Christina Massari

A child with dyslexia may be curious, hardworking, and knowledgeable. They may have an impressive vocabulary, excellent verbal reasoning skills, and a strong understanding of complex ideas. They may genuinely want to read. They may spend hours practicing. And yet, reading can still require significant effort. This is not a contradiction. Reading is a complex skill that requires the brain to coordinate multiple processes quickly and efficiently.

Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference that can affect several interconnected components of literacy. While difficulties with reading are often the most noticeable sign, dyslexia can also influence spelling, writing, phonological processing, reading fluency, and the ability to efficiently retrieve and manipulate language information.

Many parents of neurodivergent children have experienced a confusing and frustrating pattern: their child spends the school day appearing calm, cooperative, and successful, only to come home and completely fall apart. The answer may lie in a phenomenon commonly known as restraint collapse.