Resources
We aim to help you get all the help you may need.
Follow these links to some resources we have put together to get you there.
International Dyslexia AssociationSigns That May Indicate a Need for Interventions
If a learner has 3 or more of the following warning signs, parents and teachers are encouraged to learn more about struggles with reading skill development. Reach out to Carmen Heethuis at pathwaysdirector@siouxfallschristian.org or (605)359-6425 to hear about how our program may help.
In Preschool
- delayed speech
- mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words
- chronic ear infections
- struggles to name objects
- has a hard time learning nursery rhymes or song lyrics that rhyme
- late establishing a dominant hand
- difficulty remembering and following directions with multiple steps
- trouble remembering sequences like singing the letters of the alphabet
- tells stories that are hard to follow or recalling an event in logical order
- a close relative with dyslexia
Kindergarten and 1st grade
- Reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters on the page—will say “puppy” instead of the written word “dog” on an illustrated page with a picture of a dog
- difficulty learning to tie shoes
- trouble memorizing their address, phone number, or the alphabet
- struggles to recognize or generate rhyming words
- Does not understand that words come apart into individual sounds
- Complains about how hard reading is; “disappears” when it is time to read/avoids reading
- A history of reading problems in parents or siblings
- Cannot sound out even simple words like cat, mop, fit
- Does not associate letters with sounds, such as the letter b with the “b” sound
- difficulty learning sight words
- when speaking: difficulty finding the correct word, lots of “whatchamacallits” and “thingies”, common sayings come out slightly twisted such as “pasghetti” instead of “spaghetti”
- often confusing letters that look the same such as u/n or b/d/p/q
- trouble learning individual sounds in words and blending sounds to make a word
2nd through 5th Grade
- a close relative with dyslexia
- Little or no progress with traditional interventions at school or at home
- Very slow in acquiring reading skills. Reading is slow and choppy
- Trouble reading unfamiliar words, often making wild guesses because he cannot sound out the word
- Doesn’t seem to have a strategy for reading new words
- Avoids reading out loud
- dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read)
- letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade
- slow, choppy, inaccurate reading: guesses based on shape or context, skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of), ignores suffixes, can’t sound out unknown words, spelling difficulties
- often can’t remember sight words (they, were, does) or homonyms (their, they’re, and there)
- trouble with math: memorizing multiplication tables, memorizing a sequence of steps, directionality or even excelling at Math until about 3rd grade when much of what is done requires reading
- when speaking: difficulty finding the correct word, lots of “whatchamacallits” and “thingies”, common sayings come out slightly twisted
- extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk
- dreads going to school, complains of stomach aches or headaches, may have nightmares about school
- poor or inconsistent spelling, may remember for spelling test but poor application in writing
In Middle school & High School
- All of the above symptoms plus:
- limited vocabulary
- may achieve good grades but takes a very long time to complete written assignments/spends considerably more time than peers to complete assignments
- extremely poor written expression, large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compositions
- unable to master a foreign language
- difficulty reading printed music
- poor grades in many classes
- may drop out of high school
- a close relative with dyslexia
In Adults- Education history similar to above, plus:
- slow reader
- may have to read a page 2 or 3 times to understand it
- poor speller
- difficulty putting thoughts onto paper – dreads writing memos or letters
- still has difficulty with right versus left
- often gets lost, even in a familiar city
- sometimes confuses b and d, especially when tired or sick
Online Resources
Reading Rockets at www.readingrockets.org
ADDitude Magazine at www.ADDitudemag.com
International Dyslexia Association at www.dyslexiaida.org
Decoding Dyslexia at www.decodingdyslexia.net
Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity http://dyslexia.yale.edu/
Reading Material
“Overcoming Dyslexia” Sally Shaywitz
“Fish in a Tree” Lynda Mullaly Hunt
“The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read” John Corcoran
“The Gift of Dyslexia” Ronald D. Davis
“Right-Brained Child in a Left-Brained World” Jeffrey Freed and Laurie Parsons
“Brain-Based Strategies to Reach Every Learner” J. Diane Connell
“The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain.” Brock & Fernette Eide
Fictional Book Series for Children
Actor Henry Winkler was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 31. He was challenged to write children’s books and references his childhood experiences. These engaging books are written in accessible ways so that all readers will enjoy them but that readers who might struggle, can experience success.
“Here’s Hank” by Henry Winkler
“Hank Zipzer” by Henry Winkler
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