One of the things that OWLS Therapy is known for is our treatment of dyslexia.Dyslexia has always been a passion of mine probably due to the fact that I love to read,and I can’t imagine not loving to read. When people say that they don’t like to curl up with a good book on a rainy cold day, I probably look at them like they havetwo heads! So,while some people just might not enjoy reading, there are sadly those out there where reading is difficult and frustrating. My hope is that this blog post will shed some light on what dyslexia is and the treatment options that are out there.

What is dyslexia?

First and foremost, dyslexia comes with a lot of stereotypes that are quite frankly, false. I have heard weird claims like kids with dyslexia read backward and, my favorite, can read fluently if everything is printed on a certaincolor of blue paper! What?! So,let me set the record straight…dyslexia is a catch-all wordto describe someone with normal intelligencewho has difficulty reading when given adequate instruction to learn how to do so. It’s that simple. There is nothing in the definition of dyslexia that talks about reading backward, needing colored paper, or any other bizarre theory you have heard. What this does mean is that there are thousands of ways that dyslexia can present and that it won’t look the same from one person to the next. In turn, this means that treatment is not a one size fits all approach and rather needs to bend and adapt to the child’s individual strengths and weaknesses, sometimes even session to session. Dyslexia, like all language-based disorders, lies on a continuum from mild to severe. Dyslexia can influence one’s ability to spell words, read quickly,write words (even when the knowledge is there for how to spell them),decodeor sound-outwords both aloud or silently, and understand what one reads. One skill may be affected while another is actually a strength. Additionally, some skills may be severely affected while others are only mildly impacted.

What are the treatment options?

Treatment for dyslexia should begin when it is first noticed that a child is struggling to read. School systems often take a wait to fail approach which does no one any good. By the time a child isflagged in the school system for struggling with reading/writing, negativethought processes regarding reading, spelling, and writing may have already begun to form. Consistent, frequent, and targeted intervention results in the fastest gains while helping to prevent a larger gap from forming between skills and grade-level expectations.

There are many approaches out there to working with children with dyslexia. OWLS Therapy uses either the Lindamood Bell or the Orton Gillingham approach. Both techniques use a multi-sensory approach by incorporating sight, sound,touch, and movement to target the sensory and cognitive processing skills that are needed for readingand writing.

Tutor vs CALT vs SLP: who is best?

While there are different treatment approaches to dyslexia, there are also different service providers!  While I am obviously going to advocate for a speech language pathologist treating dyslexia (I’ll explain more below), the key when finding someone to work with your child is to find someone who is knowledgeable and has experience in working with dyslexia.

So why is a speech language pathologist the best bet?  This is due to the fact that dyslexia isn’t a cut and dry language disorder.  Key word: LANGUAGE!  The initial schooling that is required for our master’s degree and the ongoing continuing education courses that we are required to take in order to keep our license means that we are the experts in language development and language-based disorders.  While tutors and CALTs (certified academic language therapists- not to be confused with speech language therapists- that’s us!) have knowledge and training, these professions are not as heavily regulated, if at all, as a licensed speech language pathologist.  While CALTs are at least required to have some coursework and take continuing education units, these requirements pale in comparison to the level of training a speech pathologist must undertake to obtain their master’s degree and the amount of continuing education units that are required to maintain state licensure.  Additionally, CALTs and tutors do not have a government agency making sure that these requirements are being abided by.

Lastly, children diagnosed with dyslexia are at a higher risk of having difficulties with memory, articulation, and executive functioning.  These are all factors that influence the outcome of treatment and are all factors that fall under a speech language pathologist’s scope of practice to treat.  Tutors and CALTs cannot say the same.

Will my child improve?

This answer is a lot easier to answer. In a word: yes!  While a child may not go on to be considered a “book worm,” in the 13 years I have been a speech pathologist and the 11 years I have been working with children with dyslexia, they have all made progress.  Dyslexia is not a quick fix, but I have seen children begin to read above grade level and love to nestle down with a book when consistent, frequent therapy was implemented.

About the Author

Janene Besch

Director/Speech-Language Pathologist

Janene Besch, née Martin, holds a Master’s degree in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. Janene is a member of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology
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