Resources for Struggling Readers with Dyslexia --Part 1

Articles on the topic of dyslexia have recently attracted considerable attention. There may be a reason for this surge in interest on the subject. Here are some current statistics (from the U.S.) that may partly explain this increased interest level:

Dyslexia Statistics

• Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties.

• Of people with poor reading skills, 70-80% are likely dyslexic.

• One in five students (approx. 15-20% of the population) has a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia is probably the most common of the language based learning disabilities.

• Nearly the same percentage of males and females have dyslexia.

• Nearly the same percentage of people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds have dyslexia.

• Percentages of children at risk for reading failure are much higher in high poverty, language-minority populations who attend ineffective schools.

• The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)* found that approximately 38% of fourth grade students have "below basic" reading skills. These students are below the 40th percentile (performing below the other 60% of their peers) and are at greater than 50% chance of failing the high-stakes, year-end school achievement tests.

• About three quarters of the children who show primary difficulties with basic reading skill early in reading development can be helped to overcome those difficulties to a large extent. Not all of these children have dyslexia (see symptoms of dyslexia in children).

• Less than 1/3 of the children with reading disabilities are receiving school services for their reading disability.

• The causes for reading difficulty may be neurobiological (caused by differences in the structure and function of the brain), experiential (the student could not learn because of his behavior or inability to pay attention), instructional (the teacher did not provide adequate instruction), or a combination of these factors.

• At present, there is no genetic or neurological test to diagnose or predict whose problems are primarily neuro-biological or which problems are experiential or instructional (dyslexia is a neuro-biological condition).

• About 5% of the population will have enduring, severe reading disabilities that are very difficult to treat given our current knowledge.

Source: * The NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) is a measure used across most of the United States courtesy of http://www.learning-inside-out.com/dyslexia-statistics.html

Do these statistics concern you? They certainly should. So, we thought this would be a particularly good time to provide even more resources and related support links for our many readers affected by dyslexia.

Dyslexia Resources

1. http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/dyslexia/resour... Research in recent years has contributed to our knowledge about dyslexia. As a result, there is now a wealth of information about dyslexia designed specifically for parents. Explore these Web Sites, Books for Parents, Books for Children, Videos, Organizations, and Other Resources to learn more about reading difficulties. Also check out the Glossary of Terms to learn more about the language of dyslexia. (From PBS Parents)

2. http://www.dyslexiacenter.org/ The Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center is available to help both students and adults who have dyslexia and AD/HD, as well as their parents, teachers and professionals, who work with them.

3. http://www.readingresource.net/ This website is dedicated to helping children learn to read and for anyone who cares about reading or helping those with dyslexia and reading difficulties.

4. http://www.dyslexia-parent.com/ Free information about dyslexia, free Dyslexia Magazine for Parents, a free Dyslexia Advice Line, and dyslexia testing information

5. http://www.dyslexia-parent.com/resources.html The dyslexia resources page for the site above here.

6. http://www.dyslexia-teacher.com/dyslexia_resources_2.html One more page of resources from the same site as the 2 pages listed above here. (includes a Dyslexia Test, Dyslexia Parents Resource, Dyslexia Adults Link, etc.)

Next article: More Resources for Struggling Readers with Dyslexia --Part 2

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