About the Show
Understanding Dyslexia
Language is a complex code. To decipher words we must connect different combinations of letters to the sounds they make. A process that becomes automatic for most of us is muddled by dyslexia.

How the neurons in our brains connect to one another is what gives us all different strengths and weaknesses. Some of us are simply not wired for reading and writing.

The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia in the following way:


Dyslexia is a specific learning disability

that is neurological in origin.

It is characterized by

  • difficulties with accurate and / or fluent word recognition
  • and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.
 

These difficulties typically result from a


deficit in the phonological component of language

that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and

the provision of effective classroom instruction.


Secondary consequences may include:

  • problems in reading comprehension
  • and reduced reading experience
that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. 

"The difficulty with dyslexia is making the connection between letters and the sounds they make-
and being able to look at a letter and know what sound I should utter out of my mouth."
Kathy Rose, Chairperson of the Reconstructive Language Department at The Gow School
The History of Dyslexia
Just over a century ago, school boys in England and the United States exhibited the first evidence of Dyslexia. The inability of these otherwise bright students puzzled doctors.

"...kids who couldn't learn to read were written off.

They were diagnosed as 'feeble minded,'
even though many of them had above average intelligence.

Samuel Orton was one of the first doctors to realize

that there was more to the story..."

David Gow


A young physician named Samuel Orton, took interest in the subject. He called the affliction "Strephosymbolia", meaning "twisted symbols." Dr. Orton's terminology did not last, but his name became synonymous with the study of Dyslexia.

The Orton-Gillingham method of instruction is one of the most widely used and proven methods to impact learning in the dyslexic student.