Does Your Child Need a Dyslexia Preschool

Posted on: March 16, 2018

Parents who have children with dyslexia should seriously consider early intervention. The earlier dyslexia is treated, the more easily changes can be made and the more significant the impact will be. In fact, in January 2018 we launched a pre-school pilot program aimed at assisting school representatives and teachers with recognizing dyslexia in pre-school aged children, and therefore enabling them to provide support with the basic building blocks of language-based learning and to know what signs to look for and what additional resources are available to help kids who need it.

Wellington-Alexander Center is a one-of-a-kind, all-inclusive neurodevelopmental screening, assessment and treatment center. We evaluate and treat patients of all ages, from toddlers to young adults.

Our intensive intervention program uses methodology that is scientifically based to get to the root of the problem. Through our program, we help children to form the necessary basic building blocks for good language-based learning, to include reading, writing and communicating clearly.

We encourage parents to contact us to discuss the needs of their children and to discover how our solution can be your most successful option.

Learning with dyslexia

Children with dyslexia are often highly intelligent, and by definition have either average or above-average IQ scores. For that reason, they are frequently able to come up with coping skills that mask their challenges and make it difficult for others to identify that they are dyslexic; however, as children grow older, their compensatory coping strategies become less effective. It is at this point that most parents seek help. It is important to note that children with dyslexia can be successful with language-based learning difficulties if they are given the opportunity to develop the basic building blocks of language, and provided with the right tools to continue building upon that on their own. This is why it is so important to seek early intervention and provide your child with the tools they need for learning.

Does my child have dyslexia?

Many parents are unsure if their child is dyslexic because they are not aware of the signs they should be watching for. The signs vary depending on the child's age. Around pre-school age, you may notice some of these common signs in your child:

  • May talk later than most children
  • Difficulty with pronouncing words or forming sounds properly 
  • Difficulty naming letters, numbers, colors, and shapes
  • Shy to communicate or lacks the appropriate words to convey what they are feeling
  • Unable to follow multi-step directions
  • Struggles to tell a story in the correct sequence 
  • Difficulty with rhyming
  • Struggles to separate sounds in words or blend sounds to make words

From Kindergarten through fourth grade, you may notice some of these common signs in your child:

  • Difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation)
  • May be slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
  • Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including:
    • Letter reversals – d for b
    • Word reversals – top for pot
    • Inversions – m and w, u and n
    • Transpositions – felt and left
    • Substitutions – house and home
  • Transposes number sequences
  • Has difficulty remembering facts
  • Slow to learn new skills
  • Difficulty planning or organizing
  • Struggles to learn to tell time
  • Uses an awkward pencil grip
  • May have poor fine motor coordination

We help capable children be their very best

Having dyslexia does not mean a child is incapable of learning. Dyslexic children are, in fact, highly capable of learning. What they lack is the basic building blocks of language and the tools they need to process language properly in order to read and comprehend, write and communicate effectively. This just means that they have challenges we need to help them overcome. Working closely with children and parents, we help our patients to be and do their very best.

Parents are frequently amazed by the significant changes in their children’s abilities and the level of success they are able to achieve after attending our program. The results vary from child to child but the care and attention we provide does not. We are passionate about what we do and appreciate the privilege and honor of helping these young minds to grow.

Learn more

If your child is dyslexic, or you think they may be, we invite you to contact us and learn more about our intensive intervention program for dyslexia. Call now to schedule your FREE one-hour consultation.