What is Dyslexia ?
Dyslexia is a brain-based (neurological) disorder that can affect both children and adults alike. It is a specific learning disorder that primarily impacts a person’s ability to read fluently and accurately. It can also contribute to spelling difficulties. Up to 10% of the Australian population have dyslexia. If you have a family member with dyslexia, you may be wondering “is dyslexia genetic?”
Although the exact cause of dyslexia is unknown, it is now accepted that there is a genetic component, meaning it may run in families.
Understanding Dyslexia
and Language-Based Learning Disorders
A language based learning disorder refers to difficulties related to the understanding of spoken and written language. Language based learning difficulties are a common cause of students’ academic struggles. There is also a significant association between developmental dyslexia and early language delay.
Can Dyslexia Be Cured?
As dyslexia is a neurological disorder and not a disease, dyslexia is a lifelong disability. However, speech therapists are a key part of a dyslexic child or dyslexic adults support network. Speech pathologists use evidence based intervention approaches to support people with dyslexia to develop their reading and writing skills, in order for them to achieve their full potential in life.
Your speech therapist may work closely with teachers, support workers, occupational therapists and psychologists to ensure a holistic ongoing management.
Specifically, the speech therapist will look at an individuals
- Phonemic Awareness: working on the ability to blend, segment, and manipulate sound
- Phonics: learning to recognise letter-sound relationships
- Reading: building skills in oral language, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
A speech therapist is able to support individuals with dyslexia to reach their desired goals in life. These could be:
- To support success at school
- To support success in tertiary study or training
- To support success in the workforce
Need support for dyslexia treatment?
Our Pop Online Speech Therapy team supports dyslexic children and dyslexic adults across Australia to achieve their life goals.
How To Get Tested For Dyslexia
In Australia, dyslexia is typically diagnosed through a comprehensive assessment conducted by a psychologist. Speech pathologists may contribute to the assessment process but cannot diagnose dyslexia alone.
The assessment process involves the following steps:
- Comprehensive History: Gathering detailed information about the individual’s developmental, educational, medical and family history.
- Cognitive Assessment: Standardised assessments to assess the individual’s cognitive abilities, memory, and processing skills. You may be familiar with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) or similar cognitive assessments.
- Literacy Assessment: Standardised assessments to assess the individual’s strengths and areas of growth in reading, spelling, and phonological processing.
Based on the information gathered and assessment findings, the psychologist will determine if an individual meets the diagnostic criteria for dyslexia. In order to be formally diagnosed with dyslexia, the child or adult being assessed must have received at least six months of quality therapy targeted to improve their reading skills.
What Does Dyslexia Look Like?
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are trained to recognise specific signs that may indicate dyslexia, but parents can also play a vital role in noticing these indicators in their child’s daily life. Understanding what to look for can help ensure that children receive the support they need as soon as possible. Signs of dyslexia in kids for parents to look for include:
- Difficulty learning that letters or groups of letters make sounds (often called ‘phonics’ at school).
- Struggling to sound out words when reading
- Making lots of mistakes when reading, even for familiar sentences
- Reading is really slow and lots of effort is needed to read simple things
- Trouble with spelling, such as spelling “cat” as “kat”
- Frequently avoiding reading or homework and getting upset when the topic is raised
- Having a noticeable lack of interest in reading or feeling increasingly frustrated with reading tasks
The Benefits of Dyslexia Speech Therapy
Speech Therapists can support individuals with dyslexia by improving using evidence based approaches to improve skills in the following three key areas:
- Phonemic Awareness: working on the ability to blend, segment, and manipulate sounds in words
- Phonics: learning to recognise letter-sound relationships
- Reading: building skills in oral language, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
Early intervention in speech therapy can offer significant long-term benefits for individuals, particularly in addressing conditions like dyslexia. By identifying and addressing speech and language difficulties at a young age, individuals can develop foundational skills that contribute to improved academic, social, and emotional outcomes.
These include:
- Improved reading skills
- Improved writing skills
- Improved comprehension
- Improved vocabulary
- Increased confidence
- Improved academic outcomes
- Improved social emotional well being
- Become a more skilled reader and writer
- Improved oral language outcomes
- Positive social interactions
- Improved academic performance
- Positive influence on an individual’s overall social and emotional wellbeing.
Recognising the Signs: When to Seek Speech Therapy for Language-Based Learning Disorders
You might notice signs over time that indicate your child is not learning to read/spell as easily as their peers. Your child’s teacher may flag difficulties with you and your child may be invited to attend reading programs or groups at school. You may also find reading with your child and completing homework becomes very stressful for your child and your family.
These signs typically begin to appear during early schooling, when children typically receive explicit instruction in literacy. However you may notice signs earlier, for example difficulties with oral language. If you observe these signs, it’s important to seek guidance on how speech therapy can help address the challenges associated with dyslexia, as individuals do not simply “grow out” of it. With the right support, individuals diagnosed with dyslexia may be able to become skilled readers and writers.
Not sure if you’ve seen the signs of dyslexia?
Ask a speech pathologist for a free second opinion.
Book a free 15 minute discovery call.
How Long Does Speech Therapy Take?
Assessments and therapy for dyslexia are varied and dependent on the individual and their goal. An individual with dyslexia is likely to require long term intervention.
For children, you may start to notice they are able to identify initial sounds in words, blend sounds together in short words, or even begin to read short decodable stories.
Can Adults Receive Support for Dyslexia?
You are never too old to receive interventions for dyslexia. Speech therapists support individuals across the lifespan to achieve their goals. An adult with dyslexia can benefit from speech therapy for their dyslexia to achieve everyday goals, like applying for a job or further study, constructing a resume, completing a job interview with confidence or applying for a promotion.
Start Your Speech Therapy Journey with Pop Family Today!
Dyslexia is a language based learning difficulty that can have a big impact on an individual’s life. However with the right support, kids with dyslexia and adults with dyslexia can become skilled readers and writers, and achieve success in their life goals.
Is speech therapy the right fit for your child? Book a free discovery call today to find out how our online speech therapy services can help with dyslexia.
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References:
Middleton, A. E., Farris, E. A., Ring, J. J., & Odegard, T. N. (2021). Predicting and evaluating treatment response: Evidence toward protracted response patterns for severely impacted students with dyslexia. Journal of Learning Disabilities.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194211047633
Otaiba, A. S., McMaster, K., Wanzek, J., & Zaru, M.W. (2022). What we know and need to know about literacy interventions for elementary students with reading difficulties and disabilities, including dyslexia. Reading Research Quarterly.
https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.458
Dyslexia in Australia. (2024). Dyslexia Association of Australia.
Retrieved from https://dyslexiaassociation.org.au/dyslexia-in-australia/
Snowling, M. J., Hulme, C., & Nation, K. (2020). Defining and understanding dyslexia: Past, present and future. Oxford Review of Education, 46(4), 501-513.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1765756
