For Parents - Decoding Dyslexia Oregon

Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.; Vintage (2005) — A great book that explains what dyslexia is and gives parents tools for helping their children become fluent readers. One of the most helpful and informative books that most parents read early in their journey that really open their eyes and pointed them in the right direction to seek the help their kids needed.

Essentials of Assessment and Intervention by Nancy Mather & Barbara Wendling; John Wiley & Sons (2013) — A great book for teachers that provides practical e step-by stepinformation on accurately identifying, assessing, and using evidence based interventions with individuals with dyslexia. Addressing the components that need to be considered in the assessment of both cognitive and academic – this book includes descriptions of the various tests used in a comprehensive dyslexia assessment along with detailed, evidence-based interventions that professionals and parents can use to help individuals struggling with dyslexia.

The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan by Ben Foss; Ballantine Books (2013) — A great book for parents that gets down to the heart of the matter; how to empower children with dyslexia. The author from personal experience knows that our kids will learn to read and write, but it is their feeling of self-worth and empowerment that will facilitate their life long success. This is a must read!

Parenting a Struggling Reader by Susan L. Hall and Louisa C. Moats; Broadway (2002) — This book helped explain how school systems work and provided real-world practical guidance on how to understand and work within the framework of the public school system. It also helped us understand the need to sometimes look outside public schools for additional resources.

Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy: The Special Education Survival Guide by Pam Wright and Pete Wright; Harbor House Law Press (2006) — Realizing that your child has an LD (or any disability) can set parents off on a roller coaster of emotions. This fabulous book helped us distinguish facts from emotions in order to properly document the facts and best advocate for our daughter.

The Human Side of Dyslexia: 142 Interviews with Real People Telling Real Stories About Their Coping Strategies with Dyslexia by Shirley Kurnoff; London Universal, (2001) — Just as the title says, this book is packed with real stories by people with dyslexia. While many books on dyslexia focus on the mechanics of the learning disability, this is the human story of the people who live with it. Through their stories we learn their strategies and tools for coping with the reading disability. Many of the stories are inspirational and will be a comfort to parents who worry about their child’s future.

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge; Penguin Books (2007) — An astonishing new science called “neuroplasticity” is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they’ve transformed.

The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain by Brock L. Eide M.D. M.A. and Fernette F. Eide M.D., Plume (2012) — In this groundbreaking book, Brock and Fernette Eide explain how 20% of people—individuals with dyslexia—share a unique learning style that can create advantages in a classroom, at a job, or at home. Using their combined expertise in neurology and education, the authors show how these individuals not only perceive the written word differently but may also excel at spatial reasoning, see insightful connections that others simply miss, understand the world in stories, and display amazing creativity.