Too smart to be dyslexic?

boy with stack of booksDyslexia is not tied to measurements of intelligence. In fact, dyslexia is commonly associated with above-average intelligence. That’s why parents and teacher are often baffled when a child who is obviously smart and capable struggles with reading and writing.

But parents are often stymied when seeking help for their child in school. When they raise questions about their child’s struggles, they are often told that their child is “too smart” to have dyslexia. Sometimes even when the child is tested for learning difficulties, the result is that the child doesn’t test badly enough to qualify for services. The parents might be told that their child is lazy, or just needs to try harder; or problems with academics may be mistakenly given other labels, such as Attention Deficit or or a behavioral disorder.

These statements are based on misinformation and can be harmful and discouraging to the child– who is probably working as hard as he knows how.   However, in a school setting, they can also reflect a sad reality:  the “twice gifted” child is probably a poor match for the special education services available at the school, which may be geared to children who are much less capable.  In fact, bright dyslexic children placed in special ed settings usually fare worse over time than counterparts who were given no support at all.

Fortunately, a formal diagnosis is not needed in order to get help.  These hard-to-diagnose kids very progress very quickly when introduced to Davis tools and concepts..They can quickly learn and embrace the Davis mental self-regulation skills. With the self-understanding and elimination of perceptual barriers that comes with a Davis program, these children often experience rapid and remarkable gains. After a Davis program, many are reading above their grade level and are able to effectively apply their newly acquired skills to excel in school.