How to treat adult dyslexia?

Question

My husband is 31 years old and has always struggled with reading and writing. He can articulate thoughts verbally, but when he tries to get it on paper, it makes no sense. And if he tries to read something, it doesnt' stick in his head at all, but if someone reads it to him, he can retain everything. He's also been diagnosed with Adult ADD, but the reading difficulties don't seem to be a result of inattentiveness. Obviously, this creates one heckuva problem with getting by in the real world.

I've checked with our local Services for Adults and Families office as well as our local Education Service District, and they have no idea where we would go to get some testing done and possible coping strategies. Another problem is that we live in the middle of nowhere, so something available at home or online would work best. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!!

Answer 1

You can insist on oral instruction and oral testing in an academic setting and in many employment situations.

As far as changing the impact of the language disorder, I don't think it appropriate to aim for a 'cure' It is likely that both the ADD and the dyslexia are a result of the genotype.

If your husband is not using a medication like ritalin or adderall, he may find one helpful with both problems

Answer 2

the easiest methods for assisting learning of an adult with dyslexia is multicolored highlighters, color overlays for reading, and taking notes on colored paper.  also, when reading alone, wearing sunglasses takes the "whiteness" out of the page which helps letters not mix so badly.  Hope these suggestions help.

Answer 3

There are some really good organisations which should help you answer the questions you have and find the help needed.  I have a dyslexic son who was lucky enough to get the right help at school and a dyslexic friend who learnt to read and write well when he was well into his thirties.  Try the following websites.

Answer 4

There's lots of help, but you have to know where to look for it.  If you have a local community college, often they'll be able to test him.  He may have to sign up for one course to qualify, but it's inexpensive and then the testing is free.  He should also try www.rfbd.org: it's Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic.  They may be able to tell him where to go to get tested.  Their method is to "learn through listening" which sounds like it would work for him.  He puts on headphones and listens to volunteers reading books.  If he follows along in the book while listening, he can improve his comprehension in six weeks.  A lot of very smart people have dyslexia, and it's often combined with ADD.  

The other person who talked about using colored transparencies might have a point.  To know, your husband can go to www.irlen.com.  They have a way of changing the color of the website, so he can see if different colors work for him, and there's also an online test.  However, I prefer www.rfbd.org, because it sounds like he already knows what's wrong, now he needs help.