Diagnosing Dyslexia in Children

Because dyslexia varies in severity from person to person, it can be hard to effectively diagnose the disorder. Your child will have to take part in several tests before she can be properly be diagnosed with dyslexia, and other learning disabilities have to be ruled out.

The earlier dyslexia is diagnosed, the sooner you can work on correcting the issues and symptoms related to the disability. It's important to run dyslexic tests on a child that shows symptoms of the condition as soon as possible.

Diagnosing Dyslexia?

If you have identified many of the symptoms of dyslexia in your child, you'll want to seek the help of professionals to make a diagnosis. It's important to remain calm and not jump to conclusions, as this will just make your child more nervous about not only the tests to come, but schoolwork in general. Here are some valid ways to accurately diagnose dyslexia:

• Do some research. Look back into your family history and ask family members if they either currently suffer from dyslexia or had some of the prominent symptoms as a child. You may not notice when an adult suffers from the disability, because that person has learned coping methods. Also, sometimes suffers don't realize they have a problem, as they think everyone views letters and words the same way that they do.
• Seek help from the school. If your child attends a public school you can choose to ask school administrators to test for dyslexia. It's important to note that public schools have to test children that live in the district for learning problems if you so request. However, schools may confuse dyslexia with other learning disabilities, as symptoms can overlap, and therefore, utilize the wrong coping methods. Because of this, it's always helpful to get a second opinion.
• Professional help. You can always choose to seek help from an education counselor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or learning disabilities specialist. These professionals are usually trained in methods that may best identify dyslexia, and may be best qualified to administer tests and interpret results.
• Support your child. During this hard and often stressful process, children are likely to experience low self-esteem. It's important to talk with your child and let her know what's going on. Children with dyslexia can live normal lives and grow up to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, and more. So keep your child dreaming, as dyslexia does not have to interrupt her future.

There is no cure for dyslexia, but diagnosing the disability early will help your child develop the tools, resources, and support she needs to keep up in the classroom. Dyslexia should never be considered a "phase," so if you think your child is suffering from a learning disability, schedule an appointment with your child's doctor as soon as possible.