Finding out your child has dyslexia can be a little frightening due to the unknown. You may be wondering what a diagnosis with dyslexia means for your student’s education and projected successes later in life. But rest assured knowing that near 40 million children and adults in the US have some form of dyslexia and are still able to thrive academically despite the disability. Here at Jett Publishing, we’ve created the Secret Codes curriculum to help students with an IEP for dyslexia and other learning differences thrive. So what does this diagnosis mean for your child -- and is dyslexia going to hold your child back as much as you think? We’re here to show you:

• The Hidden Gifts in a Dyslexia Diagnosis
• How Other People with Dyslexia Have Succeeded in the Past
• Steps You Can Take to Excel Despite an IEP for Dyslexia

Disputing the Disability of Dyslexia

Is this Common Learning Difference All Bad?

We all know that dyslexia makes it difficult for children to learn to read. Once a teacher notices a child falling behind in reading, most children will be recommended for testing for a learning disability and will receive an IEP for dyslexia to help support them with their learning disability. With proper diagnosis and close attention to your child’s needs, it’s entirely possible for your child to be as successful - if not more successful - as their peers.

The truth of the matter is that, though frequently identified as a learning disability, dyslexia is merely a difference in the way the brain works that makes it more difficult to learn to read. Studies show that students with dyslexia often have an under-activated left side of the brain when reading. This left side of the brain is responsible for logic and decoding, but the right side of the brain that is responsible for spatial relationships and creativity is fully active.

While it may be more difficult to learn to read, there are a variety of dyslexia resources to help your child learn to read. Additionally, there are astounding gifts that come with a diagnosis of dyslexia. For example, children with dyslexia are often very creative, have outside the box thinking skills, and have an excellent comprehension of complex theories and ideas.

What this means is that diagnosis with and an IEP for dyslexia is not the end of the road for your child -- but rather, the beginning to an academic career full of opportunity.

You’re In Good Company: Famous People with an IEP for Dyslexia

Proof of Success Despite Being Diagnosed with Dyslexia

As a testament to the possibilities your child can reach despite having an IEP for dyslexia, we’re here to show you how some of the greatest minds in contemporary culture have experienced unbelievable success despite having dyslexia:

• Pablo Picasso: Picasso is one of the most famous and world-renowned painters the world will ever see. If it believed that not only Picasso was dyslexic, but that his dyslexia was a source of inspiration for his artistic style and most famous paintings.
• Tom Cruise: As an extremely successful Hollywood actor, Tom Cruise has been dealing with a diagnosis with dyslexia since he was 7 years old. Finding it difficult to read and understand what he read, Tom Cruise worked hard to succeed in reading and is now able to memorize pages upon pages of lines for movies.
• Steven Spielberg: Despite early struggles with reading, Steven Spielberg went on to be one of the most well known and highly-regarded directors in Hollywood and will leave behind a legacy as one of the world’s best filmmakers. Perhaps his strong attention of spatial relationships, creative mind, and understanding of the big-pictures helped lead to his success on the big screen.
• Jack Horner:  As a famous paleontologist who discovered the first dinosaur embryo and that dinosaurs took care of their young, Jack Horner worked through his dyslexia to succeed academically and eventually go on to work on the Jurassic Park movies.
• Octavia Spencer - Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in "The Help," Octavia Spencer spent years working through dyslexia.
• John Lennon: John Lennon is regarded as one of the most influential singer/songwriters of all time. Little do we realize that such a gifted musician struggled with dyslexia (in addition to legal blindness) for the majority of his life.

In other words, an IEP for dyslexia does not mean your child is destined for failure. On the contrary, your child has the opportunity to unveil unbelievable gifts to the world despite - and in some cases, because of - a learning difference.

How Your Child Can Thrive Despite a Learning Difference

Taking Your IEP for Dyslexia and Showing the World what you can Do

It’s clear that diagnosis with dyslexia may be a bit of a setback, but is by no means a determinant of how successful your child can be in the future. You and your child are still in control of their academic future, and obtaining an IEP for dyslexia is the first step in making sure your child has to tools and attention they need to thrive.

Do you still feel like you want to give your child a leg up? Perfect -- parents should do all they can to enrich their children’s academic lives regardless of the diagnosis with a learning disability. Here are some ways Jett Publishing can help:

• Suggest the Secret Codes to Your Teacher or School Board: The Secret Codes Curriculum is the reading curriculum proven to reduce reading failure and tailor to the needs of childrenw ith learning disabilities by focusing on the science of learning. As a great curriculum for children of all ability levels, the Secret Codes is a great solution for every classroom.
• Continue At-Home Dyslexia Enrichment: Help your child learn the read by continuing to press enrichment efforts and tactics outside the classroom. Check out our ‘I Have Dyslexia’ books to help your child understand an accept their IEP for dyslexia and learn to gain confidence in their own differences.
• Learn More on Our Blog: Jett Publishing published weekly blog posts for teachers and parents of children learning to read or struggling with dyslexia.