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Literacy & Struggling Readers

People of all ages may struggle with decoding letters and numbers on the written page, and there can be many reasons for this difficulty, including: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Selective Mutism.

Alternate/accessible formats for reading

  • DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) Book Reader
  • Libby – For library cardholders, Libby provides digital resources (ebooks, eaudiobooks and emagazines). It is an easy-to-use app that offers a dyslexic font option that may help some users.
  • NNELS: National Network of Equitable Library Service – digital delivery of books for library cardholders with perceptual disabilities. Contact the library for details and to register for access.

Assessment: recognizing signs of struggle

  • Could it be Dyslexia? – Links to videos and online articles.
  • Misunderstood Minds (PBS) – designed to give parents and teachers a better understanding of different learning problems/processes, insights into difficulties, and strategies for responding.
  • Signs of a Reading Problem (All About Learning Press) – read about signs and causes of reading problems, including different teaching approaches.
  • Three types of ADHD (Understood website) – Starting point for assessment.
  • What is Dyslexia? (TED-Ed video) – the experience of dyslexia isn’t always the same among those who experience it. Animated video based on current science, with additional links.

Development tools for parents & teachers

Further information and advocacy

  • Assistive Technology for Dyslexics: Whether you’re grappling with homework or just trying to get things done, these tools will help your tech adapt to you—instead of the other way around.
  • ADDitude – “inside the ADHD mind,” the online magazine offers information about symptoms, treatment and resources for children and adults.
  • Dyslexia Basics (International Dyslexia Association) – Facts, signs and treatments.
  • Dyslexia Canada – a national voice and forum to advocate for all Canadian children with dyslexia.
  • Learning Disabilities Society – offers accessible, comprehensive and expert learning and related supports for students aged 3 through adult.
  • Understood – resources for parents, teachers and young adults, so that “people who learn and think differently can thrive at home, at school, and at work.”