Christina Massari

One of the most common misconceptions about dyslexia is that children eventually outgrow it. Children can absolutely make substantial progress. With effective instruction, many students improve their decoding accuracy and develop stronger reading skills. Some individuals become highly proficient readers. But improvement does not necessarily mean that the underlying learning difference has disappeared.

For some children, the earliest indicators of dyslexia appear before formal reading instruction even begins. Parents may notice that a preschooler has difficulty with rhyming, struggles to identify sounds in words, has trouble learning letter names and sounds, or frequently cannot retrieve a word they seem to know. Other children may appear to develop typically until kindergarten or first grade, when the demands of learning to read make underlying difficulties more apparent.

Children with dyslexia may be bright, curious, verbal, creative, and eager to learn. They may understand stories and concepts well when information is presented orally while struggling to read the same information independently. They may work hard to memorize words, practice reading, and complete homework, yet continue to have difficulty decoding unfamiliar words. What kind of instruction actually helps? Explicit, systematic phonics instruction.