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Dyslexia is a complicated disability in that many myths about this challenge exist.

First, we can begin to explain what Dyslexia is, explore a few signs of dyslexia and then debunk a few myths that exist around the language-based disability.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing, and spelling difficulties. It is a language-based disability that includes poor word decoding, oral reading fluency, and spelling.

What are some signs of dyslexia?

In preschool and kindergarten:

• Trouble learning nursery rhymes or recognizing rhyming sounds in words
• Speak later than most children
• Difficulty pronouncing words
• Trouble with learning the alphabet or numbers
• Failure in understanding or recognizing letters in his or her own name

In elementary school:

• Leaving out parts of words when reading
• Fear of reading out loud
• Makes wild guesses at unknown words
• Lack of decoding strategies
• Better ability to read words in context than from a word list

Common Myths – Busted!

Myth: My child reverses letters, like b and d, so she must be dyslexic.

False: Many children reverse their letters regardless of dyslexia and a person can be dyslexic but never reverse letters.

Myth: Dyslexic people are not smart.

False: Some of the brightest students struggle to read and many students with dyslexia do very well in school.

Myth: Dyslexia only affects boys.

False: Dyslexia affects both boys and girls and people of all backgrounds and intelligence levels.

The Barton Reading and Spelling System Can Help

The biggest obstacle for students with dyslexia is learning to read. Students with this challenge learn best with a structured literacy approach, which teaches students how to figure out unknown words in a direct, systematic, and cumulative manner. The Barton System is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach, is multisensory, direct, structured, sequential and designed for intense intervention. Each lesson teaches the specific rules of the English language, allows opportunity to practice, and builds on the previous lesson. The methods used in the Barton System are evidence-based, which means that this program produces proven results in teaching students with dyslexia to read.

The Barton System at Reading NOW

Students do not need to have a formal dyslexia diagnosis to receive Barton tutoring. As the Barton Method is evidence-based approach, an eligible student must:

• Be at least 5 years old and in kindergarten
• Be able to speak & comprehend spoken English
• Have an IQ of 70 or higher
• Demonstrate difficulty with spelling
• Struggle with sounding out unknown words when reading
• Pass the Barton Student Screening

The program is designed through two hours of 1-on-1 instruction per week. Students’ progress through each of the ten levels at their own pace during a yearlong commitment consisting of three 30 session seasons (January – April, May – August, September – December).

Camp registration information can be found online Reading Now or by calling Shanna Schumacher at 814-616-0529.