Something you need to get comfortable with on your family’s dyslexia journey is its unpredictability.
I’ve been on my own journey to understand and educate my children with dyslexia for more than 30 years now, and if there is one thing that experience has taught me, it is this:
No two dyslexic children learn exactly the same way.
Over the years, I have watched dyslexia show up differently in each of my kids; different strengths, different struggles, different pacing, different emotional responses to learning.
At first, that unpredictability felt unsettling.
Like many parents, I wanted answers.
I wanted a plan.
A curriculum.
A method that would work every time.
But dyslexia doesn’t operate inside neat educational boxes.
And the sooner we understand that, the sooner we can stop chasing certainty and start building a homeschool that actually works.
What Do I Mean by “Unpredictable”?
You can read the best books.
Listen to the top experts.
And you absolutely should – good information matters.
But nothing can fully predict how your child’s dyslexia will unfold.
You may have a child who learns to decode quickly but cannot read fluently.
Another may understand complex ideas yet struggle to spell basic words.
One child pushes through difficulty with determination.
Another shuts down at the first sign of challenge.
Some children compensate beautifully.
Others grow increasingly resistant.
This is not random.
It is neurological.
And once you understand why, everything begins to make more sense.
The Underlying Causes of Dyslexia
Research consistently shows that dyslexia stems from inefficiencies in the core processing systems that reading depends on, including:
• auditory processing
• visual processing
• working memory
• processing speed
• and often executive function
Reading is neurologically complex. It requires instant coordination between:
• sound processing
• visual recognition
• language networks
• memory
• attention
• executive control
When one or more of these systems is inefficient, reading becomes slow, effortful, and mentally exhausting.
Think of dyslexia less like a “type” and more like a recipe.
Different ingredient combinations create completely different reader profiles.
Some children have a large dose of phonological weakness with mild working memory challenges.
Others may have strong reasoning abilities but extremely slow processing speed.
Still others struggle most with executive function, the brain’s management system.
After three decades of homeschooling, I have come to see that it is not simply the presence of these weaknesses that shapes a child’s learning.
It is the degree of each one.
This is where the idea of mild, moderate, or profound dyslexia emerges.
How These Brain Systems Affect Learning
Let’s briefly look at how these differences can show up in real life.
Because when parents understand the why, they can start teaching them in the ways that they need to be taught.
1. Auditory Processing
This affects a child’s ability to hear and manipulate the individual sounds in words and map those sounds to letters.
Children with this profile often:
• struggle to sound out words
• guess based on context
• avoid unfamiliar vocabulary
• spell very phonetically
This is why structured literacy approaches like Orton-Gillingham are so powerful – they directly strengthen this pathway.
Learn more about Auditory Processing and how to improve it in this online parent education course.
2. Working Memory
Working memory functions like a mental sticky note.
It helps students:
• hold sounds while blending
• remember the beginning of a sentence
• manage multi-step decoding
• support comprehension
When working memory is weak, a child may decode a word correctly but forget it by the end of the sentence.
This is often mistaken for laziness or poor effort.
But neurologically, the brain is simply overloaded.
These students fatigue quickly because reading consumes enormous mental energy.
Learn more about Working Memory and how to strengthen it in this online parent education course.
3. Visual Processing
(Important clarification – this is NOT about eyesight.)
While most researchers do not consider poor eyesight the primary cause of dyslexia, visual processing can absolutely contribute to reading difficulty.
It may impact:
• letter discrimination (b/d, p/q)
• tracking across a line
• visual crowding
• word recognition speed
These students often rely heavily on phonics but struggle to build a large sight vocabulary.
Visual weaknesses typically co-occur with phonological issues rather than replace them.
4. Executive Function
(The hidden struggle many parents miss.)
Executive function governs:
• task initiation
• sustained attention
• planning
• error monitoring
• mental flexibility
When this system is weak, students may:
• avoid reading
• shut down quickly
• appear resistant
• rush and make careless errors
This is especially common in children with dyslexia and ADHD traits.
Related Post: What Every Parent of a Child With Dyslexia Needs to Know About ADHD.
Sometimes reading struggles are not purely reading problems — they are focus and regulation problems.
When the brain anticipates difficulty, it protects itself through avoidance.
It’s not defiance. It’s protection.
If you are raising a resistant learner, you are seeing this neurological self-protection in action.
For more information on Executive Function weaknesses and how to help your child, see this course and this course.
Should You Focus on “Types” of Dyslexia?
While researchers once focused heavily on subtypes of dyslexia, many experts now recognize that children rarely fit neatly into categories.
Because dyslexia is:
- multifactorial
- brain-based
- dimensional
- heterogeneous
There is no single dyslexic brain. Every person with dyslexia is different.
The Most Important Takeaway for Parents
The real question is NOT:
“What type of dyslexia is this?”
The better question is:
“Which brain systems need more support right now?”
This shift alone relieves enormous parental anxiety.
Because it moves you from fear to strategy.
From confusion to clarity.
And clarity is where confident homeschooling begins.
What This Means for Your Homeschool
Once you accept the variability of dyslexia, something powerful happens:
You stop chasing perfect curriculum.
You stop comparing your child.
You stop expecting linear progress.
Instead…
You begin meeting your child exactly where they are.
You adjust.
You support.
You respond.
Do You Need Clarity in Your Homeschool?
After working with thousands of homeschooling parents, I can tell you this with certainty:
The families who thrive are not the ones who eliminate uncertainty.
They are the ones who learn how to navigate it.
Calmly.
Strategically.
Confidently.
Ways I can help you on your unique dyslexia journey:
Mentoring: Join our online monthly mentoring group for bi-monthly meetings, monthly exclusive masterclasses, and class discounts. Get feedback, encouragement, and strategies for your unique family’s needs.
One-on-One Consulting: Meet 1:1 with Marianne to troubleshoot ad gain clarity and direction.
Online Parent Dyslexia Courses: Understanding how my kids learned and how to teach them in ways that actually worked made the biggest difference in my homeschool. These unique courses give parents and teachers the foundation they need to begin making the best educational decisions for their kids.
Does accepting that dyslexia is unpredictable help you accept the complexity of your outside the box kids?
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