IDA Dyslexia Handbook: What Every Family Should Know is a digital handbook that contains invaluable information like the characteristics of dyslexia, what it is and what it isn’t. This digital handbook also provides information on valid assessments, effective teaching approaches, self-advocacy ideas and a vast array of resources. Further, the handbook contains information that will be useful throughout a child’s life, from elementary school through college.

The degree of difficulty a child with dyslexia has with reading, spelling, and/or speaking varies from person to person due to inherited differences in brain development, as well as the type of teaching the child receives. The brain is normal, often very “intelligent,” but with strengths in areas other than the language area. This “difference” goes undetected until a child finds difficulty when learning to read and write.

There are limited resources about dyslexia available to families. It is crucial to be able to recognize its signs and symptoms so that a child can be evaluated early and obtain the appropriate instruction and accommodations he or she needs to succeed in school.

We encourage you to share this handbook with as many people as possible. The more families we can inform, the more children we can help!