Dyslexia symptoms vary from child to child

FALLBROOK – Dyslexia is a condition that affects the way the brain processes written and spoken language. According to Understood.org, an online collective of 15 nonprofit organizations that aim to support parents of children with learning and attention issues, researchers have yet to determine what causes dyslexia. However, research has found that genes and brain differences may play a role in a child's risk factor for dyslexia.

A study from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy found that about 40 percent of siblings of children with dyslexia may have the same issues with reading as their brothers and/or sisters. The anatomy of the brain may also look different in kids with dyslexia than it does in kids who are not dyslexic.

Within the brain, the planum temporale helps to understand language. This area is typically larger in the dominant hemisphere of the brain (the left side for right-handed people, the right side for left-handed people), but among people with dyslexia, the planum temporale is very likely the same size on both sides of the brain.

Dyslexia affects each person differently, and some people with dyslexia may experience symptoms more severely than others. Some children may experience no difficulty with early reading and writing, but may experience problems with grammar, reading comprehension and in-depth writing as they grow older.

Parents who suspect their children may be exhibiting signs of dyslexia should speak with their child's teachers and/or physicians.