How to Tell If Your Child Has One of These Reading Disorders

Especially after the last few years, kids academic skill levels are all over the place.

You may be wondering if this is normal or if something else is going on.

What are reading disorders?

It is characterized by poor spelling and inaccurate reading fluency.

However, there are other learning disorders associated with reading that are being researched and diagnosed more often.

These include:

Hyperlexia, a reading comprehension disorder.

People with this disorder have trouble understanding what they read even though they can decode the letters and sounds.

Dysgraphia, which relates to writing.

People with dysgraphia may have trouble writing, spelling, or organizing their writing.

Dysorthography, a spelling disorder in which someone cannot put together sounds and their corresponding patterns despite instruction.

If your child is struggling to read, dont immediately assume they have a disorder.

They may need a different approach or more time.

Either way, its best to compare notes with your school.

If they diagnose something, you could bring that information to the school and form a plan from there.

Your child may also qualify for special education services.

Thats no longer the case in most states, says Selman.

They can form a one-on-one relationship with your child to help meet their individual needs.

For language-based processing disorders, seeing a speech-language pathologist outside of school may be appropriate.

Some SLPs have extra training or experience assessing and treating reading problemsask around in your community, says Selman.

For dysgraphia, the writing-based disorder, an occupational therapist may be able to help.

She suggests parents be sure to look for independent research that verifies the claims the company is making.