---

Question:

Can you recommend summer camps especially for kids with special needs?

Answer:

As a non-profit organization, we cannot recommend specific camps. We can, however, direct you to articles with the information you need. It is important to be a careful consumer when looking for a program for a child with special needs. If possible, visit the site and talk with previous clients first.

Here are some articles you may be interested in:

• Helping You Choose a Summer Camp for Your LD Child
• Make the Right Choice
• Selecting a Summer Camp for a Child with Learning or Attention Problems

Additional resources found on LD OnLine include:

• DO-IT Summer Camps
• Kids' Camps is a comprehensive online directory of camps and summer experiences.
• National Camp Association offers tips and insight for parents and children.
• Learning Camp
• Camp Nuhop is a summer camp for children with learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, and attention deficit disorders (in Ohio & Colorado).
• The Directory of Summer Camps for Children with Learning Disabilities is available from the Learning Disabilities Association

Here are a few other resources:

• Camps and Summer Programs for Kids with Special Needs
• Summer Camps for Children and Teens with Behavioral Problems, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
• State by state listing of programs & camps

---

Question:

What is the difference between a person with LD and a slow learner?

Answer:

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), students with learning disabilities have “disorders in one or more basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mathematical calculations.”

However, it is often difficult to distinguish between slow learners and people with LD based only on observed behaviors. A student with LD has deficits in one or two areas while performing at or above the average in other areas. The child's potential or overall intelligence is greater than his/her poor achievement would predict. This is called the ability-achievement discrepancy. Some children even fall under both the gifted and LD categories, and are thus referred to as twice-exceptional

A diagnosis of a learning disability can only be given by trained professionals such as clinical psychologists, educational psychologists, and educational diagnosticians. Below are several articles that help give parents and teachers a better idea of what goes into making such a diagnosis and outline common LD signs and possible teaching strategies.

• Early Identification: Normal and Atypical Development
• What Are Learning Disabilities?
• Basics for Parents: Your Child's Evaluation
• Who Can Diagnose LD and/or ADHD?
• How Do You Know If Your Child Might Have a Learning Disability?
• Does Third Grade Discrepancy Status Predict the Course of Reading Development?

The last reference raises serious questions about whether an ability-achievement discrepancy is a valid definition of reading disability. Well-replicated research has demonstrated that a core deficit for children and adults with reading disabilities is phonemic awareness (the ability to understand sounds and sound patterns in language).

Also check these sections of our site for general information about LD and effective teaching strategies:

• About LD
• For Educators

---

Question:

I think my child may have a learning disability but I'm not sure how to describe to the school exactly what I want assessed.What should I do?

Answer:

If it is hard to verbalize your concerns, bring your child's work samples with you to the school to show what is hard to articulate. A full psycho-educational assessment should provide you with more complete answers.

Before going elsewhere, you might want to find out exactly what services the school system could offer you – and when. If the time-frame or suggestions for providing needed services are unacceptable to you, there are independent educational testers that you can go to privately. The following articles will give you an idea of what to expect from the testing process:

• Special Education: Evaluation
• Stages of the Assessment Process
• Your Child's Evaluation
• 10 Steps in the Special Education Process

There are several national organizations that can help you through this process and provide referrals to local professionals. You can contact the International Dyslexia Association or the Learning Disabilities Association. LD Online has a Yellow Pages service, Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy has a useful nationwide search tool. Use it to locate psychologists, educational diagnosticians, consultants, therapists, tutors, and advocates in your area. Browse their comprehensive directory of parent training and information centers for more resources, or to find educational consultants and advocates to help you through the process locally.

You can also contact the Parent Educational Advocacy Resource Center in your state, or look in your local phone book for “educational testing” or “psycho-educational testing” for someone close to you.

Be a good consumer in this process. Ask potential testers, tutors, and consultants about their experiences and specialization before you choose a provider. You want to make sure that the person you choose is a good match for your child.

---

Question:

I feel as though my child's skills are regressing. What should I do?

Answer:

It is alarming to feel that your child is no longer making progress and may even be losing skills, but it will benefit him if you recognize this early and intervene.

Speak with his teachers about your concerns and share any samples of his work that reflect these concerns. Together, you can decide which step should be taken next. If you and his teachers feel that the level and amount of services and accommodations your child is receiving need to be revisited, then an IEP meeting should be convened.

