Kids Can! READ and WRITE!

An open letter to teachers of students struggling to learn to read.  *Names have been taken out to protect those involved!
 
Dear Teacher,
 
(My student’s) mother asked me to write to you to explain why I don’t want you to do the sight word intervention with (her child).  Hope this email helps to clear things up.  If you have further questions, however, feel free to contact me.
 
To make a long story short, I work with kids who tend to have speech, memory, processing, directionality, and/or retrieval issues.  Although many of these kids are never officially diagnosed, they often have dyslexia or other specific learning disabilities.  When they come to me, most are in the habit of miscalling words, saying such things as “the” for “this”, “a” for “I”, “we” for “he”, “have” for “has”, “can” for “and”, etc.  Because of their visual processing issues and poor memories, they just can’t keep similar-looking words straight.  As they get older, they continue to make these switches and many others…unt...

Have you ever wondered if your smart child could be struggling to read and write because of dyslexia?  

You wouldn’t be alone.  

As many as 1 in 5 kids suffer with dyslexia; some say 1 in 4.  Many go undiagnosed.  But if you know what you are looking for, their common struggles give them away.

A dyslexia diagnosis, whether informal or formal, often comes as a surprise to parents and kids alike because a lot of kids with dyslexia are extremely intelligent.  As they grow up through the preschool years, they often seem curious, talented, innovative, friendly, and plenty smart to begin their schooling.

And then the frustration and difficulties come.  You might notice that your child has trouble learning his or her letters and sounds.  Or struggles to tie his or her shoelaces. Or keep his or her right and left straight.  You might notice that he or she writes letters backwards.  Or that b’s and d’s are constantly reversed.  You might notice that numbers and letters keep getting confused...

Many REALLY BRIGHT KIDS struggle unexpectedly to learn to read and write. 

Often, this is due to undiagnosed memory, retrieval, processing, and/or directionality issues. 

Because these kids are so smart, however, many teachers and parents often think that their kids are just "not trying hard enough" or that they are "being lazy".  Many often think it's just a "developmental issue" and that they will get it with "more time" and "more practice".

But "more time" and "more practice" only works if the right foundation has been laid.  No amount of extra time or practice will help a dyslexic child learn to read and write well if the base skills are still missing and not being filled in adequately.

And while these skills are missing and not being filled in, undiagnosed dyslexics who aren't getting the help they need often SUFFER emotionally from constant:

FRUSTRATION-- Seeing other kids quickly grasp how to read and write while they just can't seem to make sense of it all

DIFFICULTIES-- Struggling n...

1.  Never give up. You can not progress if you give up. Struggle isn’t a sign to stop but to keep going. Get help if you need it.  Find someone who can teach in a way that makes sense to you, and let them help guide you through the struggle.  Those who continue to persevere through difficulties are the ones who succeed.

2.  Difficult does not mean impossible. Just because something is a challenge for you to learn doesn’t mean that you can’t learn it.  If you break it down and practice it for long enough, you can learn anything!  Sometimes you end up being even better at it than the people who were born with more natural skills for it because you worked harder at it than they did and became even better in the process!

3.  There's more than one kind of "smart". You can be extremely smart and still struggle to learn certain things, particularly those that require rote memorization. You might be a great thinker, inventor, mathematician, actor, psychologist, etc.  You don't have to be "s...

Do you have a smart kid who is struggling to learn to read and write?

Have you been told to just give your struggling reader "more time" or "more practice"? 

Is your child's teacher insisting that everything is okay despite the nagging voice in your head that's insisting that it isn't? 

Is your child telling you that he or she is "stupid" or "needs help" even though you know that he or she is really very bright?

Many REALLY BRIGHT kids STRUGGLE UNEXPECTEDLY to learn to READ and WRITE. 

Often, this is due to undiagnosed memory, retrieval, processing, and/or directionality issues. 

Because these kids are so smart, however, many teachers and parents often think that their kids are just "not trying hard enough" or that they are "being lazy".  Many often think it's just a "developmental issue" and that they will get it with "more time" and "more practice".

But "more time" and "more practice only works if the right foundation has been laid.  No amount of extra time or practice will he...