What are the common signs of dyslexia?
1. Difficulty remembering the names of the letters of the alphabet 
2. Difficulty remembering the sounds of the letters 
3. Reversing letters when writing (b-d), or flipping them (b-p) 
4. Writing right to left -- mirror writing 
5. Reading words backwards (tap - pat) 
6. Scrambling letters in reading or writing (gril - girl) 
7. Substituting words for the written word (rat - mouse, truck - van, house - home) 

Why do some children have trouble 
learning to read and spell?
1. A premature baby may mature and learn slower than babies born to term. 
2. Missed school (due to illness or moving) may be a cause. 
3. The student may have a low I.Q.. 
4. ADD (attention deficit disorder) makes it impossible for some children to sit still and listen to instruction. 
5. The student may have dyslexia -- a learning disability that is a language based disorder. 

What does the word "dyslexia" mean?
The word "dyslexia" broken apart: 
"dys" means not able or having difficulty with
"lexia" comes from the Greek for "language"

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research
Results Released in 1994:
1. Dyslexia affects at least 1 out of 5 children in the United States.
2. Dyslexia represents the most common and prevalent of learning disabilities.
3. Some forms of dyslexia are highly heritable.
4. Dyslexia is the leading cause of reading failure and school dropouts in our nation.
5. Children do NOT outgrow reading failure or dyslexia.
6. Reading evidence does not support the use of "whole language" reading approaches to teach dyslexic children.
7. Reading failure caused by dyslexia is highly preventable through direct, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness.
8. Dyslexia is identifiable, with 92% accuracy, at ages 5-1/2 to 6-1/2.
9. Dyslexia and ADD/HD are two separate and identifiable entities.
10. Dyslexia and AD/HD so frequently co-exist within the same child that it is always best to test for both.
11. Early intervention is essential for this population.
12. Reading failure is the most commonly shared characteristic of juvenile offenders.

How do you effectively teach reading to someone with dyslexia (a language based learning difficulty)? 
How do you teach ANY beginning reader to read well?

Go Phonics utilizes and supports these proven instructional strategies: 

1. Use simultaneous, multi-sensory instruction for teaching the name, formation, and sound of letters: vison, hearing, and touch simultaneously to promote higher retention. 

2. Teach phonics skills one at a time in building block fashion.

3. Use a sequence that minimizes confusion (systematic).

4. Teach decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) skills using the 42 basic sounds of the English language---helping those who cannot memorize words by sight, and helping all students to read larger words independently.

5. Conduct DAILY review of the vowel, phonogram, and digraph sounds until mastered. 

6. Provide integrated materials that give substantial decoding and encoding practice until mastery is achieved.

7. Make the practice FUN--transforming it into a magical experience by using games, songs, and activities that support the instruction.

8. Give students preparation before reading a story by playing a game and doing worksheets related to the new sound, and reading and language arts skills that will be in the story.

9. Provide decodable stories with controlled vocabulary that builds on the skills taught to date---eliminating the tendency to guess.

10. Teach comprehension and language arts skills within the context of the stories (to give the skills meaning and purpose).

Systematic and Multisensory Reading Program  Especially Effective for Students with Dyslexia and other language based learning difficulties.

Integrated Tools for Practice and Repetition phonics games, workbooks, decodable controlled vocabulary stories

http://www.hslda.org

The International Dyslexia Association: http://www.interdys.org

Articles from the International Dyslexia Association:
1. What is Multisensory Teaching?

2.Testing for Dyslexia

3. Individualized Education 
Program (IEP)