You may also consider asking that the concerns you have about your child’s academic progress be discussed at the school's next local screening meeting. At this meeting, you and the other members of the local screening committee will decide if further evaluation for your child is warranted.

At both meetings, it is important to discuss the possible reasons for your child's current struggles to help determine the next course of action. For example, perhaps your child was able to compensate for his disability before, but now that he is getting older and the schoolwork is getting more challenging, his ability to compensate is being strained and the achievement gap between your child and his peers is widening. His apparent regression may also be signs of stress from knowing that he is falling further behind. It is imperative that the emotional component of your child's educational experience be addressed.

The following articles illustrate how to make the most of these meetings and include information about your rights as a parent throughout the special education process:

• Advocacy in Action: You Can Advocate for Your Child!
• Some Common Sense Steps to Resolving Disagreements Between Parents and Schools

You and your child's teachers should be able to work together to develop an educational program that will meet his needs and help him reach his academic potential.

---

Question:

What should I do if my child has an IEP but is not making any progress?

Answer:

Because you feel that your child is not making progress, it is important to request an IEP meeting as soon as possible. At this meeting, there should be a detailed discussion about the type of assistance your child is receiving and for how long each day. You should also ask her teachers if your child is making progress toward meeting her IEP goals and objectives. Request documentation, such as your child's work samples and assessments, to support their claim.

You and the rest of the IEP team may need to rewrite your child's IEP in order to ensure that she is receiving the type and amount of services, accommodations, and modifications she requires to reach her academic potential. Consider bringing a friend or family member with you to the meeting to offer moral support, to be a second set of ears to keep up with all of the information shared during the meeting, and to help keep you focused on what you want to achieve during the meeting. The following articles may give you some other ideas of how you can make the most of this meeting:

• How Parents Can Be Advocates for Their Children
• Advocacy in Action: You Can Advocate for Your Child!
• Some Common Sense Steps to Resolving Disagreements Between Parents and Schools
• What to Do If You Feel the School is Interpreting an IEP Incorrectly

Your child's IEP is a legal document that her school must follow. If you do not feel that her IEP is being met or that you and the school can agree on an IEP for your child, then there are steps you can take. The next article outlines what can happen if there is disagreement about the IEP:

• Understanding the Special Education Process: An Overview for Parents

You can also contact the Parent Advocacy Resource Center in your state or find other local support centers . They may be able to provide you with information, suggestions, and guidance specific to your child's needs.

Additionally, you can find information about your child’s rights in this guide to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), which is the current federal standard for special education. Also of interest may be the National for Learning Disabilities’ Parent Guide.

Parents can be the strongest and most knowledgeable advocates for their children, so trust your instincts and don't give up until your child receives access to education that meets his or her needs!

---

Question:

Where can I find information about services for people with learning disabilities outside the United States?

Answer:

There are several organizations with world-wide membership that may be able to assist you.

Learning Disabilities Worldwide: LDW is an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with learning disabilities. They strive to increase awareness and understanding through multilingual media productions and publications that serve populations across cultures and nations. Their educational enrichment programs are designed to serve individuals with LD, their families, and the professionals in their lives. They publish the largest peer reviewed journal, “Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal”, among others, and present the annual “World Congress on Learning Disabilities.” Select your home country with the site’s “Find Your Country” tool to view articles in your language.

International Dyslexia Association: The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to the study and treatment of the learning disability dyslexia. IDA focuses its resources in four major areas: information and referral services, research, advocacy and direct services to professionals in the field of learning disabilities.

If you are in the UK, you can find answers to special education law questions on the SEN Legal website, or learn more about your child's rights here. The British Dyslexia Association may also be able to offer further guidance.

---

Question:

How can I find a professional who can diagnose a student's learning disability?

Answer:

First, find out from a school administrator exactly what services the school system can offer and when they could provide them. Express your concerns and find out the procedures involved in going through a screening process for your child. If the timeframe or suggestions are unacceptable, there are independent educational testers that you can go to privately. The following articles might be helpful to you:

• Stages of the Assessment Process
• Basics for Parents
• 10 Steps in the Special Education Process
• Who Can Diagnose LD and/or ADHD?

