Kids' Directory of East Texas

Dyslexia Just Means, "I Can't Read!"
by Hannah Oliphant


Dyslexia is a label with a wide variety of meanings. “Dys” means inability and “lexia” means to read. So, dyslexia means a reading inability, or any difficulty reading. In summary it is used to identify individuals who struggle with reading. Dyslexic students often have little desire to read and only do so when absolutely necessary. When they do read, they typically read slowly and comprehend little of what they read.

You find yourself at a place where your child has been labeled dyslexic or you have a creeping suspicion that he is. Maybe you don’t honestly know if he has a problem reading, or if he’s right on target with other kids his age.


You’re beginning to do research on reading programs to find out how to help your son so that he has an easier time reading. You feel like you don’t know where to turn. Maybe you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on programs that don’t work. Perhaps your child was in a remedial class or LD, but has not yet learned to read with any fluency or proficiency.

Dr. Bennett Shaywitz’s experiments show that dyslexia is a reading problem caused by underlying cognitive skill weaknesses, or what he calls “faulty wiring in the brain…” To the right are the top profile elements and symptoms to grasp the scope of this misunderstood learning problem.

Finding the right program may seem like searching for a needle in a haystack. Take heart! You may have found that elusive needle! Read on. You will find out more about dyslexia AND be equipped to understand how to sift through the myriad programs available. Once you know what you’re looking for, the decision will be a snap!

There are a lot of programs that say that they can help a child learn to read. It’s true, many may help a little, some help a lot, but only one encompasses all of the important aspects of a reading program and builds it in a solid, strong learning skill base. This program has the tools to build a new reading foundation for anyone with reading problems.

Good decisions grow from good information. You need to first understand why reading problems exist and then get a grasp on the different approaches to reading. Then you will know what factors to consider when getting your child on the right path to reading. Let’s look at reading more closely.

Next time: what IS reading?...