| Dyslexia |
What Is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects approximately 10 percent of children. Those diagnosed with dyslexia have trouble connecting sounds to letter symbols. This affects the way children with dyslexia learn to read and spell. Fortunately, major strides have been made in understanding the language-based disorder, many of them at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Children with dyslexia can learn to read and be successful despite their learning differences.
For more information about the condition, including frequently asked questions, Texas Dyslexia Law, suggestions for parents and teachers and additional resources, please download TSRHC’s Dyslexia Defined materials.
Dyslexia and TSRHC
The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders is named for Dr. Luke Waites, who in 1965 established a program at TSRHC to identify and treat children with learning disorders, primarily dyslexia. The World Federation of Neurology met at TSRHC in 1968 and formulated the first consensus definition of developmental dyslexia. TSRHC’s Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia is now internationally recognized in the field of learning disorders.
The center provides evaluation and diagnosis for children with academic learning disorders, as well as specialized treatment for those with dyslexia. Led by medical director Dr. Jeff Black and administrative director Gladys Kolenovsky, the center's team combines the experience and skills of medicine and education. Services include:
Dyslexia is a word reading problem due to differences in the brain that make learning letter sounds difficult. Without adequate letter-sound knowledge, recognizing words in print is slow and inaccurate. The root cause is weak phonological, not visual, processing. This phonological weakness is with the sounds of language.
Becoming a Patient
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, located in Dallas, uses several criteria to determine a patient's eligibility. A child must meet the following requirements to be evaluated for a learning disorder at the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia:
- The child must be a Texas resident between the ages of 5 and 14.
- A physician’s referral is required with each patient application.
- The child must be a proficient English speaker.