October is Dyslexia awareness month

Emily here!  Happy October!  I do hope you are enjoying all things fall.  The cooler weather, apple cider donuts, and comfy sweaters are certainly making me feel wonderful.  October also brings with it Dyslexia Awareness Month.  We at Hyperion LLS are going to bring you lots of information about Dyslexia throughout the month, but let us start increasing our awareness through accepting a definition of Dyslexia.  The International Dyslexia Association defines Dyslexia as :

If that definition seems a little difficult to grasp don't worry-  you are not alone in that and I can help you unpack it a little.  The first part of the definition says that Dyslexia is "neurobiological in origin".  This means that there is a change in the way the brain works or processes information.  We can actually see, using some pretty fancy technology called fMRI, how the brain of a person with Dyslexia lights up differently during reading when compared to someone who doesn't have the same challenge.  These brain changes cause a person to have difficulty processing and storing the sound system (phonological aspects) of a language.  This does not have to do with a person's vision or intelligence and happens even when a student receives typical academic instruction in the classroom.  This difficulty with mapping the sound system of language in the brain can impact a person's spelling, reading abilities, and vocabulary.  If you would like to learn a little bit more about what Dyslexia is you might find this short video to be very helpful.

That is a lot of information to take in so I won't bombard you with much more today.  I do want to share this poem with you before we close though.  It was written by an 8th grader I work with who has been diagnosed with Dyslexia.  I think her words speak louder than many definitions I could provide you with. Maybe try something so soothe... like.. I know this is a lot of information and we will continue to explore the in's and out's throughout the month. But please know this: Your child CAN BE TAUGHT. With the proper plan, they CAN LEAD A NORMAL LIFE. It's every parents' goal to raise their children to their highest potential and we're here to help.

Throughout the month follow us here on the blog as well as on Instagram (@hyperionlanguageandlearning), Facebook (@HyperionLLS), and Twitter (@HyperionLLS) to learn more about what Dyslexia is, how it is diagnosed, how it is treated, and how we as parents and educators can provide support and accommodations for children and adults with Dyslexia.
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