The Background to Easyread
Learning to read is probably the hardest thing most of us ever do.
Literacy was only developed around 5000 years ago and so we have to rewire our brain in order to link visual images (processed in the visual cortex) to sounds and linguistics (processed in the auditory cortex). It is not something that the brain has been designed for through evolution.
As a result, most children find learning to read hard and one in five children reaches the age of 11 unable to read proficiently.
We find that these children are often of above average intelligence. And the good news is that we are usually able to teach them to read competently in around 6-9 months.
The term dyslexia is used when a child is struggling to read more than would be expected for the child's general level of intelligence. However, dyslexia is surrounded by controversy and confusion. You will find it hard to find two matching definitions of it. And people often view it as a single learning disability.
Our experience has been very different.
What concerns us more than the meaning of dyslexia is the underlying reasons for reading difficulty. I don't really care whether someone is dyslexic or not, I just want to teach them to read.
Any "diagnosis" of dyslexia without a detailed description of what is causing the problem is irrelevant to my mind. It is like a garage mechanic looking you in the eye and saying "Madam, we have inspected your car and it doesn't work".
So, the foundation to Easyread is our analysis of the causes of dyslexia.
Once you know the symptoms of each cause of dyslexia and you can spot them, you are at least half way to solving the problem and seeing the child learn to read.
Therefore, I would suggest reading our description of the causes of dyslexia first, to see if any of them seem to match what you have seen.