finding a learning pace in young ones

5 Reasons Early Intrevention Is Critical If Your Child Might Have Dyslexia

14 March 2022

Côme Arnaud

If you believe that your child might have dyslexia, you shouldn't sit back and wait to see more. You should get them involved in an early intervention program. Some kids don't get help because the school or their parents only offer help to kids who are significantly struggling or behind their peers. Often, by this time, it's too late or a lot of damage has already been done. 

Here are five reasons you should be proactive about early intervention if you think your child might have dyslexia. 

The reading gap will increase.

If your child has dyslexia and they don't get the help that they need, the reading gap will increase. They will continue to struggle, while their peers' reading takes off. 

If they go in for early intervention testing or assistance and they don't have dyslexia, that's okay. It was still better to be proactive than to ignore the situation. If they have another struggle, the early intervention team may be able to offer help or guidance with that concern. 

2. Children may miss valuable information. 

When a child can't read on the same level as their peers, they may miss valuable information. They aren't just missing out on the assignments directly related to reading comprehension. They're missing out on the information provided through written materials in history, science, and other classes. 

3. Stress is not good for the brain. 

Stress can be incredibly damaging to the brain. It can even exacerbate physical health issues. If your child can't keep up with the rest of their class, they may feel stressed. 

Rather than enjoying school, they may hope that the teacher doesn't call on them. They may be stressed about tests. They may feel anxious before the day starts. 

4. People develop unhealthy coping mechanisms in stressful environments. 

Beyond the direct health effects of stress, people often develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. For older kids, this can include trying to reduce their feelings of stress through drugs and alcohol. Younger kids who are struggling at school may seek to get attention in other ways such as misbehaving. 

5. The school-to-prison pipeline is real.

When kids misbehave in school, due to an undiagnosed reading condition, poor impulse control, stress at home, or any other reason, they get in trouble. That's reasonable. But unfortunately, this can create a pattern. 

The kids who get into trouble the most may be referred to the juvenile justice system. Eventually, they end up in prison. This may sound like a scare tactic, but sadly, it's a real thing that happens all over the country. Children with learning disabilities have a higher risk of getting into this pipeline than other kids. Early intervention can be critical to avoiding this. 

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