There are several national organizations that can help families through this process and give local professional referrals. They might also have information about financial assistance for testing. You might want to contact:

• International Dyslexia Association
• Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)

Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy has a useful nationwide search tool. Use it to locate professionals in your area. You can also contact the Parent Educational Advocacy Resource Center in your state for more options.

In addition, you can look in your local phone book for “educational testing” or “psycho-educational testing” for someone in your area. LD OnLine also has a Yellow Pages service that might be helpful. Search by state for organizations, or find a parent advocacy group near you.

Be sure to ask potential testers, tutors, and consultants about their experiences and specializations before choosing a provider.A full psycho-educational assessment provides information about the way a student learns and how to best meet that student's needs.

---

Question:

My child has a learning disability and I'm concerned that the reading program her school uses is ineffective. Can you recommend a reading program?

Answer:

Although we don't review specific reading programs, the following articles outline the elements that all effective reading instruction contains. From these articles, you can see how your child’s reading program compares:

• 9 Components of Effective, Research-Supported Reading Instruction
• 12 Components of Research-Based Reading Programs
• A Scientific Approach to Reading Instruction
• Multisensory Structured Language Programs: Content & Principles of Instruction

This next article also lists characteristics of effective reading programs for students with learning disabilities and includes information and worksheets to help determine the quality of a specific reading program:

• What the Science Says: Effective Reading Interventions for Kids with Learning Disabilities

Also, we recommend a report from the American Federation of Teachers called Building on the Best, Learning from What Works: Five Promising Remedial Reading Intervention Programs.

Have a meeting with your child's teachers so that you can share your concerns. Any reading remediation that she receives should be individualized to her specific needs, because no pre-packaged programs are able to address every child’s areas of weakness, strengths, and the instructional methods with which they learn best. You and your child's teachers should work together to ensure that her specific needs are being met. This may require an IEP meeting to develop a new IEP with more skill-specific educational goals and objectives. If you are concerned that the school is not interpreting your child’s IEP correctly, here are some steps to take.

You may also be interested to know about Learning Ally and WordTalk, two programs designed for students with LD, ADHD, or visual impairments. Providing accommodations in the form of read aloud or dictation software can lessen some of the burden experienced by struggling readers.

---

Question:

What should I do for my child who has an IEP but still has trouble with handwriting, taking notes, and writing at an appropriate speed?

Answer:

The following articles describe some typical characteristics of students who struggle with the physical act of writing:

• Helping Students Who Struggle to Write
• Understanding Why Students Avoid Writing
• What Is Dysgraphia?
• Strategies for Dealing with Dysgraphia
• Understanding Processing Deficits
• Dysgraphia Accommodations and Modifications
• Assistive Technologies for Dysgraphia

If you see some of your child’s struggles described in these articles, you may want to call an IEP meeting to share your concerns. At this time, you and the other members of the IEP team can discuss whether the goals, objectives, accommodations, modifications, and types and level of services your child is receiving are meeting his needs in the area of writing. This would also be a good time to discuss whether your child’s writing challenges are most likely related to the disability label under which he has an IEP or if further evaluation is warranted to get a clearer picture of why writing is such a struggle for him.

Regardless of the cause of your child’s writing difficulties, he may experience greater success, confidence, stamina, and productivity by using a computer, software that aids in the writing process, and other relevant assistive technology. You and the rest of the IEP team should discuss the possibility of incorporating keyboarding skills and technological tools in your child’s IEP as goals, objectives, and accommodations in his everyday academic experience.

The sooner your child’s writing challenges can be systematically addressed, the more likely he will be to reach his true potential in writing.

---

Question:

What remedial reading methods work best for students with learning disabilities?

Answer:

There are many reading programs available to help struggling readers. Reading programs should address the individual needs of each child. Effective programs target the learning areas needing attention, and also present information in a way that is the most beneficial to the child’s learning preference.

There is no perfect method for teaching reading, and no one method works for everyone. However, there are several research-based programs that can help struggling readers. The following articles highlight some of these programs:

• Strategies that Work for Students with Dyslexia
• A Conversation with Sally Shaywitz, M.D., Author of Overcoming Dyslexia
• General Information About Dyslexia
• Instructional Grouping for Reading for Students with Learning Disabilities

On Reading Rockets, there are several articles that address reading programs and their benefits for young children:

• 12 Components of Researched-based Reading Programs
• Components of Effective, Research-Supported Reading Instruction
• Reading Methods for Students with LD

---

Question:

How do I find a tutor for my child with dyslexia?

