Dyslexia: How a Speech-Language Pathologist Can Help

Dyslexia- ever heard of it? Chances are you have! It is estimated that 1 in 5 people are dyslexic. This common condition can impact the ease with which a person can identify & manipulate letters and their related sounds, rapidly process letters on a given page, and comprehend what they read. It is possible for someone to present with a deficit in only one of these areas, or they may overlap. Dyslexia is neurobiological in origin; however, it is not related to an individual’s level of intelligence. In fact, many dyslexics have sophisticated skills in other areas such as high levels of curiosity, intuitive and insightful thinking, and vivid imaginations, just to name a few. 

Early identification and treatment of dyslexia has shown to lead to positive outcomes for these individuals when it comes to their overall literacy skills. Evidence-based instructional practices for literacy intervention is recommended to provide remediation and accommodations for dyslexic students. A structured literacy intervention explicitly teaches decoding strategies often in a multi-sensory way (e.g., the Orton-Gillingham approach) that allows students to build new neural pathways for developing literacy skills. It is expected, based on a student’s individual areas of need, that they receive specialized instruction in the “Essential Seven” areas of literacy; phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, oral language, and writing. 

How can an SLP Support You?

A speech-language pathologist is a professional that is trained in the prevention, evaluation, diagnostic, and treatment process for speech, language, & social communication disorders (amongst additional scopes of practice!) in children and adults. An SLP is well-versed in supporting the areas that impact an individual’s overall literacy skills. Speech and language therapy can target phonemic awareness, which is the ability to manipulate the sounds within words. Additionally, SLPs target oral language comprehension and use (e.g., sentence structure, vocabulary, comprehension, narrative discourse, etc.). SLPs are also a good resource to utilize for evaluating and treating potential co-occurring speech and language disorders. 

If your child has a formal dyslexia diagnosis, or you have general concerns regarding your child’s overall progression of letter identification and reading skills you may want to contact a speech-language pathologist or a local reading specialist who can provide intervention to help your student. Located in Park City, at Silver Creek Speech & Language we are trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach for dyslexia and literacy intervention!

Additional Resource: PC READS- a local nonprofit that advocates for the education and access to appropriate accommodations for dyslexic students.