Dyslexia | Diagnosis & Treatments
How is dyslexia diagnosed?
Dyslexia is diagnosed by a detailed assessment of the child’s reading, language and cognitive skills. In the Learning Disabilities Program, your child will be seen by a team that includes a written language specialist, who is qualified to determine, in collaboration with the neurologist and neuropsychologist, whether the child has dyslexia.
Does my child need a brain scan to diagnose or treat dyslexia?
Researchers sometimes use brain scans to learn more about the neurological basis for dyslexia, and children with dyslexia can be very helpful in advancing science by participating in these studies. However, brain scans are not used to diagnose dyslexia or other reading disorders, nor are they pertinent to treatment. Accordingly, insurance does not cover them for this purpose.
How is dyslexia treated?
Dyslexia is typically treated by special education intervention provided in school. There are scientifically based programs for teaching reading skills to children with dyslexia. The specialists in the Learning Disabilities Program will make personalized recommendations for the types of interventions that are likely to be helpful. Most children with dyslexia are provided with an individualized education plan (IEP) in school. For a child with dyslexia, these plans should include intensive, daily direct reading instruction guided by one of these programs.
What are the outcomes for children with dyslexia?
With appropriate and intensive intervention, most children with dyslexia make good progress. They may, however, continue to read slowly or have persistent problems with spelling. Nevertheless, teenagers and adults with dyslexia generally learn strategies to get around these problems.
Dyslexia | Research & Innovation
What dyslexia research is available at Boston Children’s?
There are several ongoing research programs that focus on dyslexia at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Nadine Gaab leads brain imaging studies on dyslexia (visit the Gaab Laboratory) and Dr. Aparna Raghuram researches the role of vision in dyslexia (aparna.raghuram@childrens.harvard.edu).