Reading is a fundamental base for academic learning. About 10 million children in the US have some sort of reading disorder. It’s not easy for all children to learn how to read. Reading is accomplished with a complex of neural circuits that run throughout the brain. These circuits are developed in childhood. Reading disorders are discussed in healthychildren.org. People with reading disorders can face challenges when their brain processes written words and text differently. Writing and math can also be challenging for children with reading disorders.
Children develop at different rates and spend varying amounts of time in each stage. If it is felt that a child’s reading level is lower than expected it should be discussed with their doctor as there is benefit from early intervention.
There are five basic skills necessary for reading. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and use individual sounds in spoken words. This ability helps students learn language better and improve their abilities. In phonics, a child learns the relationship between the letters of written language and the individual sounds of spoken language. Phonics is an essential skill that children use to read and spell and recognize instantly. Vocabulary is a child’s stored and growing collection of words they use in conversation and in reading. Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly and with good expression. Comprehension skills the reader can understand, remember and make sense of what has been read.
There are two common reading disorders: hyperlexia and dyslexia. Individuals with hyperlexia (lexia is Latin for words) have a very high ability to read before they turn 5 years old and are fascinated by written material, including letters and numbers. They have strong visual and auditory memories and can recall what they see and hear without too much effort. Some have high reading skills but low comprehension and some are associated with the autism spectrum disorder showing several autistic behaviors. One type shows remarkable reading comprehension but have delayed verbal language which usually improves with time.
Dyslexia simply means disorders of reading and covers many types of reading disorders. Overall individuals with dyslexia may have difficulty decoding words, matching letters to sounds, recognizing words and/or spelling. Symptoms and severity of dyslexia can vary but may appear before school age. Children with dyslexia may have speech delay, difficulty processing language or trouble following directions. Children with reading disorder such as dyslexia may have problems with memorizing and figuring out right from left.
Dyslexia is NOT one size fits all. Having dyslexia does not reflect a person’s intelligence. As many as 1 in 5 children in the US have dyslexia and it does run in families. It is a disorder in the complicated neural circuits necessary for reading. Due to the complexity of reading it is not possible to diagnose dyslexia with a single test. Reading specialists will have to test each child to find out what the specific needs are and determine the best way to help them.
Published 10/16/2024
Sally Robinson, MD Clinical Professor
Keeping Kids Healthy
Also See: UTMB Pediatrics - Pediatric Primary Care