COLORADO SPRINGS — Dyslexia affects about 23,000 K through 12 students in El Paso county, according to Childrens' Hospital.
People with the condition generally have trouble reading, but with the right teaching and guidance people have gone on to accomplish great things. Take for instance, 9-year-old Becky Groves, a bright young lady who attends Weldon Valley School. Her favorite subject is science. Becky was diagnosed with dyslexia a couple of months ago, and says for a while she was having problems with reading and writing. Becky says she didn't feel as confident in class because she was having difficulty, something that's common among kids who have dyslexia.
"The kids in my class don't quite understand dyslexia and neither do my teachers," Groves said. "So, I work with a specialist and that's one of the things that's helping me build confidence in myself," she explained.
One big misconception is dyslexia is strictly a visual processing disorder.
"Dyslexia is not a visual disorder it is a chronological processing disorder," said Martha Stender, a Learning Specialist for Children's Hospital. "What that means is it's apart of the brain that processes sound and attaches meaning to it."
Stender says Dyslexia is a neurological condition caused by a different wiring of the brain. It affects the way that the brain processes written materials, making it more difficult to recognize, spell, and decode words.
Having dyslexia doesn't mean you are less intelligent either! The disorder can't be outgrown. Once you have it, you have to find ways to cope, and Becky and her mom have done just that. She attends a special school in Monument, meeting over zoom, to help rewire her mind to help her read and write better. she also practices sounding out the words when she does have difficulty.
Stender says there are signs of Dyslexia that usually start to appear in toddlers or school aged children. They are reaching speech milestones late, pronunciation or articulation issues, and difficulty attaching sounds to letters. If you have a concern and you're a parent, speak to your child's physician right away to find a program that can help.
If you'd like to register with Children's Hospital to learn more, click here.
Here are some more helpful resources below:
Crossroads Literacy (https://www.crossroadsliteracy.com/)
Rocky Mountain Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (www.idarmb.org).
EXL Learning (www.exllearning.com).
CO KID (www.Cokid.org).
Havern School (www.havernschool.org):
Learning Ally (www.learningally.org).
