Not ADD? Think Dyslexia - October is Dyslexia Awareness Month

Although as many as 1 in 10 people have dyslexia, Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, physicians and co-authors of The Mislabeled Child, say it is commonly misdiagnosed as attention deficit disorder or underachievement.

Edmonds, WA (PRWEB) October 23, 2006 -- Although as many as 1 in 10 people have dyslexia, Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, physicians and co-authors of the book The Mislabeled Child, say it's one of the most common reasons for mislabeling in school-age children.

"If you talk to most parents or teachers, ADD or attention deficit disorder is the first thing on people's minds when a student's falling behind in class or is struggling in school," says Dr. Brock Eide, "but what they should be doing is thinking about dyslexia. The dyslexic child is often a mislabeled child."

Although dyslexia may be the most common specific learning disability, it's not formally identified in school, and many parents and professionals may be more aware of attention deficit disorder checklists than ones for dyslexia. Advises Dr. Fernette Eide, "Parents need to be alert to the possibility of dyslexia, because they may be on the only who recognizes their child's pattern of difficulties, so they can help get them the proper assessments, accommodations, and remediations they need."

Children with unrecognized dyslexia are mislabeled as inattentive, lazy, careless, or slow, but, the Eides say, often nothing could be farther from the truth. "Dyslexics are overrepresented in creative and inventive fields like art and architecture or computers and engineering, " adds Dr. Fernette Eide. "As young people, their gifts and talents may be overlooked because society only sees their weakest link."

Common Signs and Symptoms of Dyslexia may include:

·   Reading is slow and effortful (especially reading aloud)
·   Tendency to make wild guesses with new words
·   Trouble appreciating rhymes, may not 'get' Dr. Seuss
·   May skip over small words (like a, an, the) while reading
·   Mixes up order of letters
·   Avoids reading aloud
·   Listening comprehension much better than read comprehension
·   Letter reversals, unusual spelling errors (may look like wild guesses)
·   May avoid writing by hand or reading aloud
·   "Careless" errors in math or with reading test instructions
·   Does much better with oral testing

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. For more information about dyslexia, see http://www.mislabeledchild.com

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