Seeking speech pathology for dyslexia is a vital step in supporting a child’s literacy journey and emotional well-being. Dyslexia is a specific language learning difference that affects the way the brain processes the written sounds of language ¹, typically resulting in difficulties with reading, writing and spelling. This impacts an individual’s ability to “decode” words (the process of mapping sounds to letters). While it is often associated with reading and spelling difficulties, it is important to remember that people with dyslexia often demonstrate strengths in other areas, and have a unique way of seeing the world ⁴ .
At Talkshop Speech Pathology, our focus is on supporting clients by exploring the unique complexity of the brain through a neurodiversity-affirming lens. Rather than viewing dyslexia as something that needs to be “fixed,” it is viewed as an alternative way of processing information that often comes with incredible strengths in big-picture thinking, creativity, and complex problem-solving ⁴. For this reason, dyslexia often comes under the umbrella term of ‘neurodivergent’. Consequently, the goal in providing speech pathology to people with dyslexia is to provide the right tools and strategies for reading and spelling so that each person can navigate the world with confidence and pride.
Diagnosis and Common Signs
Dyslexia is generally diagnosed by a psychologist, usually following at least six months of intervention focused specifically on improving their reading and spelling skills. The process of receiving a dyslexia diagnosis also involves ruling out any underlying conditions that may better explain reading and spelling difficulties.
Early support is often the most significant factor in long-term literacy success and emotional well-being ¹. While a formal diagnosis of dyslexia may not happen until later on in school, a speech pathologist can identify signs of literacy difficulties from as early on as preschool. No dyslexia diagnosis is required in order to start speech pathology. Some of the early signs that may indicate literacy difficulties include:
- Difficulty with Rhyming: Struggling to identify or create words that share the same ending sounds
- Word-Finding Challenges: Forgetting the names of objects or places, or using vague words like “thingy” to describe familiar objects.
- Difficulties with sound-matching: Difficulties matching words to their starting/ending sounds
- Letter-Sound Association: Finding it difficult to map sounds to letters.
Starting speech pathology earlier on can support families to begin implementing strategies before their child experiences significant academic frustration. This Thus, the focus remains on building confidence and maintaining a positive relationship with learning from the very beginning.
Why Choose Speech Pathology to Support Your Child?
Dyslexia often involves specific differences in phonological processing, which refers to the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken words ³ . Because speech pathologists are experts in the “sound system” of language, we are perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between speaking, hearing, and reading.
During speech pathology sessions, the focus is not on applying only one tool or strategy. Rather than only focusing on memorising sight words through repetition, we would instead work on building skills from the ground-up, using evidence-based intervention that dives deep into the science of reading ². Clinicians explore how sounds (phonemes) map onto letters (graphemes) and how those connections form the basis of fluent reading. The objective is to provide a unique “user manual” for each person.
The Core Components of Dyslexia
At Talkshop Speech Pathology, we investigate reading and spelling difficulties using two distinct pathways for literacy development.
- Lexical route: recognising letters and memorising known words (e.g., sight words)
- Non-lexical route: letter-sound knowledge and the ability to sound out unknown words
Difficulties occuring at the earlier, ‘foundational’ stages of literacy development are more likely to impact later-developing skills. Speech pathology sessions focus on utilising evidence-based, multisensory techniques that engage various parts of the brain simultaneously ², and aim to tailor these techniques to the specific lexical or non-lexical skills that may benefit from additional support. This integration is crucial because neurodivergent learners often thrive when they can see, hear, and feel the language they are learning. Therefore, speech pathology for dyslexia often incorporates tactile materials, physical movement, and visual aids to reinforce linguistic concepts effectively.
Phonological Processing
Awareness of individual letter-sounds and the ability to blend, segment, and manipulate the sounds in words. This also extends into phonological memory (the ability to recall new words) and rapid-naming skills (the ability to efficiently recall phonological information from long-term memory)³.
Morphology
Exploring the “units of meaning” within words, such as prefixes and suffices, enabling people to decode longer and more complex vocabulary ⁵.
Syntax and Semantics
Analysing how sentences are constructed and how meaning is derived, both of which are essential components for reading comprehension and expression.
