Dyslexia is a reading disorder that can affect individuals with normal or above-average intelligence, which is why it is unexpected. Despite their cognitive abilities, individuals with dyslexia experience difficulties with reading.
However, there are early signs that parents and caregivers can watch out for in children, such as trouble remembering names, including their own. They may also struggle with reciting days of the week or the month of the year, even repeating rhymes and songs. Incorrect pronunciation of words is common, as is difficulty differentiating between left and right. A family member (or more) may have been identified with dyslexia.
But, what happens during Kindergarten in a Spanish Immersion Program?
In this stage, children show those early signs explained before in addition to some others such as understanding how a word is made of letters and that each letter has a sound, with that said, they can't sound simple words with simple patterns when reading as they tend to omit, change, or add sounds to a word; they also can take longer to learn the alphabet and relate sounds to their corresponding letters.
While they understand stories when told to them, something different happens when they start reading, they may start guessing words instead of reading them. If these difficulties continue, they may fall behind and experience a negative impact on their self-esteem, avoiding reading and engaging in other activities instead.
For all these reasons, it's important to start interventions in Kindergarten to prevent these issues, as delaying intervention until later grades can take more time and effort to improve.
And, in First Grade?
By First Grade, some signs are that students are reading very slowly and it becomes apparent that they may struggle with omitting, adding, or substituting sounds and starting or finishing words incorrectly. Reading unfamiliar words is particularly challenging and even familiar words can prove difficult. The phonemic awareness tasks, such as blending, segmenting, identifying specific sounds in a word, and substituting or omitting sounds among others, are also challenging. They may appear tired and yawn and they struggle to pay attention to reading tasks, even when receiving one-on-one instruction.
It is important to consider the possibility that the signs that a student shows are not dyslexia, but a lack of explicit and systematic teaching process which contributes to this reading delay, which also should be considered for intervention. It may be due to other factors, such as lack of attention or hearing or sight issues.
When should a child be assessed for dyslexia?
Nowadays, screening tests, such as the Early Bird test, are available for kids as young as 4. This screening test can identify areas where a child may be struggling with reading and help to address those issues. For a proper evaluation, starting halfway through first grade and seeing a specialist is best. The assessment will typically begin with an anamnesis or family history, followed by sight and hearing screening, an intelligence test, and a proper dyslexia test. There are many dyslexia tests available, both standardized and non-standardized, but a standardized test is recommended for an accurate diagnosis.
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