Why Johnny Can't Read. (Not a joke)

[meek]

I printed out this information for a friend and I thought it was fascinating - so I thought I’d post it here…

Facts about dyslexia and related language-based learning disabilities:
[sub]From the The International Dyslexia Association (IDA)[/sub]

· 15-20% of the population has a reading disability.

· Of students with specific learning disabilities who receive special education services, 70-80% have deficits in reading. Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties.

· If children who are dyslexic get effective phonological training in kindergarten and 1st grade, they will have significantly fewer problems in learning to read at grade level than do children who are not identified or helped until 3rd grade.

· 74% of the children who were poor readers in the 3rd grade remained poor readers in the 9th grade. This means that they couldn’t read well when they became adults.

· Individuals inherit the genetic links for dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects males and females nearly equally, and people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds as well.

Dyslexia is difficulty with language. Intelligence is not the problem; the problem is language. People who are dyslexic may have difficulty with reading, spelling, understanding language they hear, or expressing themselves clearly in speaking or in writing. An unexpected gap exists between their potential for learning and their school achievement.

Definitions:

· Dyslexia – a language-based disability in which a person has trouble understanding words, sentences or paragraphs; both oral and written language are affected.

· Dyscalculia – a mathematical disability in which a person has unusual difficulty solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.

· Dysgraphia – a neurological-based writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters or write within a defined space.

· Auditory/Visual Processing Disorders – disorders in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.

NOTE: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) are behavioral disorders, not learning disabilities.

An individual can have more than one learning or behavioral disability. In various studies as many as 50% of those diagnosed with a learning or reading difference have also been diagnosed with ADHD. Although disabilities may co-occur, one is not the cause of the other.

If your child finds reading difficult, you may want to check out the common signs of dyslexia for a particular age group. Go here.
[sub]
Copyright © 2000, The International Dyslexia Association (IDA). All rights reserved.
IDA encourages the free reproduction and distribution of this information.
If portions of the text are cited, appropriate reference must be made.
This information may not be distributed for commercial gain.[/sub]