Some children are different Many people think that part of being smart is being able to read well. They are wrong. About 100 years ago, doctors figured out that some very smart people who do really well at many other things, have trouble learning to read. This difficulty with reading is called dyslexia.	The written word is confusing. When you read, your brain has to do a lot of things at once. It has to connect letters with sounds and put those sounds together in the right order. Children who have an average or above IQ and are reading 1 1/2 grades or more below grade level may be dyslexic. If you suspect your child may have dyslexia, do not wait! Have your child evaluated. Your child should not have to fail for a couple years before being able to getting the right kind of help.	Reading can be difficult. No one is born knowing how to read—we all have to learn how. The brain has to help you put letters, words, and paragraphs together in ways that let you read them quickly and understand what they mean. It also has to connect words and sentences with other kinds of knowledge. When you see “c-a-t” on a piece of paper, your brain doesn't just have to read the word “cat,” it also has to make the connection that “cat” means a furry, four-legged animal that meows.
Reading is learned When you have dyslexia, though, your brain takes longer to make some of these connections, and does it in more steps. It especially has trouble matching the letters you see on the page with the sounds those letters and combinations of letters make. And when you have trouble with that step, it makes all the other steps harder.	Learning disabilities are common As many as 1 out of every 5 people in the United States has a learning disability. Almost 3 million children (ages 6 through 21) have some form of a learning disability and receive special education in school. In fact, over half of all children who receive special education have a learning disability (Twenty-fourth Annual Report to Congress, U.S. Department of Education, 2002).	Math can be challenging We often define dyslexia as an "unexpected difficulty in reading"; however, a dyslexic student may also have difficulty with math facts although they are often able to understand and do higher level math quite well.
Gender and Dyslexia Although it used to be thought that more boys experienced dyslexia than girls, current research has indicated that dyslexia occurs in approximately equal proportions. One possible explanation of this myth is that boys may be more likely to act out when experiencing difficulty, while girls may try to hide their trouble. Therefore, more boys would be recognized and diagnosed with dyslexia, falsely inflating the statistics.	The Silent Disability When a disability affects approximately 20% of our population, it shouldn't be a secret. Yet, rarely do we even encounter the word "dyslexia" in our school system. Dyslexia should be spoken about freely in our schools. Teachers and parents should have knowledge of the symptoms and evidence-based interventions should be provided at an early age. Recognizing that dyslexia is the most common learning disability in the United States, Governor Herbert declared October as Dyslexia Awareness Month.	Early Intervention Dyslexics are often creative, big picture thinkers with exceptional 3D visual-spatial skills. In fact, 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic and an inordinate number of CEO's are dyslexic, including Ted Turner, Charles Schwab and Richard Branson. It is imperative that we begin screening for dyslexia in our schools at an early age. Too many parents are being told "wait and they will catch up." Well, we are really just waiting for them to fail. And that is unacceptable.

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