Why are so many kids with reading problems and dyslexia going undetected?

Dyslexia.

I always thought it just meant that someone flipped their letters around and that was it.

Did you know it means "impaired ability to learn to read"?

And that up to 20% of people are dyslexic?

I found that percentage hard to believe until I stopped to think about what I'd experienced in my children's reading groups at school over the years. Invariably, between 3-5 students in a class of 20-25 would be struggling with their reading.

I was at my son's sporting event this morning and spoke with yet another parent whose child had a learning difficulty that went undetected for years. This mum said she'd suspected all through primary school (k-6) that her child's reading wasn't right but was reassured repeatedly that her child was fine. It wasn't until high school that they got the assessments they needed to source a learning difficulty. This mum felt a lot of guilt about not pushing harder to find out what was happening with her child and frustration at having not known what her options were to get help. I've spoken to scores of parents who've had this same experience.

Parents, I'm determined to shout from my soap box about this issue!

The number one mistake I hear that parents have made over and over again is that they didn't trust their gut - they thought something wasn't right, asked questions, but were told things were fine and accepted it. And they say over and over again that they didn't know what else to do outside of talking to the school. Parents, if you think your child has a reading problem, trust your gut. Don't let it go.

In my next post, I'll talk about the clues I suggest parents look for and steps to take if they suspect their child has a problem with reading.

Treasure reading and the gift of dyslexia!