In the previous post, I discussed one of the ways that dyslexia tutoring addresses a dyslexic child’s difficulty with lowercase “b”, “d” and “q”. Another common symptom that dyslexia tutors see on a regular basis is the skipping of words when a student is reading. Word skipping is very common for dyslexics, and the symptom can manifest itself in various ways.
A severely dyslexic student may have a very difficult time even noticing that they are skipping words. For example, they may read a sentence like “Jack went down to the store yesterday,” as “Jack went the store yesterday.” Now, to a listener who hears this sentence read aloud, it will clearly sound like there is something wrong. However, for a dyslexic who is reading this sentence aloud, it may sound perfectly normal.
Word skipping is something that dyslexia tutors work to improve with their dyslexic students. In the last part of every session I tutor, I have my students read aloud to me, and this is one of the things that I watch for. If a student skips a word when reading a sentence, I will have them read the sentence over again slowly. If they miss the word again, I often have them read it again while thinking about the meaning of the words while they are saying them. Often, with many of my students, this is enough to get them to catch their mistake and to correct it.
While word skipping is a very common symptom of dyslexia, it does not always indicate that the student is not understanding what they read. A good friend of mine, who has been a dyslexia tutor for fifteen years, had a student who was regularly skipping words when she read. The student’s ability to read all the words in a sentence did improve as she received tutoring, but even after she had made a lot of progress, skipping words was still an issue when she read aloud. My friend, the dyslexia tutor, was curious, and started quizzing the student on the content of what she had read. As it turned out, even in paragraphs where the student was skipping words, she was understanding the content of what she read quite well. In her case, this indicated that reading aloud itself was a hurdle that was causing her some difficulties.
Peter
Is this the same as proofing and missing words or inserting words that are not there? This has been a struggle at times during my adult life.
Hi, Jeff. Thanks for your question. Yes, this issue is related to those areas that you mention.
I was about to ask! I add in words and skip over words.
this sometimes transfer into speaking where I feel I’ve said everything but have left out some context I thought I mentioned.
Thanks for your comment!
Thank you so much for writing this. I am an adult who struggles with word skipping and it really has had a strong impact on my life. Reading this calms my nervous system and allows me to have compassion for myself and the mistakes I have made.
thank you ,
Alicia
You’re welcome, Alicia! I’m glad that this post was helpful. Have a wonderful day!
I have just become aware of the term “vision crowding” in dyslexics. It is a visual phenomenon correlated with reading speed. Basically its seeing less when more is presented. Ex. When a word is presented in a sentence, the additional visual stimulai to the left and right of the target (in the periphery) interferes with the perception of the word. I’ve read this in Mathers and Wendling’s book: Essentials of Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention. P. 96. I’m not saying this is the cause in every student, just that it is another avenue to explore. Some research has involved creating text that spaces letters and words more, to see if it helps the reader. I found mixed reviews; one said it helped another said it didn’t. I’m still seeking answers for remediation. I’d be interested to hear if someone is familiar with this.
Thanks for your comment. Have a great day!
Thank you for this! I want to explore it more too.
I am looking for a support group or leading a group for adults with dyslexia. I have been a K-4 teacher for 30 years and have struggled with dyslexia myself.
Thanks for your question! You might want to try checking with the International Dyslexia Association. They may know of a group. Have a great day!
Do you provide adult testing for dyslexia? I notice that I tend to skip words (normally smaller words) and it has become more frequent lately.
Thanks for your question! We provide an informal dyslexia evaluation as part of the free trial we offer. A formal dyslexia evaluation (or test) needs to be conducted by a psychologist or doctor specializing in learning issues. Our video may help you decide which one you would like to pursue. Have a great day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9vVwaZlnAg&t=1s
I was in my early 60s and going for my MSW, a professor in grad school caught it my missing words. He was handing the tests back for the midterms exams on the function of the brain and he told me, “See me after class.”
Whoa!
After the class he pointed out the missing words and he asked if I have ever been tested for Dyslexia? He gave me a test back in his office and the test showed the I had Dyslexia (He said that if I wanted follow it us he had a list of therapists who work with adults.). His day job was evaluating felons for the court system for the judge.
Thanks for your comment, Diana!
I’m not sure how to feel about word skipping. I mean when a student reads for me and is dropping endings in words, omitting, inserting hfw, but is able to adequately decode words when reading connected text, this does not seem like dyslexia. Of course rate and accuracy are affected but the miscues are not decodable ones. What are your thoughts on this?
Hi, Damiana. Thanks for your question! Would you be able to provide some more information? Is your question regarding whether or not word skipping is a symptom of dyslexia? Have a great day!