LD with an Impairment in Reading (Dyslexia)

Specific Learning Disorder, with impairment in reading. 

An LD in reading may include:

 

• Difficulty reading or sounding out new words
• Poor reading fluency (reading smoothly, accurately and efficiently)
• Slow reading speed 
• Challenges with reading comprehension (understanding content or the perspective of the writer) 
• Mirroring or transposing letters (b as d or p) or parts of sentences
• Perceptual reading challenges such as difficulty focusing on and understanding letters or words, challenges staying on the line that is being read, experiencing the letters as blurry or moving, etc. 

 

 

There are many names, such as Dyslexia, reading disability, or reading disorder, and all are different names for the same thing: An LD in reading. Dyslexia is only one kind of learning disability. Many people falsely believe that all learning disabilities include dyslexia. The term has been used rather loosely and has become the catch-all term to describe many different learning problems which are not true learning disabilities. Very few students who have reading problems have dyslexia; it is a severe and persistent reading disability which may include the misreading of numbers (dyscalculia) and symbols as well as letters.

When the inability to read is caused by a stroke, accident, or organic brain disease, neurologists call the disorder acquired alexia. When a child is unable to learn the skills of reading the condition is sometimes called developmental dyslexia.

Gershwind (1982), Galaburda (1983), Duane (1983), and Critchley (1970) have found that “...neurological research on this condition suggests that dyslexia has a biological basis: that within the community of poor readers there is a hard core of cases in which the learning defect is inborn [and] caused by neurological factors” (Jones, 1992, p. 65). Some studies have linked dyslexia to abnormalities found in chromosomes or damage in the language area of the left hemisphere (p. 65). Research as to the etiology of dyslexia is now being published in a wide spectrum of research areas, including linguistics, education, genetics, neuroanatomy, and visual and auditory processing.

A side note: "Scotopic sensitivity" or "Irlen Syndrome" are terms used to describe people who experience perceptual reading challenges that include blurriness or letters moving on a page. There are people with this experience that benefit from using translucent colored overlays or wearing colored glasses to read. This is not considered a learning disability and it is not a well established or understood phenomenon, however resources are available to learn more.¹

 

People who experience severe reading challenges in childhood can develop anxiety around reading outloud or doing tests that involve reading. Reading is such a key part of the early elementary school experience that students can also develop social challenges or lack of motivation for schoolwork. 

At Cabrillo, the Learning Skills faculty work with students with dyslexia in an educational context, rather than from a clinical approach. In early childhood and through the elementary years, reading specialists can provide interventions and help struggling readers to improve their reading skills. However, when reading difficulties are severe and persist into adulthood, accommodations can be of great benefit to students with dyslexia.

ACCOMMODATIONS  

• Alternate Media: Books, handouts, and tests can be converted into an alternate format to increase reading options. 
  • Audiobooks can be used to listen to a textbook while reading with your eyes. This can help address difficulties with reading fluency, help students to learn the visual connection between what a new word looks like and how it sounds, and can engage more senses and more of the brain in learning the material and storing it in memory. 
  • Electronic Text (eText) allows students to read on an electronic devise such as a computer or tablet. Students can then change fonts, spacing between letters or lines, color and contrast for the words and the background. Screen reading software can be used to read the text outloud and is often adjustable to allow a variety of voices and changes of reading speed. Many screen readers highlight each word it reads so that the person can visually track where they are on the page. Dyslexic font, a font designed to make letters easier to recognize and read, can also be used. 
• Extended time on tests: Students with an LD in reading may need more time on tests that involve a lot of reading, such as multiple choice tests or those that involve passage reading. The extended time allows the student sufficient time to read the words in the question, attempt to comprehend what it is asking, and read or think through possible answers. 

Some of the difficulties experienced by students with dyslexia may be ameliorated by the use of the learning tips and strategies, and the study skills recommended in this handbook. Some cases of dyslexia are too severe for non-clinical approaches. The brevity of this section of the handbook is not meant to indicate that dyslexia is not a serious type of learning disability, but rather to emphasize that it is just one kind of learning disability, one which deserves more attention than can be made available here.

 

Study strategies: 

• Dedicted reading space.
• Use a ruler or paper to stay on a line and reduce the distraction of other lines on the page. 
• Pre-reading/skimming prior to reading a full section or chapter. 
• Multi-sensory reading. 
• Using dyslexia font for eText.²
• Finding resources with visuals or creating visuals as you study. YouTube, AI software (such as ChatGPT) 
• Consider changing colors for font and background or changing contrast for eText. 

 

References: 

¹The Irlen Institute Links to an external site.. 

²Dylexia font options can be found with an internet search and many can be downloaded or used for free. For example, OpenDyslexic: A Typeface for Dyslexia Links to an external site..