Reading in Focus: A Vision Series - Not All Reading Struggles Are Dyslexia

New Series: Reading in Focus: A Vision Series
 

Not All Reading Struggles Are Dyslexia 

Description:
In this kickoff episode of Reading in Focus: A Vision Series on Let’s Talk Teacher to Teacher, Dr. Gina Pepin shines a light on an often-overlooked cause of reading difficulties—visual processing challenges.

We tend to jump straight to phonics or even assume dyslexia when students struggle to read. But sometimes, the real issue isn’t phonological—it’s visual. From oculomotor dysfunction and convergence insufficiency to visual discrimination and sequencing issues, these sneaky eye-brain hiccups can mimic dyslexia and derail fluency.

Join Dr. Gina as she breaks down how to recognize these signs, why they matter, and how simple visual strategies—paired with strong phonics instruction—can transform struggling readers into confident ones.

🎧 Because sometimes it’s not about seeing 20/20—it’s about seeing the whole picture.

Transcript

UNKNOWN: 0:00

Bye.

SPEAKER_00: 0:11

Welcome back to Let's Talk Teacher to Teacher. I am Dr. Gina Pepin. Today I'm kicking off a brand new sub-series called Reading and Focus. It's going to be all about vision strategies. Now, if you've ever had a student stare at the word dog and somehow read bog, dig, or donut, don't worry, because you're not alone. Sometimes the problem isn't phonics. Sometimes it's the eyes actually playing Playing Tricks. In this series, we'll explore the hidden side of reading, those visual skills that make or break fluency and comprehension. We'll dive into eye tracking, visual memory, and even why some kids act like the letters are doing a dance across the page. So grab your coffee, your reading glasses, or let's be real, your third pair of readers from the dollar store, and let's talk teacher to teacher about how vision actually impacts our students' reading. Today's episode is called Not All Reading Struggles Are Dyslexia. We're tackling a big myth in reading instruction. Not every struggling reader has dyslexia. Shocking, right? I know, it sounds like hearsay in the phonics world. So here's the thing. Dyslexia is all about phonological processing. It's about decoding words and hearing the sounds inside of them. But some kids really struggle with reading because their brains are having a little, let's say, like a visual hiccup. These aren't eyesight problems, you know, like 20-20 vision and perfect eye charts, but it's really about how the brain interprets what the eyes see. We're talking about things like oculomotor dysfunctions it's where the eyes don't quite track smoothly across the page and those words start hopping around like frogs. We're talking about conversion insufficiency. When eyes refuse to work together up close, it makes books and text look like a whole big blurry mess. We're also talking about visual discrimination issues. It's where students can't tell B's from D's or M's and N's, those classic lettery which so many teachers say to me, I think they're dyslexic. Visual sequencing trouble is another issue that we often talk about in the reading world. It's where students struggle to remember the order of letters and words. Suddenly, cat looks like tack. Here's the kicker. These vision-related issues can totally mimic dyslexia. A teacher might see a student skipping lines, losing their place, or even reading really slowly, and assume phonics is the problem. But the truth? Sometimes it's the eyes and brain doing a little comedy routine, not a phonics failure. So what does this mean for our instruction? it means we really need to look beyond phonics. Sure, phonics is essential. It's our superhero of decoding. But even Superman needs a sidekick. So for students with visual processing challenges, that sidekick might be something like visual tracking exercises, eye coordination strategies, or even sensory supports like those colored overlays, finger guides, or movement-based activities. By By combining phonics instruction with these visual motor supports, we help students not just decode, but actually read comfortably, fluently, and confidently. No more lost words, skipped lines, or frustrated sighs. Think of it this way. Reading is like a team sport. You've got phonics on offense, comprehension on defense, and visual processing. Making sure that the ball, or even in this case, the words, don't get lost in the shuffle. So here's the bottom line. Don't automatically label every struggling reader as dyslexic. Observe, investigate, and even consider visual processing issues. A really well-rounded approach ensures that each child gets the right support at the right time, whether that's phonics, visual strategies, or some sort of combination of the both. Remember, teachers, our students eyes and brains are teammates, not spectators. Pay really special attention to how they track and see and process the text. And you might just unlock a whole new level of reading success. Thanks for joining me on this episode of Let's Talk Teacher to Teacher. I'm Dr. Gina Pepin and this was the first episode of a new sub-series, Reading in Focus, Vision Strategies. I hope today's conversation gave you a fresh perspective on how vision plays a really big role in reading than we often even have realized. Remember, you don't have to be an eye doctor to notice when a student might be struggling visually, because sometimes just knowing what to look for can change everything. In a I'll dig a little deeper into practical strategies that you can use right away. Everything from like eye tracking activities to simple classroom adjustments that will support these struggling readers. Until next time, keep noticing, keep learning, and keep connecting. Teacher to teacher and student to student.