“Is thinking in pictures a major trait of
students with dyslexia? And can you
explain why my child has a problem
with words

Dyslexia is a problem with words –
often for students with average, above average and even gifted IQs.

Students thought to have dyslexia are often
right-brained students who think in pictures

They struggle with words because of
problems with one, two, three, four
or even five of the following:

- They have problems with sight words
(e.g. with, why, and, the, except, etc.)
These words do not create pictures
and students either skip over them
or misuse the

- Pattern recognition and visual memory –
they may not remember a word they have
seen on the prior page – parents even report
students not remembering words they
saw on the prior line

- Attention – they can often pay attention
for hours to video games, Legos® or
games they like, but get lost in class or
when reading

- Visual perception issues – they may have
20/20 vision, but they:
o Skip words or lines when reading
o Have difficulty copying off the board
o reverse numbers and/or letters

- They are easily frustrated with reading
and avoid it


“What makes a smart child not be able to learn? One day we work on something like adding single digit numbers. He seems to have it down, but the next day we have to start all over again— it’s like he’s never seen it before.

He is in the third grade and is still trying to learn to do single digit addition. He also cannot understand that 3+2 is the same as 2+3. I don't understand why. He is a very smart child but some things do not seem to sink in. Why do flash
cards work for one child and not the next?”

As we described above, pattern recognition is a major issue. Flash cards often fail these students. They need to discover the patterns themselves.

If taught by professionals who know how
to have them discover information, these
students can often master spelling words
and math facts and remember them for a
long time.

Try laying out 3 M & Ms and them 2 M&Ms
and ask your child to add them together.
(Use different colors)

Then lay out 2 M & Ms and them
3 M&Ms and ask your child to add
them together

Then do the same for 3 + 4 and 4 + 3
after two or three examples they will
often see the pattern


We moved here from another country
and my child is experiencing educational
challenges and frustration.

He does better in Spanish than he does in English. Any advice?

Right-brained students often deal poorly with change. There are three keys:

- Explain why you have moved here and find friends and outlets for them.

- Work with professionals who can teach the way your child learns, are empathetic to their feelings and can speak both languages

- Blend Spanish (or your native language) and English at home – students are best served when they retain their native language and learn English – put visuals around the house that show the words in both languages and a visual of the item – like friends – keep the old skills and learn the new ones.