Answer:

There are several national organizations that may be able help you through this process and give local professional referrals. For instance, you can contact the International Dyslexia Association, or the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA). In addition, you may wish to contact your local school district to learn of any free tutoring services offered, or a local university that may have a list of teachers who also tutor.

Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy has a useful nationwide search tool. Use it to locate tutors and other professionals in your area. You can also contact the Parent Educational Advocacy Resource Center in your state for more options.

Also, LD OnLine’s Yellow Pages service and LD Resources section have a great deal of helpful information. Search by state for organizations, or find a parent advocacy group near you.

Lastly, you may be interested in Eye to Eye, a national LD/ADHD movement that pairs students with LD and caring, knowledgeable mentors with similar experiences. The mentorship program provides a fun and safe environment for children to realize their potential as learners.

You may also want to ask the teachers and guidance counselor at your child’s school for suggestions for a tutor, since they will be familiar with his/her specific strengths and weaknesses. Local schools often know of great tutors located in the school’s neighborhood.

Remember to ask potential tutors about their experiences and what they specialize in before you choose a provider. You want to make sure that the person you choose will be a good match for your child.

---

Question:

How can I prevent my child with LD from developing low self-esteem?

Answer:

Self-esteem is dramatically impacted by academic struggles. Children’s sense of self-worth is tied to how successful and accepted they feel at school. It is important to nurture your child’s perception of herself as a learner. The following articles address issues of self-esteem:

• Tips for Developing Healthy Self-Esteem in Your Child
• Stress Management for the Learning Disabled
• Practical Tips to Help Your Child Learn Better and to Value Education

The support and encouragement you provide your child will give her tremendous comfort. Assure her that she is not alone in her academic struggles – that many other children have difficulty learning in school, and that you are there to support her.

---

Question:

If my husband is dyslexic, is there a possibility that my children will be dyslexic too?

Answer:

Dyslexia is a hereditary condition, so if you have a history of dyslexia in your family, it's a good idea to get information now so that you can catch early warning signs in your own children. However, children today do not have to struggle as much with their dyslexia as the generations before them. We have a greater understanding of what it means to be dyslexic and we know which educational interventions are most effective in helping these children learn to read.

The Reading Rockets website is all about reading. Here are some articles on dyslexia that will help you identify signs and find help, so that even if your children are born with dyslexia, they will grow up to be readers!

Also, it is helpful to keep in mind the many overlooked strengths of people with dyslexia. Current research is focused on understanding how to interpret and foster these strengths. You can find out more in this article from the International Dyslexia Association.

---

Question:

I found a product online that claims to cure dyslexia. Is it bogus?

Answer:

Dyslexia is a neurological difference in the way language is processed by the brain. It is not a disease that can be cured or a habit that can be broken, but there are effective educational strategies that can be used to help people with dyslexia become successful readers. These strategies take time and effort. There is not a magic, quick or easy solution. Any product or program claiming to "cure" it is misleading.

For more information on dyslexia, check out the following links:

• LD OnLine: Dyslexia
• Reading Rockets: Dyslexia
• International Dyslexia Association

---

Question:

I have a number of students with severe disabilities in my classroom that are performing at a level far below their classmates. Should they be in my class? How can I help them?

Answer:

Students with varying disabilities, representing a wide range of age levels, can be taught very successfully when grouped together, provided the teacher has significant training and assistance. This practice is called inclusion. Since each child's IEP governs his or her schooling, such students need individualized programs but can easily be grouped with others for many lessons. More and more, teachers are expected to meet each child's unique needs regardless of their educational "labels" of special, gifted or general.

Check to see what academic goals exist for each student. Some may need to be with non-handicapped students in order to develop social skills, with limited expectations for academic achievement. Meet with the special educators to determine how you can support these children. Usually, some degree of differentiated instruction (DI) is required.

