Dyslexia in Children: Causes, Signs, and Speech Therapy
As a speech therapist, I treat dyslexia in children both in Malaga and online.
Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disorders in childhood. Many intelligent and capable children have persistent difficulties with reading and writing. It is not laziness. It is not a lack of effort. It is a neurobiological disorder that requires specialized intervention.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific and persistent difficulty in learning to read and write. It typically appears during school-age years. It stems from a neurodevelopmental disorder with a significant genetic component.
Children with dyslexia have difficulty:
- Reading accurately and fluently
- Understanding what they read
- Writing correctly
- Spelling words
Dyslexia is not related to intelligence. Nor is it related to vision or hearing problems.
How many children in Spain have dyslexia?
Dyslexia is more common than people think. In Spain, prevalence studies show rates ranging from 5% to 11.8%, depending on the region and the methodology used. A study conducted in Murcia involving more than 2,000 elementary school children estimated a prevalence of 11.8%.
In Andalusia, a study with a sample population of more than 944,000 students aged 6 to 16 estimated a prevalence of 3.6% using strict criteria, and up to twice that figure using broader criteria. In addition, approximately 31,700 students may have difficulties associated with dyslexia without having been identified.
This means that in a class of 25 children, there are likely 2 or 3 with reading difficulties. And many of them have not been diagnosed or received any intervention.
Causes of dyslexia
Dyslexia has a neurobiological basis. It is not the result of poor teaching or a lack of motivation.
When a parent has dyslexia, the likelihood that their child will also have it is between 25% and 50%. This confirms its genetic basis.
Cognitively speaking, the core of the problem is often a deficit in phonological awareness—that is, difficulty identifying and manipulating the sounds of language. This directly interferes with learning to read.
The most widely accepted hypothesis in the scientific literature is that dyslexia results from a deficit in phonological awareness. However, there is also evidence suggesting that visuospatial deficits play a contributing role.
Warning signs: When to see a speech-language pathologist for dyslexia
Some signs may appear before children begin formal reading instruction. Others become apparent around the ages of 6 or 7.
Before age 6:
- Difficulty learning songs or rhymes
- Confusion between similar sounds
- A more limited vocabulary than their peers
- Difficulty learning the alphabet
Ages 6–7 and up:
- He reads very slowly and makes a lot of mistakes
- Mistakes similar letters (b/d, p/q)
- Omit or reverse letters when writing
- He has good listening comprehension but struggles with reading
- Avoids reading aloud
- Academic performance below their true potential
Without proper support, children with dyslexia may develop low self-esteem, a lack of motivation in school, and emotional difficulties. Early detection allows for intervention before these issues take hold.
Treatment of Dyslexia: The Role of the Speech therapist
Speech therapy is the standard treatment for dyslexia. The earlier treatment begins, the better the results.
The speech therapist focuses on:
- Phonological awareness: identifying and manipulating sounds
- The grapheme-phoneme correspondence: linking letters and sounds
- Reading fluency: reading quickly and accurately
- Reading Comprehension: Understanding What You Read
- Writing and Spelling
What does the scientific evidence say?
A systematic review evaluating visuospatial interventions in children with dyslexia found that phonological training programs improve reading accuracy and letter-sound knowledge. In addition, visuospatial interventions had positive effects on reading fluency and comprehension.
Scientific evidence shows that systematic and explicit stimulation of phonological skills, combined with instruction in grapheme-phoneme correspondence, promotes the development of reading skills. The multisensory method, which combines auditory, visual, and tactile modalities, has proven to be particularly effective for children with dyslexia.
Sessions can be held in person or entirely online, with the same level of effectiveness.
How long does the treatment take?
There is no set timeframe. It depends on the severity, age of onset, and frequency of sessions.
What is clear is that dyslexia does not go away. But with the right intervention, the child learns strategies to compensate for their difficulties. They can read, write, and perform in school at a level commensurate with their actual ability.
Early intervention (before age 8) yields the best results.
Speech therapist for dyslexia in Málaga and online
If your child is having trouble reading or writing, don’t wait for the problem to get worse. A speech-language assessment can help determine whether dyslexia is present and develop a personalized intervention plan.
As a speech therapist specializing in dyslexia, I work with children in Málaga and online. I offer speech-language therapy sessions in Spanish, French, and English, both in-person at my office in Mijas (Malaga) and online for patients throughout Spain and abroad.
- Serrano, F., & Defior, S. (2011). Prevalence of dyslexia in elementary schools in the Region of Murcia. A study based on a sample of more than 2,000 students.
- Giménez, A., et al. (2023). Prevalence and Academic Decisions Among Students with Reading Learning Disabilities (Developmental Dyslexia) in Andalusia. CENTRA Journal of Social Sciences. https://centracs.es/revista/article/view/53
- Premeti, V., Bucci, M. P., & Isel, F. (2023). ERP indicators of phonological awareness development in children: A systematic review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9954228/
- Callens, M., Whitney, C., Tops, W., & Brysbaert, M. (2013). Response to intervention as an identification strategy for dyslexia. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11189365/
- Solan, H. A., et al. (2019). Efficacy of dynamic visual-attentional interventions for reading in children with dyslexia and neurotypical children: A systematic review. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30802473/
