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

Send us a text

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.

Support the show

Episode Transcript

UNKNOWN (00:00):
Bye.

SPEAKER_00 (00:11):
Welcome back to Let's Talk Teacher to Teacher.
I am Dr.
Gina Pepin.
Today I'm kicking off a brandnew sub-series called Reading
and Focus.
It's going to be all aboutvision strategies.
Now, if you've ever had astudent stare at the word dog
and somehow read bog, dig, ordonut, don't worry, because

(00:34):
you're not alone.
Sometimes the problem isn'tphonics.
Sometimes it's the eyes actuallyplaying Playing Tricks.
In this series, we'll explorethe hidden side of reading,
those visual skills that make orbreak fluency and comprehension.
We'll dive into eye tracking,visual memory, and even why some
kids act like the letters aredoing a dance across the page.

(00:58):
So grab your coffee, yourreading glasses, or let's be
real, your third pair of readersfrom the dollar store, and let's
talk teacher to teacher abouthow vision actually impacts our
students' reading.
Today's episode is called NotAll Reading Struggles Are
Dyslexia.

(01:20):
We're tackling a big myth inreading instruction.
Not every struggling reader hasdyslexia.
Shocking, right?
I know, it sounds like hearsayin the phonics world.
So here's the thing.
Dyslexia is all aboutphonological processing.
It's about decoding words andhearing the sounds inside of
them.

(01:40):
But some kids really strugglewith 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'sreally about how the brain
interprets what the eyes see.
We're talking about things likeoculomotor dysfunctions it's

(02:02):
where the eyes don't quite tracksmoothly across the page and
those words start hopping aroundlike frogs.
We're talking about conversioninsufficiency.
When eyes refuse to worktogether up close, it makes
books and text look like a wholebig blurry mess.
We're also talking about visualdiscrimination issues.

(02:24):
It's where students can't tellB's from D's or M's and N's,
those classic lettery which somany teachers say to me, I think
they're dyslexic.
Visual sequencing trouble isanother issue that we often talk
about in the reading world.
It's where students struggle toremember the order of letters

(02:48):
and words.
Suddenly, cat looks like tack.
Here's the kicker.
These vision-related issues cantotally mimic dyslexia.
A teacher might see a studentskipping lines, losing their
place, or even reading reallyslowly, and assume phonics is
the problem.

(03:09):
But the truth?
Sometimes it's the eyes andbrain doing a little comedy
routine, not a phonics failure.
So what does this mean for ourinstruction?
it means we really need to lookbeyond phonics.
Sure, phonics is essential.
It's our superhero of decoding.
But even Superman needs asidekick.

(03:31):
So for students with visualprocessing challenges, that
sidekick might be something likevisual tracking exercises, eye
coordination strategies, or evensensory supports like those
colored overlays, finger guides,or movement-based activities.
By By combining phonicsinstruction with these visual

(03:53):
motor supports, we help studentsnot just decode, but actually
read comfortably, fluently, andconfidently.
No more lost words, skippedlines, or frustrated sighs.
Think of it this way.
Reading is like a team sport.
You've got phonics on offense,comprehension on defense, and

(04:16):
visual processing.
Making sure that the ball, oreven in this case, the words,
don't get lost in the shuffle.
So here's the bottom line.
Don't automatically label everystruggling reader as dyslexic.
Observe, investigate, and evenconsider visual processing
issues.

(04:36):
A really well-rounded approachensures that each child gets the
right support at the right time,whether that's phonics, visual
strategies, or some sort ofcombination of the both.
Remember, teachers, our studentseyes and brains are teammates,
not spectators.
Pay really special attention tohow they track and see and

(05:00):
process the text.
And you might just unlock awhole new level of reading
success.
Thanks for joining me on thisepisode of Let's Talk Teacher to
Teacher.
I'm Dr.
Gina Pepin and this was thefirst episode of a new
sub-series, Reading in Focus,Vision Strategies.
I hope today's conversation gaveyou a fresh perspective on how

(05:23):
vision plays a really big rolein reading than we often even
have realized.
Remember, you don't have to bean eye doctor to notice when a
student might be strugglingvisually, because sometimes just
knowing what to look for canchange everything.
In a I'll dig a little deeperinto practical strategies that
you can use right away.

(05:44):
Everything from like eyetracking activities to simple
classroom adjustments that willsupport these struggling
readers.
Until next time, keep noticing,keep learning, and keep
connecting.
Teacher to teacher and studentto student.