LD OnLine has sections devoted to Inclusion and Differentiating Instruction. Reading Rockets also has information on Differentiated Instruction:

• Differentiated Instruction resources
• Differentiated Instruction webcast

Also check the following sources:

• National Professional Resources, Inc. has a good inventory of videos and books on differentiation

---

Question:

I recently bought a book that uses an audio pen to read the pages. You point the pen at the text in the book and can hear it read aloud. I'm wondering what kind of technology is involved here and if more of these books are available? Is there special soft

Answer:

The answer to that question depends a bit on what type of reading pen system you are using, as different companies use different technology. Products such as LeapFrog Tag and VTech's Bugsby Reading System use specially-designed books with their reading pens. In order to access more titles, you will need to purchase their books, most of which are targeted towards younger or early readers.

The benefit of books like these is that the text is typically read by a human voice, rather than a computerized voice. Children can also click on different icons within the text to get more information or sound effects while reading. The disadvantage to such products is that they can only be used with a limited number of titles and so may not be a good solution for a student with disabilities who needs to access a wider array of books.

You may also look at the different types of reading pen/scanners available — many of these tools you use like a highlighter, running over printed text and getting instant speech feedback. While most of these pens are not appropriate for reading an entire book, they can serve as a valuable support for difficult words, definitions, and pronunciation.

---

Question:

We scan materials for students to use on Kurzweil 3000 at school. Could you recommend an efficient way to scan and email a textbook page home to a student with dyslexia? He has Natural Reader on his home computer, but he does not have Kurzweil.

Answer:

There are several options that might be appropriate for this student or for others in a similar situation. Some scanners come with software enabling the user to scan directly into a PDF document; however, it is more likely that you will have to purchase either Adobe Acrobat or third-party software that will allow you to convert scanned documents into PDF.

Converting the scanned image would enable you to maintain the original layout of the document and still work with Natural Reader since it is capable of reading PDFs as well as MS Word documents. Having the capability to convert documents to PDF could also be beneficial for other students, as the newer versions of Adobe Reader have improved read out loud capabilities. This could be helpful for students who don't have access to a screen reader at home. You could convert any text to a PDF and students could hear it read aloud using the free Reader program.

If purchasing additional software is not a feasible option, you may also try searching for a digital version of the text online. Learning Ally has audio versions of many textbooks, and websites such as BookShare and Project Gutenberg have electronic books freely available for download (BookShare provides books free for users with documented print disabilities).

---

Question:

Some of our students read very slowly. We are wondering about providing recorded books. We would like to give them access to print as they learn to read. Can you tell us where we can get recorded books? Any advice on how to make the textbooks and other st

Answer:

Fortunately, there are now a number of fairly inexpensive ways to provide struggling readers with access to printed materials by providing text digitally, see An Educator's Guide to Making Textbooks Accessible and Usable for Students with Learning Disabilities. Once you have digital text, you have many options.

Many publishers now offer their textbooks on CD and teachers can easily scan print materials into their computer to create digital versions of texts. One of the easiest (and least expensive) ways to provide students with recorded text is use text-to-speech features built into your computer's operating system to read digitized text. These simple programs can read text files aloud for students and are freely available with all Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Although they lack more sophisticated control options and choices for speaking voices, they may be an appropriate solution for helping students read short pieces of text.

Another free option for helping students access text is to download books from a website such as Project Gutenberg or LibriVox. The books available from these sites are in the public domain, so you will not be able to find newer books here. However, they are freely available to all and may be a good solution for providing electronic versions of popular classics (Pride and Prejudice, A Christmas Carol, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, etc.). Files are usually available in HTML, PDF or Text format, which can then be read aloud using any text-to-speech program. The Adobe Reader has a built in Read Out Loud feature which allows the user to have any part of a PDF file read aloud. You could also use this feature with any hard copy text that you scan and save as a PDF.

A third option is to obtain audio books from Learning Ally. Membership is required in order to access audio books and a special player or software is necessary to play the books. Another site, Bookshare, provides digital talking books for students of any age with disabilities. Students with qualifying print disabilities can now access the entire Bookshare collection free of charge. Additionally, audio books can be ordered from websites such as Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble. However, this option will likely be more expensive than the cost of a Learning Ally membership.

