What is Dyslexia?

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Wed, 2017-04-05 16:00
Dyslexia is a language disorder. It involves difficulty learning to read words. Dyslexia is not a disease; it’s something you are born with and it often runs in families. It’s estimated that about one in five people have dyslexia to some degree. Dyslexia is neurologically based, meaning the nervous system, which coordinates actions and transmits signals to and from different parts of the body, is impaired to some degree.
Researchers know that an average reader engages three areas of the brain to read and comprehend words. However, when a person with dyslexia is reading, only one of these areas of the brain is engaged in decoding words. Since dyslexia is neurologically based, it unfortunately cannot be cured. However, it can be successfully managed, especially with early and consistent intervention and education therapy.
"Another fact about dyslexia is it's genetic. So if you have it in your family there is a good chance there’s somebody else that will most likely have this reading difference." - Kayla Steltenkamp, Ph.D.

Key Takeaways:

1
Dyslexia is a condition which effects how people recognize letters.
2
It is more than mixing up letter order.
3
Dyslexia can effect a student’s self image.