*DISCLAIMER: Please keep in mind that the following is basically my opinion from my own experience with this issue. I am not a therapist, researcher, doctor or professional special education specialist. I am a mother of children with dyslexia, and I have researched on my own. I certainly may be incorrect on my own findings, in a broad general sense, but this article comes out of my own observations. I cannot be responsible for any inconsistencies that another person may find with their own experience with this issue. My hope is to offer encouragement to other parents seeking information to help their own children.
When I first realized my oldest son had something going on, it was actually when he was still in school, before I started homeschooling him. However, I assumed if there was a learning disability or some other issue, the school would recognize it, identify it, and offer a solution to the problem. Most people who haven't actually been involved with a child who has learning challenges make this assumption as well. I had many try to tell me what the school would do for my son if I put him back in school, even as I knew they were completely wrong.
Instead, as I saw his ability to keep up in school and his emotional health deteriorate, I had to pull him out of school in 5th grade. I had to work with him for a couple of years, while researching furiously at the same time, until I found something that seemed likely. By the time I had looked at dyslexia, I had read about learning styles, temperaments and personality, visual spatial learning, sensory integration dysfunction, Asperger's Syndrome, expressive speech disorder, oral motor sensory disorder, and finally, dyslexia. It took me three years of my own researching to realize that this was the likely culprit, mainly because I had so many misunderstandings of what dyslexia encompassed. And, by then, I realized two more of my children had the signs as well. My oldest son was now 14 years old, and high school was looming on the horizon. I was so afraid I wouldn't know how to help him.
Now, let me say, many researchers/scientists/therapists/doctors, etc. also have various ideas of what dyslexia is or isn't and whether it is truly even a "disorder." For many it is too broad a diagnosis, for some it is too narrow. If a child is suspected of having dyslexia, and they are in the school system, it is often overlooked. If the child is intelligent enough and depending on the kind of dyslexia and the child's ability to compensate, it will often be considered a "behavioral" problem.
Almost every person I have personally known who has had their child tested by the school system has told me that their child did not have dyslexia.... instead, they are "borderline." As I said in my last blog, to me, that is like being a "little bit pregnant." I have heard it so often, I could predict it before a child was tested. Some parents have such faith in the school system, they don't want to hear what I have to say about it.... though, after a few months of trying to work with the school, they will often THEN come back and ask me for more information.
It isn't that the school system wants children to fail, but parents have to realize that if the children are diagnosed with dyslexia, then the state HAS to pay for therapy.... and therapy is expensive.... so, you have to have just the right kind and right amount of trouble to get help. Most kids do not get the right kind of help. Most are not even tested unless a parent pushes for it.
Private options are very expensive, and many places are not covered by insurance at all. We found one place where our insurance would actually cover 50% of the therapy (which was still very expensive...) or through my husband's employer, the Employee Assistance Program paid 80% . Since we found that three of our children had dyslexia and needed therapy, we went through the Employee Assistance Program. It was amazing to us that this option became known to us, as we did not know it existed until the very week that we were getting testing done for one of our sons.
The greatest relief for me in our sons receiving therapy was that I was no longer trying to figure it out by myself... I was no longer guessing at what worked and what didn't work. My sons' all improved from the therapy and had a dramatic increase in their ability to read and comprehend. My oldest son suddenly loved reading books that were too difficult for him before, like, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He began writing his own book and wanted to learn more about writing. All of them learned about rules that helped them spell, so that they are now all good spellers. My own education about how to teach children with dyslexia expanded dramatically, and this helped my younger children.
One of the first things I noticed after they started their therapy was that dyslexia was no longer a big deal at our house... now it was an asset. Many people don't understand that when you have a brain that is prone to dyslexia, you have a very creative, intelligent, and sometimes downright amazing brain. When they are taught to deal with the difficulties, the positive elements begin to be released.
Now, I know for some people, their dyslexia is much more severe than my sons' and they truly struggle their whole lives with it. More often than not, they were not able to receive the correct help either, which compounds the problem. Some receive help, but the dyslexia is severe enough to still be a problem. It is different with each person who has dyslexia. Even my brother who is in his 40's laments not being able to do something to correct the issues he still struggles with. He has learned many coping strategies, and has been successful because of how intelligent and gifted he is, but he feels frustrated because he is still so very limited. It isn't impossible at a later age to get the correct help, but it is harder... it takes time, determination, and unfortunately, money.
Early intervention makes the most sense, but so many children who could be identified very young as being "prone" to dyslexia and could be taught so that they don't develop the full blown dyslexia that causes reading problems are not being caught because the schools often ignore it until it becomes a true problem... which isn't until about 4th or 5th grade... even then, it is often treated as mentioned before as a behavioral problem, and help may be delayed until junior high or high school... if ever....
So, what can be done? How can a dyslexic child be helped optimally while they are still young? I will think some more about this for my next blog. I will try to explain what has helped my younger children who all had dyslexic tendencies, but who are all doing very well with spelling, writing, and reading so far. (At ages 12, 9, 7, and 4.) The beauty of what I have learned to help my children, is that it works well for children who are NOT dyslexic. It is helpful to children who are just eager learners, ready to read. It only helps them to become even better readers. For those with dyslexic-prone brains, it doesn't mean that they will stop having dyslexic tendencies, but their weaknesses will be strengthened so their strengths can be released.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path..." Psalm 119:105
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