Dyslexia FAQ - Solve Learning Disabilities

Question: How do they test for Dyslexia?

Answer: We actually did a post with a free handout about how Dyslexia is diagnosed.

Question: What are some effective treatments for Dyslexia? I am an Occupational Therapist.

Answer: The most effective treatment that worked for my son was eliminating his Primitive Reflexes and Hemispheric Integration. The Hemispheric Integration focuses on stimulating all of the Left Hemisphere of the brain to make it more functional especially between visual and language functions. fMRI scans showed that Dyslexic readers had less activity in their visual and language areas. The language decoding and production resides in the Left Hemisphere of the brain in most people. Dr. Robert Melillo gives exact steps on how to do Hemispheric Integration in his book “Disconnected Kids”. You can get it on Amazon and it’s a super awesome book. We actually trained with Dr. Melillo and will be putting more about it on our website soon.

Question: Our State’s Educational Department is focused solely on Dysphonetic Dyslexia. They either do not mention Dyseidetic Dyslexia or discredit it. Can you please tell me your thoughts on “visual” Dyslexia?

Answer: Both types of Dyslexia are every bit as important. In an fMRI scan of Dyslexics and typical children, the area of the brain known as the ‘Brains Letter Box’ aka Visual Word Form Area and the language or Auditory areas of the brain work differently in Dyslexics. These areas showed reduced activity in the Dyslexics and other struggling readers. I have noticed that some Dyslexics struggle more auditorily and others visually.

Even though one area might work a little better than the other, they are all connected and involved in reading.  We believe a holistic approach is the best, and exercises to stimulate all of the above listed areas are best, regardless of which type of Dyslexia the child has.

Question: What specific lobes of the brain is Dyslexia impacted by? Have correlations between specific brain lobe dysfunction and Dyslexia diagnoses ever been determined through research? 

Answer: Yes, with fMRI imaging, subjects were scanned as they did letter identification and reading/writing activities. The language areas of the brain showed less activity in Dyslexics. These language areas are located in the left-brain Hemisphere of most people. There is a small amount of people whose language center resides in their right hemisphere. The areas under active in Dyslexics were as follows:

1. Wernick’s Area in the Temporal Lobe: Used for comprehension of written or spoken language.
2. Broca’s Area in the Frontal Lobe: Used for articulation and production of Language.
3. The ‘Brains Letter Box’ aka Visual Word Form Area in the Occipital Lobe: Activates in every reader and is used in letter and word recognition.
4. The Executive Function of the Pre-Frontal-Cortex is also used in reading and comprehension.

Question: Does being Dyslexic mean that you automatically have a lower IQ?

Answer: No, Dyslexics are very smart! Dyslexics are generally quite smart and creative, especially in right brain functions. But, because they are generally weaker in left-brain functions, it can skew their overall IQ score.  They usually score very high in the performance half of the test, sometimes as high as 130. Their verbal portion is lower, sometimes as low as 70. This can leave them with a low overall IQ score, even though they are very intelligent.

Question: Are ALL letters backwards? My son’s principal said he must not be Dyslexic because everything would be reversed.

Answer: Great question! Many mistake Dyslexia as writing letters backwards. This is actually one of the less common signs of Dyslexia. There are children diagnosed that do not reverse letters. We have a more comprehensive list of Dyslexia traits on our Dyslexia Symptoms page. There is still controversy among professionals as to the level of severity or number of symptoms that warrant a true diagnosis of Dyslexia. We talk about that on our Diagnosing Dyslexia page. If your child is struggling in reading, writing or spelling. It is important to start intervention as early as possible, regardless of diagnosis. Be sure to check out other interventions on our website as well.

Question: What Primitive Reflexes may someone have or retain if they suspect Dyslexia and Dyscalculia?

Answer: We have found that the ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex), STNR (Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex), Palmar and TLR(Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex) are often present in Dyslexic children and adults. However, we recommend checking all of the Primitive Reflexes regardless of their disability. They are all so closely connected and can affect upper level brain functions.

Question: Is Dyslexia most often related to vision? (convergence, accommodation, near/far, etc.).
If a child is having trouble with handwriting and is diagnosed with Dyslexia, is it better to teach technology or stick with handwriting? Should I try cursive?

Answer: I didn’t start cursive with my son until he was older. fMRI scans have shown that Dyslexics have weaknesses in the Visual Processing area of the brain and their language centers known as the Broca’s, Wernick and Letter Box areas. So, it is kind of a mix of visual and auditory problems. For this reason, I didn’t start cursive with him in the 3rd grade as is normal.

The good news is that professionals have come up with exercises that can stimulate the areas of the brain that are used in reading. It is called Brain Integration Therapy and is done in the Brain Balance centers all over the USA. They are our favorite intervention. They don’t try to improve through repetition of phonics, etc. They actually work on building new neurological connections. If you don’t have access to a center, the information is all in the book Disconnected Kids by their founder Dr. Robert Melillo. You can find it on Amazon.com.  We actually just finished a training with Dr. Melillo and will be posting more about his method on our site soon. Check out our Dyslexia Page for more info.

Question: What is the best way to identify and assess for Dyslexia? Some state laws have changed and my schools are just using reading test scores to identify students that could possibly be Dyslexic. 

Answer: I absolutely agree with you. Test scores are not a good indication of Dyslexia. Low test scores in reading could be caused by a number of other issues, such as Visual Processing Deficits or Slow Executive Function. They could even simply be an indication that the child isn’t getting enough reading practice at home or has an attention problem that makes test taking difficult.

Dyslexia doesn’t have a standardized test and therefore varies between professionals. However, there are common traits that are indicative of Dyslexia.

