What is Dyslexia?

Relatives may have similar problems. Teacher says, “If only she would try harder." Child may have difficulty naming colors, objects, and letters rapidly, in a  sequence. Others in family have weak memory for lists, directions, or facts.  Some may need to see or hear concepts many times to learn them. Often, dyslexia is accompanied by ADHD.

•  Difficulty counting accurately
  
• May misread numbers
  
• Difficulty memorizing and retrieving math facts
  
• Difficulty copying math problems and organizing writing
  
• Many calculation errors
  
• Difficulty retaining math vocabulary and concepts 

This can be referred to as dyscalculia.

Dyslexia and ADHD can occur together, or separately.  Often, one can mask the other.  ADHD can be primarily inattentive, primarily hyperactive, or a combined type. This neurological difference is caused by chemical imbalance in the processing centers of the brain. Symptoms include: 

• Inattention, Variable attention, Distractibility
  
• Impulsivity, Hyperactivity
  
• Dyspraxia (Motor skills)
  
• Difficulty planning and coordinating body movements
  
• Executive Function/Organization
  
• Loses papers, forgets homework, messy desk
  
• Poor sense of time, works slowly
  
• Overwhelmed by too much input
  

Basic diagnostic questions are:

• Is there a problem?
• If so, how severe is the problem?
• What type of problem is it: decoding & spelling; listening comprehension; a combination of the two (See the Simple View of Reading formula)
• What aspects are of most concern to the student and the family?
• What aspects must be considered in planning treatment (e.g., lexical access /word-finding problems, associated anxiety and/or behavioral issues, executive function and/or attention difficulties)?
• What intervention approaches does science support for this type of problem?

The clinician administering a process-focused assessment must have:

• Knowledge of the orthographic structure of written English.
• Knowledge of how children (and adults) learn to read, spell and write and how these skills are related to oral/aural language development.
• Knowledge of language processing systems and neuro-biological processing disruptions.
• Knowledge of how to match a client’s processing patterns to evidence-based interventions.
• Knowledge of the psychometric aspects of individual assessment procedures and instruments.
• Skills to select and administer assessment procedures and instruments that address the basic diagnostic questions.
• Skills to perform an error analysis on assessment samples (e.g., a spelling error analysis)

We do not bill insurance for testing.  Most insurers will not pay for educational testing.  Therefore, we offer payment plans to spread the cost out over 3 installments.  It is just $100 to book your evaluation appointment. 

Brooke Dewease Smith, M.S., CCC-SLP 

 "I graduated with my Master’s in speech/language pathology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2002 and have been a locally practicing SLP since that time.  Around the birth of my first child, my practice focus shifted to pediatrics, and I have spent much of the last sixteen years serving the children of Lauderdale and the surrounding counties. I have spent time contracting with Lauderdale County schools and served at three of their four elementary schools. Since 2012, I have recently worked in private practice, serving children of all ages, with a primary focus on the early intervention (0-3 years) population. In my role as an SLP with EI, I have significant experience in the early identification of language disorders and other developmental delays. I look forward to bringing this experience to further serve local children in this new role as the Evaluation Director at Illuminations."