When your child struggles with reading and you suspect dyslexia, consider consulting with a speech language pathologist. The two may sound unrelated, but SLPs have a unique skill set that can help your child with literacy problems. Dyslexia is a lifelong neurobiological condition that affects a child’s ability to acquire skills needed for the effective development of reading and writing. Evidence has indicated the formation of a strong phonological system is crucial to learning to read words. Phonology is the sound system of a language. Phonological awareness skills enable us to put sounds together, take them apart and combine them to form words. Children who have dyslexia often have weak phonological and phonemic awareness. SLPs are experts in all areas of language including phonology. They can diagnose and treat children with dyslexia by addressing and teaching the foundational phonological skills needed for reading success. If you feel like your child may have dyslexia or has been diagnosed with a reading disorder and needs therapy, contact the Hyche Center for a speech language evaluation.
