20/10/2025
Is it Dyslexia or ADHD? This is the most common question that keeps parents up at night!
The confusing part? They overlap 40% of the time. But if you use the wrong intervention, you'll feel like nothing is working, and your child's confidence will keep dropping.
You have to address the root cause to see real progress.
🧠 WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? (The 2 Root Causes)
1. DYSLEXIA (The Decoding Problem)
o Struggle is hearing/processing the sounds in words.
o The child is working hard, but the reading is slow due to inaccuracy.
o The Fix: Specialist, multisensory, structured phonics (like Orton-Gillingham).
2. ADHD (The Executive Function Problem)
o Struggle is with sustained attention and starting tasks.
o The child avoids reading entirely or skims due to boredom/inattention.
o The Fix: External structure, movement breaks, and clear checklists.
🚨 THE TRIPLE-THREAT STRATEGY
If your child has BOTH (a dual diagnosis), you need a dual strategy:
1. Prioritize the decoding problem (Dyslexia) with specialist teaching.
2. Support the attention problem (ADHD) with movement and clear, consistent structure.
This approach stops the nightly fight and builds confidence.
➡️ SAVE THIS REEL! This simple guide will be your cheat sheet when you talk to your child’s teacher, pediatrician, or specialist.