Dyslexia Awareness

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disability that is neurological in nature. The dyslexic brain processes written and spoken information differently. Sometimes the information is forgotten, jumbled up, or bits are missing. Many people think that Dyslexia is just about seeing letters and words backwards. The truth is, people with Dyslexia see things as everyone else does. People with Dyslexia don't have a problem with seeing language. They have problems manipulating it, which can affect reading and writing development.
What is dyslexia? - Kelli Sandman-Hurley

The Gift of Dyslexia

THE GIFT OF DYSLEXIA



The mental function that causes dyslexia is a gift in the truest sense of the word: a natural ability, a talent. It is something special that enhances the individual.

Dyslexics don’t all develop the same gifts, but they do have certain mental functions in common. Here are the basic abilities all dyslexics share:


  1. They can utilize the brain’s ability to alter and create perceptions (the primary ability).
  2. They are highly aware of the environment.
  3. They are more CURIOUS than average.
  4. They think mainly in PICTURES instead of words.
  5. They are highly INTUITIVE and insightful.
  6. They think and perceive multi-dimensionally (USE ALL THE SENSES).
  7. They can experience thought as reality.
  8. They have vivid imaginations.


When the people with Dyslexia persists through their difficulties in school, these eight basic abilities will result in two characteristics: higher than normal intelligence and extraordinary creative abilities. From these, the true gift of dyslexia can emerge — the gift of mastery!


*Davis, Ronald Dell. (1994, 2010) “Chapter 1 – The Underlying Talent”, from The Gift of Dyslexia (Perigee, New York)

Multisensory Teaching Approach ( MTA)

Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA) is a research-based program for the remediation of Dyslexia and other reading disabilities. It follows research begun at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in 1965 by Aylett R. Cox and Dr. Lucius Waites as they developed the Alphabetic Phonics program. MTA is an Orton-Gillingham multisensory approach to teaching reading that combines Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic instruction. It is based on the alphabet symbol system, teaches the science of the written language, and addresses reading, handwriting, and spelling.

The MTA curriculum meets all state requirements for the remediation of dyslexia. In fact, the descriptors for remediation were based on this curriculum. The MTA program provides a proven approach to teaching reading, spelling, and handwriting to students who require a structured, multisensory presentation. Reliable reading and spelling patterns in the English Language are taught using multisensory discovery techniques that are intensive, systemic, and sequential. Daily lesson plans follow a structured schedule of activities. The rapid movement of this curriculum from one activity to another helps maintain the student’s attention and keeps the student involved throughout the lesson.

Importance of Audio Books

If a student is not reading on grade level, that student is missing out on crucial vocabulary. Students with Dyslexia need multiple exposures to the same word before they can begin to recognize it, much less use the word. Audiobooks provide students with the opportunity to hear words read aloud while following along visually. This allows the student to accurately pair the visual representation of a word with the pronunciation of it. This is why audio programs such as Learning Ally and Epic are fantastic resources for students.

Activities to Support Dyslexia Instruction at Home

Supporting Literacy at Home