The most flexible option (and also the most expensive) would be to purchase software capable of converting text files into audio files. A quick internet search will reveal several downloadable programs for running text to audio conversions. However, for a school purchase, it might make sense to investigate programs that can be used for a variety of reading and writing tasks such as Kurzweil 3000, Proloquo, TextAloud and WYNN. With these tools, you can convert any text file to a sound file; students can then listen to text using an MP3 player, their computer or CD player. Using a scanner, you can easily scan any print material and create recorded text for your students for any book, textbook, handout, or article you use in your teaching.

---

Question:

I work in a public library and want to be sure that our resources are accessible to all our patrons, including those with disabilities. What resources should we make available and where can we find additional information about making libraries accessible

Answer:

Many public libraries have grappled with the same issues, so looking at how other librarians have worked to make their libraries accessible is a good start. Many libraries provide their patrons with online resource lists (on accessible websites), in addition to offering a wide variety of accessibility options within the library building. It may be helpful to get in touch with other librarians, either online or in person to ask how they met their patrons' accessibility needs. The American Library Association has a number of excellent resources available to assist librarians in thinking about and respecting the needs of their patrons with disabilities. The ALA also has several options for connecting with other librarians, from online forums to an island in Second Life.

Some accessibility options for your patrons may include providing helpful links on your library website, pointing users to both local and national disability groups. Within the library, it is important to make sure that media is accessible — books on tape, audio books, captioned videos, descriptive videos, magnifiers and large print books can all help ensure that a variety of media is accessible to many of your patrons. Many librarians also provide patrons with assistive software and hardware where needed. This may include reading and writing software, software capable of reading text aloud (text-to-speech), software that can enlarge text on the screen or Braille embossers for blind patrons. Check out the Montgomery County Public Library website for a good example of the types of tools you might offer. For further ideas, check out the ALA's disability-specific Tip Sheets on Learning Disabilities, Children with Disabilities, Autism & Spectrum Disorders, and many others.

---

Question:

Does early remediation reduce the need for accommodations? And if so, how much?

Answer:

There is some early indications that a highly effective intervention provided early on can result in the ability to read not only accurately but fluently (rapidly) as well. There are no follow-up data on these children, nor are there, to my knowledge, data indicating that later remediations are producing fluent readers.

So, while the hope is there that early remediation will produce fluent readers, the evidence is still coming in. At this time, children who are dyslexic will generally require extra time and other accommodations as they go through school, including postsecondary. Accommodations such as extra time are vital to allowing a bright dyslexic child demonstrate their knowledge and not be penalized by slow reading.

In the future, children who are receiving new, scientifically-based effective, reading interventions, may become fluent readers and not require additional time and other accommodations. That is the hope —but we are still gathering the evidence.

— Dr. Sally Shaywitz

---

Question:

Do individuals with dyslexia show different MRI brain images when reading? If so, could MRIs be used to diagnose individuals with dyslexia?

Answer:

Extraordinary progress in imaging technology now allow scientists to image a child's brain as he or she is actually reading. The technology, referred to as functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI, uses the same scanner as a typical MRI used to scan, for example, your knee if you have a torn ligament. The difference is that the fMRI uses special software and some adaptive hardware as well so that small changes in blood flow to different parts of the brain can be detected as a child reads. Using this technology, our research group (and others) has learned that there are three systems for reading on the left side of the brain, one in the front and two in the back of the brain.

We have also learned that in struggling readers, there appears to be less activation or a glitch in the two systems in the back of the brain. Our studies have also indicated what happens in the brain in children who compensated, to some degree, for their reading problems, and also identified the specific region called the "word form area" located in the back of the left of the brain that seems to be related to skilled or fluent reading.

Most excitedly, our recent studies, supported by the results of other investigators as well, demonstrate that the brain is highly malleable and under the influence of effective reading instruction — can change and resemble that of a good reader. Basically, this means that teaching matters — making it all the more important to ensure that each child receives reading instruction that has been proven to wor — referred to as "evidence-based" reading instruction. Parents, teachers and we as a nation, should settle for no less. For anyone interested in more information and brain images, I refer you to chapters 6 & 7 of Overcoming Dyslexia. Similarly, the notion of evidence-based education is discussed in detail in my book.

At this time, the use of functional imaging, fMRI, is limited to research. Clincial judgments about reading and reading disability are made on the basis of a child's history, observations of how he or she reads and test results. To be explicit, MRI's or any other imaging modality, is not currently recommended for use in the diagnosis of a reading problem.

