5 Reasons Why Good Grades Don’t Rule Out Dyslexia
Written by Sandie Barrie Blackley, MA/CCC
Published on June 24, 2024
This is Part One of a two-part series about what report cards might mean (or might not mean) for the struggling reader and writer.
Many parents of struggling readers and writers have questions about their child’s school performance. Hearing that your child’s teacher is satisfied with their performance should feel reassuring, but it can be confusing if you feel your child is not reaching their full potential at school.
Why Do Good Grades Do Not Rule Out Dyslexia?
1. Reading is reported to be “on grade level,” which is confusing since you see your child struggle with reading and writing at home.
Reading tests vary greatly from school to school and may not show the whole picture of your child’s skills. Children with dyslexia, including those with stealth dyslexia, often develop coping strategies to read passages accurately. These can include guessing words from context or using a strong vocabulary. These skills can mask their difficulties until 3rd or 4th grade when decoding problems become more obvious.
2. Your child’s strengths might make them “slip through the cracks.”
Children with dyslexia often make up for their weaknesses with strengths like a strong vocabulary and high emotional intelligence. They may be bright or even gifted, which can cause inconsistencies in their school performance. This makes it hard for parents and teachers to identify the root cause of their literacy struggles. Teachers may not be well-trained to recognize learning differences.
3. You see your child struggling at home, despite good reports from school.
As a parent, you might see more than what the school reports. Your child might manage well at school but come home exhausted and frustrated. They might express feelings of not being as smart as their peers. Homework can become a daily battle, with your child struggling to complete assignments they should understand. You might see increased anxiety and avoidance of reading, writing, and homework.
4. The school dismisses the signs of dyslexia you are seeing.
Public schools are not required to test for dyslexia with federal funds. Instead, they test for eligibility for special education services, which is not the same as diagnostic testing. Due to limited training and support, school staff may miss the signs of dyslexia. Even if they recognize the signs, they often lack the resources to provide individualized dyslexia help.
5. Your child is given another label, such as “behavioral difficulties.”
Children with dyslexia may show behaviors like immaturity, being the “class clown,” or causing trouble. They may also have challenges with organization that make them seem disorganized or inattentive. Teachers might assume that because your child does well in other areas, their literacy struggles are due to a lack of effort, leading to labels like “lazy.”
Why Teachers and Schools Miss the Signs
Teachers may not realize dyslexia is the root of these problems, especially if your child does well on graded assignments. They might not see a problem at all.
Don’t let a good report card override your instinct if you see other symptoms such as:
- Substituting words that make sense in the sentence when reading aloud.
- Omitting or changing sounds in words for reading or spelling.
- Doing well on spelling tests but struggling to spell those words in writing assignments.
It’s important to have your child assessed and treated early. This will give you and your child a clear path to overcome literacy struggles and achieve school success.
If you haven’t taken our online dyslexia screener yet, we strongly recommend it for all parents of struggling readers, writers, and spellers. If you have completed the test, online dyslexia therapy from Lexercise is a great way to get children the help they need–even if the school cannot provide it.
5 Responses to 5 Reasons Why Good Grades Don’t Rule Out Dyslexia
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I really appreciated this article, im 22 now and am doing a masters in genetics. In recent years it has dawned on me that my reading abilities really are bellow par when compared to my contemporaries. I was tested for dyslexia at school, but no-one really told me If I was dyslexic or not, and frankly I was embaressed by the whole thing so i just Ignored he whole situation. Wihout ever saying it a loudI desperately didnt want people to label me as dyslexic because in my childish mind I thought that meant I wasnt clever.
Your comments on slipping through the cracks is spot on. I never strugled with concepts or understandig the general mood of some writing, and would regularly just make educated guesses at what the answers were to reading comprehension questions, without reading the writing. As for reading aloud to the class I would always do so very slowly and act as if I wasn’t interested, killin the mood of the readin aloud session so the teacher wouldn’t want to pick me again in the future. Daft I know now, but at the time i so desperately didnt want to be found out as “not clever”. -
So what I am going through with my 8 yo son. I have been told since kindergarten that he dazes off in class, always has been behind in reading, very very disinterested in reading, always guessing,
I took him to get assessed for adhd, got inattentive type but they never ruled out a learning disorder so I moved him to public school, he scored extremely low on the PALS screener, the gave him reading help, again same dating, inattentive concerns, we worked really hard on reading, and his scores came up.. but what I noticed was he was now mememorizing words, they tested him for gifted, yes he is, and he continued to dislike reading, I requested child study, completely denied, made me feel so little and dismissed, and even like a Crazy mother as he had As now and now just passed barely the standardized test..
What am I to do..testing is like 5000 dollars..
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Sandie Barrie Blackley, MA/CCC
MA/CCC - Co-founder and Chief Knowledge Officer
Lexercise’s Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) and ASHA fellow, brings a wealth of expertise in speech-language pathology and 40+ years of literacy instruction. Her background in teaching and curriculum development provides Lexercise with a solid foundation in evidence-based practices. Sandie’s profound understanding of learning disabilities and her commitment to inclusive education drive the company’s innovative approach to literacy.
I wish I had read this article about 4 years ago. Our son was doagnosised with ADHD, Executive Dysfunction, and Reading Fisorder/Dyslexia this summer. We’ve really struggled creating a plan for him. The doctor gave us an appendix with a lot of recommendations, but not a true plan on how we should handle everything. My husband and I are so frustrated. I wish they had a medical plan they could just give us to fix it all for our son, but I know that will never happen so we keep plugging along hoping that we are making the best educated decisions we can.