WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?

The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek words DYS and LEXIS.
DYS means Poor or Inadequate. LEXIS means Word or Language.

Dyslexia is caused by a difference in the way the brain processes information.
Dyslexia effects people in different ways. So, it may be expressed differently from one
person to another. A person is born with it, and it often runs in families. Dyslexia isn’t a disease
or an illness, so it can’t be cured and people don’t outgrow it. The United States Department
of Health and Human Services estimates that 15% of the U.S. population has dyslexia.

Dyslexia makes it more difficult for a person to work with language, so people with
dyslexia read more slowly and make more mistakes while reading. They may also have
a hard time with reading comprehension, spelling, and writing, but when other
people read to them, they often have no problem understanding the text.

Dyslexia affects learning, but it doesn’t affect intelligence. People with dyslexia are just as smart as their peers, but since they think with a different area of the brain, they solve problems differently. Because they think differently, people with dyslexia excel in some areas, but struggle in others. For example, they tend to be extremely creative, artistic and musical, but they may not be the best at English or math. Many successful people with dyslexia are famous for having strengths in problem-solving, the ability to think visually, the ability to see the big picture, and have an intuitive understanding of how things work.

People can be tested for dyslexia at any age, however, the tests are different for adults
than for kids. There are also teaching strategies and approaches that can help people
with dyslexia manage their challenges and improve their reading skills.