Watching your child struggle with reading is hard. You can see their intelligence, their curiosity, their potential — and yet the written word just doesn’t seem to click. If this sounds familiar, dyslexia may be worth exploring.
The good news is that dyslexia is one of the most well-understood learning differences we know of. With the right support, children with dyslexia can become confident, successful readers and learners. This guide will walk you through what dyslexia is, what signs to look for, how it’s evaluated, and what to do if your child receives a diagnosis.
What Is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning difference that affects a child’s ability to read fluently. It is neurological in origin — meaning it has to do with how the brain processes written language — and it has nothing to do with intelligence.
Children with dyslexia often struggle to identify the sounds associated with letters, segment words into individual sounds, and blend those sounds to read words. This affects reading fluency, spelling, and written expression.
Dyslexia is also much more than mixing up b’s and d’s or reading words backward. Those can be signs, but dyslexia shows up in many different ways — and it often goes unidentified for years because children find clever ways to compensate.
What Are the Signs of Dyslexia?
Signs of dyslexia can show up across reading, spelling, sequencing, and writing. Here’s what to watch for:
Reading:
- Gets tired quickly, even after a short time reading
- Skips lines, loses their place, or rereads the same line
- Reading aloud is slow, choppy, or lacks fluency
- Substitute words with similar-looking or similar-meaning words
- Relies heavily on pictures or context clues to fill in words
Spelling:
- Inserts or deletes letters while keeping the same first and last letters (e.g., “tail” becomes “trail”)
- Misspells common words like “said,” “there,” and “does” consistently
- Has difficulty copying words from the board to paper
Sequencing:
- Has trouble remembering the full alphabet, phone numbers, or multi-step instructions
- Difficulty following directions with more than one step
Writing:
- Irregular letter shapes or letters written in the wrong direction
- Inconsistent use of uppercase and lowercase letters
- Poor spacing between letters, words, or sentences
- Confuses letters with similar shapes (d/b, m/w, n/u)
If you’re seeing several of these patterns consistently, it’s worth talking to a speech-language pathologist or learning specialist.
What Are the Strengths of a Child With Dyslexia?
One of the most important things to understand about dyslexia is this: it is a small weakness in a vast sea of strengths.
Dr. Sally Shaywitz, one of the world’s leading dyslexia researchers and author of Overcoming Dyslexia, spent decades studying children with dyslexia and consistently found that they possessed strong abilities that reading difficulties couldn’t touch — and that many developed remarkable skills precisely because of the creative ways they learned to navigate challenges.
Children with dyslexia often demonstrate exceptional strengths in:
- Reasoning and problem-solving
- Creative and big-picture thinking
- Empathy and social understanding
- Visualizing and spatial reasoning
- Oral storytelling and verbal communication
When we focus only on what’s hard, we miss what’s extraordinary. Your child’s dyslexia does not define their intelligence or their potential.
How Is Dyslexia Evaluated?
If you suspect dyslexia, the next step is an evaluation. At ETLC, our speech-language pathologists begin with a parent questionnaire to learn more about the patterns you’re seeing at home. From there, a full evaluation is conducted.
A comprehensive dyslexia evaluation typically includes assessment of:
- Phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds)
- Phonics and decoding skills
- Reading fluency and accuracy
- Spelling
- Reading comprehension
- Written language
Evaluations are typically conducted by a speech-language pathologist or psychologist and can take two to four hours, depending on the number of areas assessed. Based on the results, a diagnosis may be made, and specific recommendations for therapy or intervention will be provided.
My Child Was Just Diagnosed With Dyslexia. Now What?
Receiving a diagnosis can feel overwhelming — but it can also bring enormous relief. A diagnosis means you finally have answers, and answers mean you can take action.
1. Get the right reading support. Look for intervention that is explicit, systematic, and structured — meaning it follows a clear, logical sequence and teaches phonics and phonemic awareness directly. At ETLC, we use Orton-Gillingham-based instruction, a research-supported, multisensory approach that teaches children to read through sight, sound, and movement together. Avoid programs that encourage children to guess words from pictures or context clues alone.
2. Talk to your child about their diagnosis. Children do better when they understand what dyslexia is. Tell them it’s the name for why reading feels hard — and that it has nothing to do with how smart they are. Explain that their brain processes words differently, and that with the right support, reading gets easier.
3. Explore school accommodations. Children with dyslexia are often eligible for accommodations that make school more manageable. These can include extended time on tests, modified spelling lists, audiobooks, note-taking support, and the ability to give oral instead of written responses. Talk to your child’s teacher or school team about what’s available.
4. Focus on their strengths. Make a point of identifying and nurturing what your child is good at. Whether it’s art, building, storytelling, athletics, or connecting with others — those strengths are real, they matter, and they deserve just as much attention as the reading work.
Promote Growth Mindset Around Reading
Children with dyslexia are often reminded of their difficulties every single day. A growth mindset — the belief that skills can improve with effort and the right support — is one of the most protective things you can build in your child.
Use language that emphasizes progress over perfection:
- “Reading is hard right now, and you’re getting better at it.”
- “Every time you practice, your brain is building new connections.”
- “Hard things take time. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”
Avoid saying things like “you’re just not a reader” or expressing frustration in front of your child about their pace. What they hear from you shapes how they see themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dyslexia just reversing letters and numbers? No. Letter reversals are common in early childhood for most children and are not a reliable indicator of dyslexia on their own. Dyslexia is primarily a difficulty with phonological processing — hearing and working with the sounds in words — and shows up across reading, spelling, and writing in many different ways.
Can dyslexia be cured? Dyslexia doesn’t go away, but with structured, evidence-based intervention, children can make significant progress and develop strong reading skills. Many adults with dyslexia become highly successful readers, writers, and professionals.
Does my child need a diagnosis before getting help? No. A formal diagnosis is not required to begin working with a learning specialist or speech-language pathologist. If you’re seeing signs of struggle, early support is always better than waiting.
What if my child’s school says they don’t qualify for services? School eligibility is determined by whether the difficulty affects educational performance, which is a different standard than a clinical diagnosis. If your child doesn’t qualify for school services but you’re still concerned, private evaluation and therapy are options worth exploring.
How long does dyslexia therapy take? It depends on the child, the severity, and how consistently they receive support. Most children make meaningful progress within months of beginning structured literacy intervention. The earlier support begins, the faster and more lasting the results.
How ETLC Can Help
If you’re concerned about your child’s reading, we’re here to help you figure out the next step. Our team provides dyslexia evaluations and individualized therapy using Orton-Gillingham-based, structured literacy instruction — the gold standard approach recommended for children with dyslexia.
You don’t have to navigate this alone.Learn more about our dyslexia services orschedule a free consultation to talk with a member of our team.
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About the Author
Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP, is the founder of Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center. With over 25 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Sonia has dedicated her career to helping children overcome complex communication and academic challenges. She has advanced training and a special focus on treating dyslexia and childhood apraxia of speech, and she is passionate about providing families with a clear path to success.
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