— Dr. Sally Shaywitz

---

Question:

What’s the best plan for a preschooler with dyslexia entering kindergarten? What should I ask the school to do right from the start?

Answer:

Beginning kindergarten is an important to ensure that an at-risk child receives the right help. The critical areas are: assessment, instruction and monitoring. The child's language and phonological and readiness skills should be assessed. Next, there are now available several evidence-based, developmentally appropriate reading readiness programs available; they generally stress teaching child about the sounds of spoken language, how letters represent these sounds and introduce a child to early reading skills.

Vocabulary and listening to stories as well as early writing are introduced. The elements should be provided in a systematic and explicit fashion; dyslexic children do not learn by osmosis. Simply surrounding a child with books is insufficient, he or she must be taught explicitly.

Finally, they should be continuously monitored; there are instruments now available that all up-to-the-minute frequent monitoring of reading progress. And you, as a parent, should continuously ask to ensure that the reading instruction is based on evidence of efficacy and that your child's progress is being carefully monitored and that if she or he is not making progress, modifications are quickly made. Catching a reading problem early and doing the right things can ensure a bright future for your child. Good luck!

— Dr. Sally Shaywitz

---

Question:

My 11-year-old daughter was tested for dyslexia but was not diagnosed as being dyslexic. However, her ability to decode unfamiliar words, effectively use blending, and reading speed continue to be below her grade level and peers. What tests can we have a

Answer:

Very often bright children are penalized and fall between the cracks; that is, although they do not learn the necessary strategies for reading, they are able to memorize enough words to avoid detection. Your daughter appears to fit into this category. The problem is that as your daughter progresses in school, she will be faced with many, many more new words, many long, technical or unfamiliar words and with many rare words — the bottom line is that memory no longer is adequate to know all of these words.

Your daughter should be tested. In my book, Overcoming Dyslexia, I describe in some detail the types of testing and rationale for testing. Basically, her ability to read words accurately and fluently and to comprehend words are essential components of a test battery. You should ensure that her fluency — ability to read rapidly as well as accurately — are tested (this is often overlooked). Tests of her ability to get to the sounds of spoken words are also important as are measures of her vocabulary. This could serve as the core of a test battery, other tests can be added, depending on her individual history and pattern.

She should be tested. If on the basis of her testing, in addition to her history and observations of how she reads aloud, she is not a fluent reader, she should get help soon. She can be helped and the help should not be delayed.

You should also keep in mind that your daughter may be helped by the accommodation of extra time if she is a slow reader.

— Dr. Sally Shaywitz

---

Question:

Do all dyslexic children have a weakness in the phonological area?

Answer:

Our work with other researchers, especially Robin Morris and Jack Fletcher, on examining subtypes of reading problems has demonstrated that a phonological weakness is present in 90% of all struggling readers. Phonological problems may be associated with problems in other areas such as memory as well. A small group of children may demonstrate problems in rate alone and not in phonology. These results are for young children; we are now working on an adolescent study to see if the same is true for this group of older children.

— Dr. Sally Shaywitz

---

Question:

I’m a special education teacher in primary school. How do you temper some parents’ desire to attempt “everything” at once at home? Some parents are over-doing the work at home and ultimately hurting their child’s self-esteem and progress.

Answer:

An important question. At times, parents who care so much worry that they must fill in every moment of a child's day and evening fixing the problem. While this laudable, my experience with highly successful adults who are dyslexic indicates that a recurring theme is that these folks were greatly benefited from finding and pursuing an activity in which they could find success and a sense of mastery. It doesn't matter what the acclivity is — basketball, piano playing, skateboarding, drawing, rock collecting, soccer, doll collection — as long it brings a sense of satisfaction to the child.

In my book, Overcoming Dyslexia, I included a very important chapter, Protecting and Nourishing Your Chid's Soul, to help parents find ways of supporting and developing their child's self-esteem. I thought this issue so important that I also included an epilogue, giving examples of well-respected, highly successful people who were dyslexic and how they succeeded. Invariably, they had an interest that helped sustain their self-esteem: for the writer, John Irving, it was a love of, and success in, wrestling; for writer Stephen Cannell, it was football; for financier Charles Schwab, it was golf — each had something that they enjoyed and in which they could experience success.

— Dr. Sally Shaywitz