Many times I’ve heard people refer to this book as the Bible for dyslexia. The Yale Center for Dyslexia’s Dr. Sally’s Shaywitz’s comprehensive book Overcoming Dyslexia clearly addresses
- what dyslexia is and the brain science that backs it up
- signs throughout many stages of development and education
- challenges of dyslexia
- resources for research- and evidence-based solutions for helping improve their reading and spelling skills
- how to build relationships with schools and teachers to help meet student’s needs
- the many strengths that individuals with dyslexia often have (which is my favorite part)
I always recommend that parents new to dyslexia read this book first. It’s my opinion that through the lens of this book, they can more readily differentiate the fact from the fiction as they encounter information about dyslexia in other published works, from well-meaning individuals – and as they siphon through the endless offerings delivered by Dr. Google.
The book also highlights some successful dyslexics, which is very comforting during those early days of feeling uncertain and confused about your child’s future or how to proceed.
Published in 2005, there has been a considerable amount of new information supporting Dr. Shaywitz’s text as well as augmenting some of the suggestions for successful proven programs, assistive technology, and other interventions and accommodations helpful for dyslexic individuals.
The book is available on Amazon and through other sellers. I’ve made it a practice to buy used copies and give it to people who are just learning about dyslexia.
An aside, the first section of the book is rather meaty, however somewhat dry, as it’s filled with a lot of science and quite a bit of technical/clinical language. I recommend to folks that they buy either the Audible or Kindle version of the book should they want to listen to those chapters.
The featured photo is Dr. Shaywitz speaking in Washington DC during the May 2016 Senate hearings on dyslexia research. The video is available on C-SPAN.
