Dyslexia

Dyslexia Expertise in Fort Collins, Colorado

Q: What is Dyslexia?

A: Dyslexia is a neurologically based learning disability.

It impacts many children who are intelligent, or even exceptionally talented, in other areas. Dyslexia is often characterized by reading problems that cluster with other language-processing and information sequencing difficulties.

Dyslexia is not primarily due to vision or hearing loss or a child’s lack of exposure to reading instruction.

Q: How common is Dyslexia?

A: Studies have estimated that between 5-15 percent of children in the United States demonstrate symptoms of Dyslexia.

Q: Who can best diagnose Dyslexia?

A: Doctoral-level clinicians have the developmental background, proper assessment instruments and clinical expertise to evaluate for Dyslexia.

Dyslexia should never be diagnosed based on isolated test scores.

Q: What causes Dyslexia?

A: Prior to founding NeuroDevelopment Center of Colorado in Fort Collins, Dr. Skalicky contributed to research in this field for the National Institutes of Health.

Scientists have used a form of MRI that detects how the brain is working in real-time, and found that Dyslexic children tend to use less efficient neural networks to process language-related information. This inefficiency has been linked to underlying differences in brain development at the cellular level.

The language cortex (a section of grey matter above your child’s ear on the side of their dominant hemisphere) is one area that appears different in many Dyslexic brains. These differences in brain development are generally believed to result from genetic influences.

Q: How do I know if my child has Dyslexia?

A: Properly ruling Dyslexia in or out requires examination of more than just reading. It also requires examination of related language and information processing abilities, as well as consideration of the child’s developmental history. There is no single reliable test for Dyslexia. A skilled clinician only considers the diagnosis following a comprehensive evaluation.

Q: Does Dyslexia only affect my child’s reading?

A: Dyslexia can impact all areas of academic learning, particularly spelling, use of grammar and written expression. If untreated, children with Dyslexia often struggle with frustration and low self-esteem.

Q: What does effective Dyslexia treatment look like?

A: Science clearly points to explicit, systematic and multi-sensory instruction as the most effective Dyslexia treatment. Master’s level instructors in the NeuroDevelopment Learning Clinic in Fort Collins have helped children overcome Dyslexia by providing this type of intensive one-to-one program.

Q: Does a Dyslexia diagnosis mean my child will never be a good reader or a strong student?

A: While research shows that Dyslexia often requires life-long strategies, we also know that with accurate early identification and treatment most children advance significantly in reading and overall academic performance. Many prominent scholars, businesspeople and civic leaders struggled with Dyslexia before developing effective compensatory strategies.

Q: What can parents do to help a child who struggles with reading?

A: Parents can arrange for a comprehensive neuro evaluation with a doctoral-level specialist. When the reason for the reading problem is correctly identified, an effective intervention can be developed.