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I know it's long, but please read! Dyslexia!?

• I adopted a teenage girl not too long ago and I found out that she has severe dyslexia and I need methods to treat it so she'll be happier, and bullied less. I'll give you a description of her case: Her troubles in reading and writing are pretty much mirrored exactly here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwZLFTW4O%E2%80%A6 These are the dyslexic traits that apply to her, taken from an online dyslexia test that I took to diagnose her with dyslexia: APPLY: Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level. Labeled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or "a behavior problem." High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written. Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies. Easily frustrated and emotional about school, reading or testing. Talented in. . . Art Yes Drama Yes Music Yes Sports Yes Dance Yes Mechanics No Story-telling No Sales or business No Strategic thinking No Designing Yes Building No Engineering Yes Seems to "zone out" or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time. Difficulty sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "a daydreamer." Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids. Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading or studying. (In the case of her headaches, they were so excruciating that the doctors thought she was having seizures and diagnosed her with epilepsy.) Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences or verbal explanations. Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words. Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying. Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem. (For the record, her vision is actually 20/10) Extremely keen sighted and observant, yet lacks depth perception and peripheral vision. Reads and rereads with little comprehension. Spells phonetically and/or inconsistently. Hears things not said or not apparent to others; easily distracted by or overly sensitive to sounds. Difficulty putting thoughts into words; leaves sentences incomplete; speaks in halting phrases or stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking. Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip may be unusual. Handwriting varies or is illegible. Prone to motion-sickness. May be somewhat or completely ambidextrous. Often confuses left/right, over/under. Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time. Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks. Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money. Can do arithmetic, but not word problems. Has problems showing math steps on paper. Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations, or faces. Poor memory for sequences or information that has not been experienced. Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue). Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly. Can be a class clown, a trouble-maker, or too quiet. Had unusually early or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes). Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products. Can be an extra deep or light sleeper. Unusually high or low tolerance for pain. Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection. Mistakes and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional stress, or poor health. DON'T APPLY: Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks. Bed-wetting beyond appropriate age. RESULTS: This person is talented in these areas: Art Drama Music Sports Dance Designing Engineering The biggest problem areas seem to be: General Academic Vision, Reading, and/or Spelling Listening and/or Speech Writing and/or Motor Skills Math and/or Time Management Memory and/or Cognition Behavior, Health, Development and/or Personality The following chart shows the key areas of learning that can be addressed by the Davis Dyslexia Correction® Program. If two or more areas are in the Moderate to Severe range, chances are it is dyslexia, and can be corrected. Explanations of these key areas appear below. Disorientation-Severe Reading and Spelling -Severe Attention Focus-Severe Math and Time Management-Severe Coordination/Handwriting-Severe Self-Esteem-Severe Are there any good dyslexia-treating methods? We could really use some help!

• Answer:

  First it would be good if you asked her to sit down with you to design a time table maybe every two days do something she struggles in focus on this subject for a week, ask her to decide what she wants to learn. Try and involve the subjects she enjoys, for example she enjoys music so try and make a song to do with what she struggles in. Be patient with her and let her take her time and make sure to remind her of what she's good in very often.