A few decades ago, people born with dyslexia typically had no idea why they struggled to read, or failed to read at all. Neither did their teachers.
That鈥檚 changing. Literacy experts now understand that dyslexia is a resulting in challenges with word recognition, spelling, and decoding abilities. Further, most states have begun to require K-12 schools to use early screening to assess students鈥� risk for reading problems like dyslexia; they鈥檙e also pushing for all students to receive evidence-based literacy instruction to ensure reading proficiency.
But a lingering and widely held misperception about dyslexia that鈥檚 all-too familiar to threatens to undermine this progress and perpetuate frustration for students with dyslexia and their teachers鈥攖he idea that you can cure, or 鈥渇ix鈥� dyslexia.
鈥淗aving been in the field for close to 40 years, I can tell you that dyslexia is a lifelong neuro-developmental disability that affects how the brain processes language鈥攊t has no cure,鈥� said Ben Shifrin, head of Jemicy School, a college-preparatory independent school in Owings Mills, Md., serving students with dyslexia and related language-based learning differences. 鈥淭he good news is, though, with early intervention and with the appropriate types of modifications and intervention, people with dyslexia thrive in today鈥檚 world.鈥�
Shifrin and other experts help to unpack the complex portrait of dyslexia鈥攆rom how its neurological origins explain both why the disability can鈥檛 be 鈥渇ixed鈥� and why early diagnosis and intervention matter so much, to why today鈥檚 students with dyslexia have a stronger shot at accessing and appreciating reading and literature than ever before.
What brain science reveals about how people with dyslexia read
Experts blame the misperception that dyslexia can be 鈥渇ixed鈥� largely on a general lack of understanding of how people learn to read.
鈥�69传媒 is not this natural, innate process that develops easily,鈥� said Molly Ness, a reading researcher and literacy specialist with Sterling Literacy Consulting in Denver. 鈥淭o become a reader, you really have to create neural connections between different regions of the brain.鈥�
Increasingly, researchers are beginning to learn how, for people with dyslexia, the parts of the brain required for reading both look and function differently than those of their typically developing peers. For instance, early research shows that people with dyslexia have a smaller 鈥攁 part of the brain considered the 鈥渧isual word-form area,鈥� Ness said.
Additionally, sophisticated technology known as functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures brain activity by observing blood flow during cognitive tasks, allows researchers to actually see how the brains of people with dyslexia work differently when attempting to read.
鈥淥ur students with dyslexia under-activate the neural connections responsible for language and literacy processes,鈥� Ness said.
The takeaway? Because the dyslexic brain has to work much harder to decode words, these students鈥� fluency and comprehension often suffer as a result.
鈥淵ou can really start to see this as a neurobiological capacity, and help push past these stereotypes or misconceptions that dyslexia is strictly a visual problem, or that it鈥檚 related to intelligence,鈥� Ness said.
Dyslexia and ADHD often overlap鈥攁nd that makes diagnosis harder
People with dyslexia often experience other learning differences that make effective diagnosis and intervention even more challenging.
鈥淭wenty-five percent to 40 percent of children with dyslexia are likely to have ADHD, and vice versa,鈥� said Danielle Wexler, a clinical psychologist at Baltimore-based Kennedy Krieger Institute鈥檚 Center for Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment. 鈥淚f a child has a hard time paying attention [because of ADHD], they鈥檙e going to miss much of the instruction they鈥檙e getting.鈥�
Wexler notes that children with both ADHD and dyslexia benefit from small-group or one-on-one instruction. But before receiving effective instruction, students must first get a correct diagnosis, which can be tricky.
鈥淚t can become this 鈥榗hicken or egg鈥� thing where you鈥檙e asking if the student is struggling in school because their inability to focus is making reading more challenging, or they are acting out because of frustration with reading,鈥� said Ness.
Why early dyslexia diagnosis matters
Making an accurate diagnosis as early as possible in a student鈥檚 K-12 journey matters, experts say, as it gives them the best opportunity to get help they need when it matters most.
鈥淲e do know that when you catch dyslexia as early as possible, and you provide structured literacy interventions with appropriate frequency, you can start to see the brain responding in as little as six weeks,鈥� said Ness, referencing the brain鈥檚 optimal 鈥渘europlasticity鈥� period, which corresponds to when most children learn to read.
The problem, said Ness, is that most children with dyslexia don鈥檛 get diagnosed until at least 3rd grade. Not only are they missing the optimal time for appropriate intervention but, in the interim, their self-esteem can plummet.
鈥淣ow you鈥檙e addressing some mental health struggles as they鈥檙e feeling shame and embarrassment,鈥� she said.
Further, without early intervention, students tend to avoid reading altogether because it鈥檚 hard for them, and they don鈥檛 like it. Without exposure to reading, their vocabulary fails to grow, as does their background knowledge, Ness said.
What success looks like for people with dyslexia
Knowing that dyslexia can鈥檛 be fixed or cured, what do the long-term outcomes for someone with the disability look like?
鈥淢ost of the time, they won鈥檛 be as fluent as a regular reader, but they鈥檙e able to look at the written page and, within a reasonable amount of time, totally comprehend what鈥檚 on that page,鈥� said Shifrin, at the Jemicy School. 鈥淎 lot of times, dyslexics will tell you, 鈥業 know how to skim the page and read it for the main ideas, but I鈥檓 not reading every word.鈥欌��
What students with dyslexia frequently do learn as they struggle with the disability is perseverance, Shifrin said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e used to failure. They know that if they don鈥檛 succeed the first time, there are many ways to approach a problem, and I think that鈥檚 why we see 33 percent of the Fortune 500 company CEOs having dyslexia,鈥� he said.
Before students launch a career, though, they need to get through school, and assistive technology, like audio books and text-to-speech or speech-to-text software, is making it easier than ever for them to do so.
鈥淚f a teacher says, 鈥楻ead this chapter and be ready for class tomorrow,鈥� the point is, we want the child to comprehend,鈥� Shifrin said. 鈥淚f the child gets the information by listening much quicker than reading, it doesn鈥檛 matter to us which way they got the information; it鈥檚 what they do with the information that鈥檚 critical.鈥�
Kennedy Krieger鈥檚 Wexler agrees. For many people with dyslexia, she said, reading is not going to be their strength. But technology provides access to books and texts for these students in a way that reading may not.
鈥淔or young kids with dyslexia, it鈥檚 really about cultivating a love to read through listening to books so they can access same-age texts that they enjoy,鈥� Wexler said.
Learning to access compensation strategies like assistive technology will help students with dyslexia manage, but not cure, their disability.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a lifelong sentence, but it is a lifelong condition,鈥� said Ness. 鈥淵ou can compensate. You can improve. But it鈥檚 like poor vision. I wear glasses. I will always wear glasses. My vision will never be perfect. I can compensate for it. But I will never win the battle with vision.鈥�
