Myth: People with dyslexia MUST read in reverse?

One of the biggest misconceptions about dyslexia is that every single person who is dyslexic reads words "backwards" or reversed. While this may seem harmless, perpetuating this myth can lead to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, and it can affect individuals in many different ways. Even though dyslexia can be unique for each person, very few people actually read entire words backwards - for example, reading the word "glad" as "dalg." "Flipping" individual letters when decoding can be present in the dyslexic reader, but it is actually developmentally normal for emerging readers to reverse letters when decoding, especially mirror-image letters like "b" and "d." The presence of letter reversal is not necessarily an indicator of dyslexia, nor does the absence of letter reversal mean that a person is not dyslexic.

So then, what is dyslexia? According to the NIH, dyslexia "is a receptive language-based learning disability that is characterized by difficulties with decoding, fluent word recognition, rapid automatic naming, and/or reading-comprehension skills." It is a phonological processing disorder, which means that dyslexic people struggle to connect the letter symbol on the page or screen with a corresponding sound.

So how can dyslexia be identified, and then addressed? Early warning signs in children include difficulty with rhyming words and patterns, limited letter recognition, and mispronunciation of familiar, high-frequency words. As they progress through school, dyslexic students struggle to segment words, sound out simple words like "cat," and rely primarily on guessing to get through text. The solution to dyslexia struggles is systematic, explicit, research-based reading instruction.

At Jill Abrams Tutoring, Inc., our tutors are trained in Orton-Gillingham and the Wilson Reading System methodologies. These methods help students recognize and use phonological rules and patterns to not just guess words, but to actually decode and read them successfully and independently. Our multi-sensory techniques are built with the unique dyslexic brain in mind, and we place all of our students on an appropriate and invididualized learning path designed to meet all of their specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses. No matter what age or stage your child is at, our tutors at Jill Abrams Tutoring, Inc. can guide him or her to reading success and confidence with care and compassion.