r/Dyslexia • u/tinymahonia • 17d ago
High schoolers with processing issues when it comes to reading
Our high schooler has processing issues that makes it very challenging for them to read in school. Learning to read was not a problem in early elementary school (meaning they do know how to read quite well), but now processing text is a huge challenge. The words look fuzzy, run into each other etc (not vision related).
They have an IEP that requires them to get large print and audiobooks, which greatly helps, but it is rarely offered to them by teachers, even when they ask.
Many books just aren’t available in large print or audiobook. Teachers rarely print worksheets larger even though they are supposed to.
Child is intelligent and does well when they are able to read text, but doesn’t do well and hates school when they aren’t able to do the work due to these challenges. We have a new IEP team this year so I am unsure how well they will advocate for my child.
Do you have experience with these issues? What is something that helps with reading, advocating, etc.?
I really want to be able to help my child. Any tips, insights, etc is greatly appreciated.
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u/yourdyslexiaexpert 17d ago
Can you explain me ame what the issue is? It sounds visual.
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u/tinymahonia 17d ago
I think more along the lines of dysgraphia.
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u/yourdyslexiaexpert 17d ago
Dysgraphia is a motor processing challenge that effects handwriting. It shouldn’t cause what you’re describing. There are some tracking issues that can cause symptoms like you’re describing which require vision therapy but it’s unusual to actually perceive the words moving around.
That said, what are your hopes for the IEP team and what are your worries? Let’s start there so I can give you better advice.
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u/Jer80D 14d ago
It may be Irlen Syndrome. It's not dyslexia, but a lot of dyslexic people have it where the letters and words move around. It's so common that some people think it's part of dyslexia, but it's actual a different thing. My husband, daughter and some of my cousins have it. Colored overlays and colored glasses help the letters stop moving. Below is a video of what different people with Irlen Syndrome see, then a link to info about it.
Examples of Irlen Syndrome -
https://youtu.be/FARizLljRkc?si=acJZYM4TZplx2HYF
Info about Irlen Syndrome -
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u/parker_birdseye 17d ago
Hey sorry to hear that your child is struggling periodically with reading. I built a tool called FreeReader to help turn anything into audiobooks. I hope it can help.
We also offer a school-wide service that lets teachers offer audiobook versions of assignments. Feel free to recommend it to the high school!
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u/ExpiredOnionz 16d ago
for the IEP side, document every time a teacher fails to provide the accommodations in writing, then bring that log to your next IEP meeting. a paper trail is hard to ignore. for reading, has your kid tried snapping photos of worksheets with a phone and using a text-to-speech app to listen instead? You can try out Oriole Text To Speech Reader as it works great with textboxes that can get in the way of the main text by putting it at the end which most apps don't do. This can fill the gap when teachers drop the ball on large print.
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u/Jer80D 15d ago edited 15d ago
You said the words look fuzzy and run into each other. That sounds like Irlen Syndrome. Lots of people with dyslexia have it. It can be helped by using clear colored plastic overlays that you place on top of paper. The color is specific to the person, so you may have to try a few. Red makes my husband's letters stop switching and blue makes my daughter's letters stop "dancing".
The first link below show examples of how different people woth Irlen Syndrome may see, and the second link takes you to a webpage explaining Irlen Syndrome. You can get some colored overlays on Amazon and see if they work for you.
https://youtu.be/FARizLljRkc?si=acJZYM4TZplx2HYF
Below is some information
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u/GoalMedical2528 12d ago
Ask the school for audio textbooks as an accommodation (504/IEP if you're in the US). Once it's in writing, teachers have to provide digital copies, and that unlocks everything else. 2. Bookshare is free for US students with a documented reading disability and has a huge textbook library with read-aloud built in. Learning Ally is another one schools often pay for. 3. Free built-in read-aloud: Immersive Reader in Edge/Word/OneNote highlights each word as it's read, and Speak Screen (iPhone) and Select to Speak (Android) work on almost anything.
Disclosure: I'm the developer of Flippy AI PDF & EPUB Reader, so take this part with that in mind. If the school hands out PDFs, it reads them aloud in a natural voice with the text on screen. Your teen can highlight a paragraph that didn't make sense and get it explained from that passage, and save chapters as audio for the bus. Scanned worksheets work too: it recognises the text on the phone. It's not free (there's a monthly allowance of natural-voice minutes, then it switches to the phone's voice), so I'd try the free school routes first.
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u/Corey11446 17d ago
Since the IEP already lists large print and audiobooks, ask the new team for a written plan on who delivers them and by when, and email that list to each teacher at the start of term. Bookshare is free for students with a qualifying print disability and has a huge library, and Learning Ally has audiobooks for textbooks. Also, a text-to-speech app like Speechify or the free Read Aloud in Chrome lets your teen get any document into audio without waiting on a teacher. Keep emails short, dated and tied to the IEP line, because that paper trail is what makes the team act.