Editorial: Could it be dyslexia?

Has your child struggled to read, or does your middle schooler freak out if asked to read aloud?

Or have you always found spelling and some comprehension next to impossible?

If you said yes to any of these questions, dyslexia may be the reason.

Between 10 to 20% of people are affected by dyslexia, according to Dyslexia Canada.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month.

What is it?

At its core, dyslexia is a challenge with language that can manifest as difficulty with spelling, speaking, and writing.

It is often hereditary.

Father Neil Johnston has two kids who have it.

He is also CEO of the private, non-profit school Fraser Academy Association in Vancouver, which specializes in teaching students from grades 1 through 12 with language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.

He said several students from Squamish and Whistler have attended the school.

Johnston said that early screening is key to ensuring your child doesn’t fall through the cracks.

Some signs parents may notice even before their child is of reading age, according to Dyslexia Canada, are mispronouncing words, struggling to sing the letters of the alphabet, and having difficulty remembering or following directions that have several steps.

In early grades, students may mistake letters that look the same, like b and d, or struggle to read simple words when there aren’t pictures to guide them.

One myth though, is that kids with dyslexia reverse their letters.

“Many young children reverse letters when learning to write, regardless of whether or not they have dyslexia. In fact, most children with dyslexia do not reverse letters,” according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.

In middle school and beyond, the signs include reading slowly, leaving out small words and parts of longer words, and struggling to remember abbreviations, even those used on social media like idk (I don’t know).

The Yale Center has a fulsome list of signs and symptoms for parents to check.

The good news is, that with some extra help, folks with dyslexia can see great success at school and in life.

It is a learning difference and does not reflect intelligence, Johnston stresses.

Plenty of very successful people have dyslexia.

Former NHL players Brent Sopel and Tie Domi are dyslexic, for example, as is famous Canadian shoe designer John Fluevog and actors Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Aniston and Whoopi Goldberg.

Find out more at www.dyslexiacanada.org.