---

In this interview, the Colorado Reading Center’s Director, Robert Windle, explains how dyslexia impacts reading development and what parents can do to support their child.

---

Dyslexia in Children: A Parent’s Guide

For many parents, dyslexia first becomes noticeable when reading seems much harder for their child than other kinds of learning. A child may understand complicated ideas, have a strong vocabulary, or remember information easily when it is explained aloud, yet struggle to read a short passage independently. They may work very hard at reading and spelling but make much slower progress than expected. Dyslexia can affect children throughout their education, from preschool through high school. The difficulties may look different as children get older and academic expectations change. Some children are identified early. Others, particularly children who are bright, verbal, or good at using context and memory to compensate, may not be recognized until the reading and writing demands of school become more challenging.

Recognizing difficulties early can help parents find appropriate instruction before frustration and avoidance become part of the child’s experience with reading.

How Do I Know if My Child Might Have Dyslexia?

One difficult reading assignment or a few misspelled words do not mean that a child has dyslexia. Parents should look for patterns that persist over time, particularly difficulties with:

• Sounding out unfamiliar words
• Recognizing words accurately and automatically
• Spelling
• Reading fluently
• Hearing and working with the sounds within words
• Remembering words that have been practiced many times

One particularly important clue is a difference between what a child understands and what they are able to read independently. For example, a child may understand a story easily when someone reads it aloud but struggle considerably when asked to read the same material themselves.

Is Dyslexia Related to Intelligence?

No. Dyslexia is not a measure of intelligence.

Children with dyslexia have the same range of intellectual abilities as other children. A student can be highly curious, creative, articulate, and capable while still having significant difficulty learning to read and spell. Dyslexia specifically affects aspects of learning and using written language.

What Causes Dyslexia?

There is no single known cause of dyslexia.

Research suggests that genetics, brain development, language development, and environmental influences can all play a role. Dyslexia often runs in families, so a child may be at greater risk if a parent or close relative has experienced significant reading or spelling difficulties. There is no single gene, brain scan, or test that can determine whether someone has dyslexia. Instead, dyslexia is identified by looking at a child’s overall pattern of reading, spelling, language skills, educational history, and response to instruction.

How Is Dyslexia Identified?

A comprehensive reading evaluation may examine several areas, including:

• Word reading accuracy
• Decoding unfamiliar words
• Spelling
• Reading fluency
• Phonological awareness
• Language skills
• Reading comprehension
• Educational history
• Response to previous reading instruction

The goal is not simply to determine whether a child is “behind.” A good evaluation helps identify why reading is difficult and which specific skills need additional instruction.

Can Dyslexia Be Helped?

Yes.

Dyslexia is considered lifelong, but children with dyslexia can make significant improvements in reading and spelling with appropriate instruction. Effective reading intervention generally includes explicit, systematic instruction in how written language works. Depending on the child’s needs, instruction may include:

• Connecting sounds with letters
• Phonemic awareness
• Decoding unfamiliar words
• Spelling
• Syllable patterns
• Word structure and morphology
• Reading fluency
• Vocabulary
• Reading comprehension

The earlier these difficulties are identified and addressed, the less opportunity there is for a child to fall further behind or begin associating reading with frustration and failure. However, it is also important to know that it is never too late to improve reading skills.

What Is Structured Literacy?

Structured literacy is an explicit and systematic approach to teaching reading. Rather than expecting children to discover reading patterns on their own, skills are taught directly and in a carefully organized sequence. Students learn how sounds, letters, syllables, and meaningful word parts work together. Structured literacy may include multisensory instruction and systematic phonics instruction and is consistent with principles supported by the Science of Reading.

Does My Child Need a Dyslexia Diagnosis Before Getting Help?

No.

A child does not need to wait for a formal dyslexia diagnosis before receiving appropriate reading instruction. If a child is struggling with sounding out words, spelling, reading accuracy, or fluency, targeted evidence-based intervention can begin while parents and educators determine whether additional evaluation is needed. In fact, waiting for a child to fall significantly behind before providing additional instruction can make reading difficulties harder to address.

When Should Parents Seek Help?

Parents may want to seek additional assessment or reading support when:

• Reading remains difficult despite regular classroom instruction
• A child consistently reads below expectations for their age or grade
• Spelling difficulties remain unusually persistent
• Reading takes considerably more time and effort than other schoolwork
• A child understands information well when listening but struggles to read it independently
• Homework involving reading regularly becomes frustrating
• A child begins avoiding reading or saying that they “hate reading”
• Teachers have expressed concerns about reading development

Parents do not need to know whether dyslexia is the cause before asking for help. The first question can simply be:

Why is reading difficult for my child, and what skills do they need help developing?

Colorado Reading Center provides individualized reading assessments and one-on-one reading instruction for students experiencing reading difficulties, including children with dyslexia and children who demonstrate characteristics commonly associated with dyslexia.

Sources

1. Shaywitz, Sally. Overcoming Dyslexia. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
2. International Dyslexia Association. “Dyslexia Basics.”
3. Understood.org. “Signs of Dyslexia at Different Ages.”
4. Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. “Dyslexia: What It Is, and Isn’t.”
5. The Colorado Department of Education. “The Definition of Dyslexia.”