Reading disabilities and deficiencies can be a frustrating and often misunderstood condition. What’s more, common signs of a reading disability include poor reading comprehension and difficulty understanding what is read. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of reading disabilities early on to provide effective support for those individuals affected by this disability. There are many things that can be done to help those with reading disabilities develop the skills they need to succeed academically and professionally. Therefore, it’s important to keep an open mind when considering ways of helping someone you know who may have been diagnosed with this condition.
Reading disorders can often be difficult to detect and can hinder a person’s ability to achieve even the most basic level of reading comprehension. Signs that an individual may have a reading disability include struggling with fluent word recognition and difficulty sounding out words. If you suspect someone is having difficulty with their reading, it is important to assess them so they can receive the necessary help to work through their difficulties.
Reading disorders do not limit understanding or comprehending text. Difficulty with the mechanics of reading such as letter recognition, spelling, and handwriting can also indicate a reading disability or deficiency. It is important to recognize the different types of reading disabilities so that students can be given early and appropriate interventions for success in literacy.
Diagnosing Reading Disabilities
Reading disabilities can be difficult to diagnose, but evaluations of a child’s academic and cognitive abilities can help with providing an accurate diagnosis.
These types of evaluations are typically detailed. They involve evaluating a variety of factors including reading comprehension skills, verbal fluency, ability to learn new words and more. If you have concerns that your child may have a reading disability; consult with a teacher, reading specialist, doctor, or school counselor to decide if additional evaluation is necessary.
Evaluations can be ‘informal’ or ‘formal’. Often, an informal evaluation conducted by the child’s teacher or reading specialist can specific areas of the reading process. These areas may need a little strengthening to allow your child to catch up to grade level reading ability. In addition, these areas can include phoneme awareness, decoding, sight words, vocabulary development, and comprehension. In fact, eye tracking left to right; eye return sweep; memory; spatial relationship and other brain-based benchmarks can all impact reading success. Strengthen many of these to allow your child to reach grade level reading ability.
If your child does not progress with intervention based on an informal assessment; perhaps it is time to seek a ‘formal’ assessment. Seek additional input from your child’s doctor/pediatrician. A school psychologist typically conducts this ‘formal’ type of assessment. This evaluation often includes testing of language, reading, and writing skills as well as assessments to measure comprehension and fluency. The purpose of the assessment is to determine if there is any difficulty with understanding language and comprehending what has been read. As a parent, you should inform yourself about the various options available for developing your child’s reading skills.
In Conclusion
Again, an accurate diagnosis is essential to pinpoint the cause of a reading disability; so that a proper treatment plan/intervention may be implemented. Without identifying the underlying source of the disability, any kind of treatment will not be able to provide effective results. Thus, it is important to consult with experts who are knowledgeable and experienced in recognizing and treating reading disabilities.
Signs and Symptoms of Reading Disabilities and Deficiencies was first posted on NutsAboutReading.com
