Overcoming Dyslexia (2020 Edition): Second Edition, Completely Revised and Updated

I read this book to earn my Dyslexia endorsement. It is a wealth of information. I learned so much from this book, and I recommend it to anyone wishing to learn about Dyslexia.

This was an amazing book. There IS hope if you or someone you know is dyslexic! This is an encouraging book that empowers you to take charge and help your child,student, yourself... become a stronger reader! Dispells many myths about dyslexia and what it is. Focuses on strategies and curriculum based on strong research. Describes how the brain works when it comes to language... and how brain scans have shown "improvement" in areas of the brain (left lobes) that have been activated after effective reading strategies and programs have been implemented. It is filled with lots and lots of specific, practical ideas, resources and information about how readers learn to read and how we can help children (and adults) who have difficulty reading. Although the title refers to dyslexia, it is a great book if you want to understand how the reading process works and what you can do as a parent/teacher/caregiver to help your child overcome dyslexia,to solidify your child's reading skills if they don't have dyslexia, or to get them off to a great start reading in the early years. There are also specific descriptions of which signs to look for EARLY ON to detect any reading difficulties or dyslexia and address them then. I used many of the ideas in the text with my own daughter who is learning to read... and also with a few students I've worked with who struggle with reading. I was surprised to find that many of the descriptions in the book, of the kinds of errors that children with reading difficulties or dyslexia make, exactly described some of the things I was seeing with the children I worked with. This is a book I borrowed from the library first, then knew, without a doubt, I had to buy and have for a reference again and again!

This is the most important book you can purchase to understand dyslexia. My husband and I both listened to the book in our automobiles within months of hearing our daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia. I quickly purchased the hard copy, and completely highlighted important points, and took notes! notes! notes!!! I refer to these notes and this book almost every week to make sure I stay on target for her reading and writing education. One thing that I refer to all of the time is about 15 techniques/exercises this book mentions to use. Our school already has used this book as the foundation of it's special reading program for a number of years. It is an award-winning school. As suggested in this book, we had our daughter tutored last summer 3 times a week by an experienced tutor who uses a dyslexia-approved curriculum listed in this book. We continued to follow this book's recommendations all year. Results will absolutely vary, but my daughter has gone from the bottom 5% in reading at her grade level (in other words, she couldn't read) to the 60th percentile of her grade level (she can now read signs, menus, directions, books). She still has a way to go, but she can now read and write! This is the foundational book to help! A friend of mine also used the book's suggestions without hiring a tutor, (she tutored him herself as best she could) but switched her son to a school that used dyslexia-approved curriculum, with an experienced teacher (as suggested by this book) and her son's reading jumped two grade levels, from a pre-1st grade level to entry third grade level in one year.

I have used this book over and over for more then 10 years now to help students learn to read. What I love most is it focuses on student strengths and gives concrete action steps to help your child overcome dyslexia today. A parent is a students biggest advocate and manned with this book you can help your child get the education they deserve to learn to read. This is the best book written on teaching for struggling readers and offers concrete interventions that are scientifically researched based for helping students learn to read. As Shaywitz says, ALL STUDENTS CAN LEARN TO READ and parents need to advocate for their students. As a teacher I have met special education educator, after teacher, superintendents, and parents who swear by this method of learning. It's good for all students. 1 in five students in every classroom is a struggling reader and this book should be MANDATORY for all educators k-12+. I have used these methods, especially text fluency which she says is the number one intervention and any parent can do to help students. Students with dyslexia proper need a specific program, I recommend Reading Mastery myself but all students can learn to read and the evidence is clear including the updated brain research and the steps to take. If only all educators had a copy.

The book helps one to understand dyslexia in more layman's language than a lot of other books and sites on the internet. The author gives a hands on approach to helping the child, with word lists and mile markers /how to assess the child yourself and to 'test' for specific ages and grades. In that way it has been a very useful book.Decoding words is what the basis of the book is and it does help with challenges when put into practice.They point out all the different facets of dyslexia and the emotional strategies for their well being which is hugely important. Many of the places they advise you to contact for guidance and help is not really helpful for the most part because they are places that charge and assess the child, still leaving one kind of hanging out there wondering what to do anyway.What little information you acquire from the testers and teaching facilities, it still leaves you not quite knowing if they are what you child needs. The costs can be rather high by the time you might or might not know if you have chosen the correct help for YOUR child.It is a financial gamble you have to be willing to take. I have applied a lot of techniques from the book, but it is not a one size fits all program,just like people. It is the second semester right now and it has made a difference to the second grader I am working with. I give it four stars as it's recommendations and referrals for help are not really helpful or very accessible for moderate incomes, which he never explained or rated them and some of them are not even in business any longer.

I love this book. My daughter has acquired severe dyslexia from her traumatic brain injury. This book has helped me work with my daughter with great success. As a special/general educator and licensed cognitive brain trainer, I talk to a lot of parents who have children with Dyslexia. Dyslexia is such a broad term anymore. Sally helps to break down the confusion and provides you with research based viewpoints. In her book she explores Dyslexia and focuses on the main group of children who are Dyslexia due to weak phonological awareness. Her research is backed by her brain images of the participants in her studies. She then provides you with some great research based resources to help overcome the Dyslexia. It was very interesting to read about Dyslexia and how people with Dyslexia process differently in their brains. Sally shows you how normal readers brains will light up during a reading exercise and compares it to people with Dyslexia. She then goes a step further to show you how the brain lights up, similar to normal readers, after intense interventions towards strengthening the underlying weakness with the underlying phonological awareness/analysis skill. As a brain trainer and educator, I began applying the approaches that Sally mentions in her book, with the students I work with and have had fantastic results. I work with students to assess all of their cognitive skills, strengthen them and then work with phonological awareness interventions along with visual kinesthetic cognitive strategies. I am very thankful to have someone like Sally researching on Dyslexia and proving through science that you can help students with this condition learn to read.

Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level This was recommended to me by several local and state experts as the best single source on the subject, and I have not been disappointed. Parts I and II provide a clear, suscinct overview of the condition, Parts III and IV deal with teaching reading to dyslexics. The Epilogue describes the experience of several very well known and very successful dyslexics. It is not a curse, just a somewhat different operating system. I did not spend much time with Parts III & IV because my personal point of view has been shaped by Susan Barton's Orton-Gillingham derivitive the one that's available here, and while some of the specific techniques vary the overall thrust is right on. In fairness, the author also recommends using one of the preprepared programs rather than inventing your own, because all of them produce satisfactory results. Obviously she has looked at more progrtams than I have. Very much worthwhile for anyone in education or for anyone with an exceptionally bright family member or friend who has trouble reading and spelling. It will open your eyes. They may be a lot smarter than you are. REWFM

I bought this book because I was taking a free course on Coursera offered by Yale about dyslexia. This is the best purchase I have made in years. It is very helpful and well written. The index at the back of the book is very helpful.

ESta muy bien y es muy sólido a nivel científico pero no es adecuado para el sistema español. De todas maneras la autora es una de las mayores expertas del mundo en dislexia

This is a worthwhile book to have

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the topic. Practical and easy to read, Overcoming Dyslexia helps demystify a confusing and misunderstood topic.

I just started a job as my school's dyslexia expert and I bought this and I simply can't tell you how amazing it is. Absolutely brilliant. It's theoretical and practical and full of information! Great great book for teachers or parents!

Excellent book!