Dyslexia is the inability to read words accurately or fluently and is neurological in origin. Research shows that people with dyslexia often have difficulty making the connection between the sounds in our spoken language and the letters and letter-combinations used to represent these sounds. This affects their success with reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and even arithmetic.

Characteristic signs of dyslexia:

• Difficulty reading common words and learning how to sound words out
• Difficulty acquiring vocabulary
• Difficulty with handwriting
• Difficulty memorizing math facts and retaining math concepts, and
• Difficulty with organizational skills

Dyslexia is a lifelong challenge, but reading and academic failure can be prevented when children are identified at an early age and receive direct, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, the basic sounds of our language, as part of a comprehensive, multisensory instructional program.