Early diagnosis crucial in dyslexia

English is a difficult language to master, but for those with dyslexia, there’s an added layer of difficulty.

Dyslexia is a learning disorder where people with an otherwise normal intelligence struggle with phonetics, and it’s a common issue. Eighty to ninety percent of children with a learning disability have dyslexia. Early intervention is key to ensuring those children still love learning even with the added barrier of this disability.

But there’s a conundrum when it comes to dyslexia and diagnosis. Early intervention is crucial to individualize learning to a student’s needs, yet it is often put off until a student is reading on a regular basis. By then, the damage is done. For students with dyslexia, reading requires much more effort and those students can lose faith in themselves and their ability to learn to read. Dyslexia has nothing to do with cognitive ability. The brain is just wired a little differently.

On Tuesday, Angela Davis was joined by two experts to talk about dyslexia, the importance of early intervention and what to do if you or a child you look after struggle with this learning disability.

Guests:

Dr. Elizabeth Schnobrich, a clinical psychologist who diagnoses children with learning disabilities at Groves Academy, a learning center for children with learning disabilities and attention disorders.

Mary Beth Kelley, a former special education teacher who now does assessments for children and adults through a non-profit called the Learning Disabilities Association of Minnesota.

Use the audio player above to listen to the show.

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