Question: Is 5 years old too young to diagnosis with double Dyslexia and rapid naming deficit.

Answer: Unfortunately, there is no standardized test for Dyslexia, with age limits and severity or number of symptoms to go by. It really depends on the professional doing the testing. However, the signs can definitely show up that young. At the age of 5, it is super important that Visual Processing deficits are ruled out first. Near sighted issues, Convergence Insufficiency, Visual Form Perception and Directionality problems can interfere with reading if they are severe enough.

Question: Is Dyslexia Inherited?

Answer: Dyslexia can be passed down through generations. My Dad had Dyslexia, I had it, and my son had it. However, it is not a genetic mutation. I spoke to a Neurologist that specializes in Learning Disabilities, and he explained that even though it is not a genetic disorder, there can be weak traits in genes that can be passed down up to as many as 11 generations. The good news is that, unlike genetic mutations, they have learned that genetic traits can be strengthened and therefore pass the strengthened trait on to future generations.

Question: What is happening in the brain of a Dyslexic child?

Answer: In an fMRI scan of Dyslexics and typical children, the area of the brain known as the ‘Brains Letter Box’ AKA Visual Word Form Area in the visual area of the brain was much less active in the Dyslexic readers. This is the area of the brain responsible for visually recognizing letters and words and connecting them to a memory of sounds or word meanings. The other areas of the brain that were less active in Dyslexic readers were: 1. Wernick’s Area in the Temporal Lobe: Used for comprehension of written or spoken language. 2. Broca’s Area in the Frontal Lobe: Used for articulation and production of language. 3. The Executive Function of the Pre-Frontal-Cortex is also used in reading and comprehension.

These areas showed reduced activity in the struggling readers and can all be stimulated to high functionality. 

Question: My child continues to mix up b, d, p, q but is a phenomenal speller, could they be Dyslexic?

Answer: It depends on how old they are. Reversals are normal up to 2nd grade. The child will usually learn to know the difference between those similar letters within the first few years of learning to read and spell. If he/she is older than that, or has other signs of Dyslexia, you may want to start intervention exercises. You can see other signs on our Dyslexia Symptoms page.

One thing that helps with reversals is to let them work the letters with their fingers. Such as forming their spelling words out of playdough, or put sand or salt in a tray and let them write letters in the sand or salt. Hands-on activities help bring the information in through their sense of touch. Sometimes this will stick in their memory better.

Question: I am interested if you have any information or tools that could help a 6-year-old who has recently been diagnosed with Dysgraphia? I know that this is not Dyslexia, but there are some similarities and not much support around.

Answer: You are correct. There is a link between Dysgraphia and Dyslexia. They often come together, but not always. There are two reasons that professionals are aware of.

1. Studies have shown that there is a left-brain hemisphere weakness in children with Dyslexia. The left side of the brain is also in charge of fine motor control. Because good writing is affected by the small or ‘fine’ muscles in the fingers, the weakness in the left hemisphere contributes to poor writing.
2. There are Primitive Reflexes that are still present in most children with Dyslexia. They are the same reflexes that contribute to poor hand writing. You can learn about them on our Primitive Reflex page.

The Reflexes can be suppressed which improves hand writing quite a bit. And, the left hemisphere of the brain can be stimulated through Sensory Exercises. Both of these interventions help with Dysgraphia and Dyslexia.

Question: I’m a teacher of Dyslexic students and am wondering what information will help what I teach stick better?

Answer: One of the biggest problems for Dyslexics is how they take in the information. Brain scans have shown that these cute kids are underactive in the parts of the brain that process auditory input and visual input. Finding another way to get the information into their memory is good. You can use their tactile senses to help. The Orton-Gillingham method is very affective. It instructs teachers to use a multisensory approach. They can use playdough to form letters and practice spelling words. You can also put some salt or sand in a tray and let them write their letters with their fingers in the sand. They can tap each letter out on their arm as they learn to spell it too. This helps them retain it better and carries over into better reading skills. I recommend watching some YouTube videos on the Orton-Gillingham method. It is not considered a therapy or a curriculum, just a teaching approach. It has been very affective for Dyslexic children.

Question: How can I tell if a child has Dyslexia versus Visual issues (tracking, eye teaming, visual perceptual)? It would be nice to know what to look out for to distinguish Dyslexia from visual issues.

Answer: In recent studies, they have proven that Dyslexia is partly visual.  They will usually test weak in those areas. The key is to test for the Visual Deficits and treat them with strengthening exercises. If they still struggle to read and show Dyslexic signs once the Visual Processing is handled, there is a good chance it is Dyslexia. Most Dyslexics need Visual Processing as part of their intervention anyway.

Question: What do you recommend to help people with Dyslexia? Do brain exercises help or is Dyslexia permanent?

Answer: Opinions as to whether it can or can’t be cured are controversial. Most still have traditional opinions where they believe the best treatment is practicing phonics, etc. We focus on Brain Integration Therapy which does have a lot of success in reversing Dyslexia. It doesn’t have to be a life sentence anymore. This type of Integration Therapy is relatively new. As a matter of fact, the new information found by Neurologists was not in most of the textbooks of those practicing now. Fortunately, they can learn it now in their continuing ed courses that are available to them. 

It has been found that Dyslexics almost always have Retained Primitive Reflexes that need to be integrated. The ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex) is present in most. Also, STNR (Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex), Palmar and TLR (Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex) are often present in Dyslexic children and adults. However, we recommend checking all Primitive Reflexes regardless of the child’s disability. They are all connected and can affect upper level brain functions.