.
Given the strong heritability of dyslexia, a family history is quick and easy to elicit and can be a useful tool in assessing risk. The Rapid Automatized Naming Test (RANT) is another important tool to assess family history and identify adults who may be at risk for dyslexia.
Investing in literacy intervention for children with dyslexia or other language-based learning differences early on is a win-win-win. Academically, it ensures that students remain on grade level; emotionally, it builds their self-esteem; and fiscally, preventing dyslexia from becoming a barrier to school inclusion in the long run can save schools costly special education costs.
Adulthood
Despite having reached the age of majority, adults with dyslexia often still struggle to achieve cognitive challenges with dyslexia their full potential. This is particularly true when the learning difference goes undetected.
Dyslexia impacts word decoding, spelling and reading fluency. As a result, it can affect a person’s life in many ways including academic performance, job opportunities, quality of life and self-esteem.
Fortunately, early intervention for dyslexia is possible for people of all ages. Adults can take steps to improve their reading skills through tutoring or using software to help them read. In addition, adults can learn more about their dyslexia and how to better manage it at home and at work. They can also ask for accommodations or support at school by requesting an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).