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This kid has been read to from the womb. He was introduced to letter identification and phonics since he was 1 or 2 years old. He’s been in school since he was 3. After 8 years of school and special education support, he’s finally reading at almost a 2nd grade level. If he could read any better, he would. The problem isn’t a lack of interest or instruction. Dyslexia makes the reading struggle real.
When people think of neurodiversity, they usually think of autism or ADHD, but there’s so much more to it. Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities also fall under the umbrella of neurodiversity.
How Reading Works…
As I recently posted in The Way I See It, the truth is that seeing happens in the brain. It’s true. Our eyes do not see images. Our eyes are made up of thousands of light-sensing cells that send light information to your brain so your brain can make it into an image. Things like depth perception and giving meaning to symbols are all information your mind assumes based on the light information given to it from the eyes. Your brain is doing all the “seeing”.
I’ve had more than one student with a traumatic brain injury that affected their sight. None of them had anything physically wrong with their eyes. The problem was always in how their brain interpreted the data sent to it by the eyes. Reading isn’t a single step process, and the more complicated the process, the more that can go wrong. Let me explain.
When it comes to reading, seeing the letters (or light information from the eyes) is just the first step in the process. There’s an entirely different part of the brain that those letters are sent to that makes meaning out of squiggles on the page. Then, there’s another part of the brain the takes the meaning of those letters and puts them together to make a word. Those words are sent to another part of the brain that puts the words together to communicate a message. Finally, there are other parts of the brain that take that message being communicated, analyze it, generalize it, and then use it.
Then Neurodiversity Happens…
For people with dyslexia and other similar reading disabilities, the problems start early in that process. If your brain can’t process the meaning of the lines and squiggles on the paper, the rest of the process is a moot point.
The burning question so many parents have asked me and I’ve asked myself concerning my son, is whether or not it will ever get easier to read. The truth is that it depends. It depends on the person. It depends on the brain. Some people may learn to compensate or achieve at least a functional ability to read in spite of the struggle. Others will struggle and fail their entire lives, and it has absolutely nothing to do with how smart they are.
A Summer Reading Pep Talk
As we jump into summer, many parents are searching for ideas about how to help their kids with reading disabilities. You may be looking over the school’s recommended summer reading list, unsure of who is going to shed more tears, you or your kid. Here’s a little encouragement and a few tools for your tool box.
First, don’t stop trying. Count every chapter read as a success. And whatever you do, don’t compare your kid to other people, especially their siblings. Look at where they are starting from and celebrate growth. You are not a bad parent because your kid with a reading disability reads at a lower level than his peers. I’ve known so many parents who beat themselves up and feel absolutely alone as they hear about the neighbor’s kids reading novels while their own kid finally finished a Dr. Seuss book on his own. You’re not alone, and just the fact that you’re looking for ways to help means you’re doing a good job.
Tools For Your Toolbox
My kids like going to the library each week during the summer, not just because they have tablets and the air conditioner always works. They like it because the get the big C…Control. They get to pick books that interest them. Struggling readers are often forced to read from a specific curriculum for nine months out of the year. Getting to choose their own books can be like a breath of fresh air.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many people with reading disabilities are better auditory learners. Reading is exhausting, but audiobooks or listening to books being read aloud is enjoyable. While you want your child to practice reading at least some of the time, it might be a great idea to break up the reading. Sometimes I make a deal with my son that I will read one chapter for every chapter he reads. At other times he and I will practice reading aloud together (that’s what old school teachers called choral reading). Last summer I had a deal with my son that he could listen to one audio book for every book he read. All of these are strategies to encourage reading with support.
Assistive Technology
Some of you may be reading this and thinking, “But my kid can’t even read a stop sign!” That’s an actual quote from another parent. If that’s you, your child probably has assistive technology (speech-to-text and text-to-speech) during the school year. All their other curriculum is read aloud or on audiobook. They type their essays by speaking them into a computer. You get the idea.
Like many school districts around the country, that assistive technology computer goes into storage at the school in May and doesn’t come out again until August. You know they have these accommodations on their IEPs, but that doesn’t help you during the summer. Here are a few ideas:
There are many apps out there that will read text aloud. My personal favorite is Speechify. My son has this app on his phone, and he can take a picture of practically anything written in English. Speechify takes that and reads the text aloud. They also have a great library of audiobooks and books that do not need to be scanned to read. You can find out more at:
Another program you may have heard of is called Book Share (https://www.bookshare.org) If your child has a print disability or visual impairment, they are able to access thousands of audiobooks for free. This site is only available for people who have either an IEP with a reading goal or a medical diagnosis that limits their ability to read text.
Final Thoughts
I know there are other tools out there, and I encourage you to leave a comment below if you’d like to share something that has worked for you. Hopefully I’ve been able to offer a little help and encouragement as we prepare for all those summer reading programs. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
