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Many people have heard of dyslexia, but fewer are actually aware of how this condition manifests and what signs to look out for before taking your child to receive an assessment. In short, dyslexia is a learning disorder characterized by difficulties with reading, spelling, and decoding words. As a result, it can also impact speech development. While dyslexia primarily impacts reading and writing skills, it can also cause a multitude of speech-related challenges, including articulation difficulties, phonological processing issues, and verbal fluency problems. Recognizing these impacts and implementing targeted strategies can help individuals with dyslexia overcome speech challenges and improve communication skills—and the sooner, the better, as all proponents of early intervention agree. Articulation Struggles and Phonological Processing Articulation and pronunciation are two of the cornerstones of verbal fluency, which we’ll discuss more in depth later. Students with dyslexia may struggle to accurately produce speech sounds, leading to unclear or unintelligible speech. This can affect their ability to express themselves verbally and may result in frustration or feelings of inadequacy. Speech therapy techniques, such as articulation exercises and oral motor exercises, can help children with dyslexia improve their speech clarity and precision. Phonological processing difficulties are also commonly impaired in dyslexic students. Phonological processing refers to the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of language, which is essential for both reading and speech production. Your child with dyslexia may have trouble distinguishing between similar sounds, blending sounds together to form words, or segmenting words into their constituent sounds. Speech therapy interventions focused on phonological awareness skills often include such as rhyming activities and syllable counting exercises. Word Retrieval and Coherence As we already mentioned, verbal fluency problems are also common among individuals with dyslexia. Verbal fluency refers to the ability to produce speech fluidly and spontaneously, without hesitation or difficulty. You might notice your child with dyslexia struggle with word retrieval, finding the right words to express their thoughts and ideas, or organizing their thoughts coherently when speaking. Speech therapy techniques, such as semantic cuing strategies, word-finding exercises, and narrative therapy, can help improve verbal fluency. In addition to speech therapy interventions, accommodations and support strategies can also facilitate communication for students with dyslexia. Providing extra time for verbal responses, using visual aids or written prompts to supplement verbal communication, and utilizing voice-to-print tools, can all be helpful. The dyslexic brain is unique, and we value all learning styles at Lake Michigan Academy, where your child can thrive in the classroom and beyond. Comments are closed.
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