Does dyslexia affect someone's level of intelligence? my eight-year-old son was just diagnosed with dyslexia. i'm concerned this will label him as "dumb" or needing special education. does dyslexia mean my son has limited intelligence?

There : There are many brilliant people who are dyslexic. It is a specific problem. It is not indicative of a low intelligence quotient. It may make some tasks in school more difficult.

No.: Dyslexia has no relationship to intelligence. Many smart accomplished people are dyslexic. It may make it hard for him to learn though, without additional support. Special ed can him help overcome the dyslexia, with specialized reading instruction and additional tools (audio recordings, etc). Please help him get these services at school so he can learn up to his potential and not be limited by it.

Learning disability: like dyslexia is defined as an unexpected difficulty learning in a child with average to above-average IQ. Read "Overcoming Dyslexia" by Dr. Sally Shaywitz and see schwablearning.org . Difficulty processing phonemes is the basis of 90% of cases; visual-perceptual problems cause 10%. Long-term, multi-modal therapy like Lindamood-Bell helps improves reading decoding. So, deep breaths & get to work!

No: Dyslexia is a learning disorder that can be overcome with help and has nothing to do with IQ or intelligence.