How We Help

How We Help

Dyslexia Center of Tulsa provides a comprehensive evaluation to identify your childs reading and spelling level along with the executive cognitive functions required for success in reading and writing. Based upon the evaluation results we then customize a therapy plan. The Magnocellular theory of dyslexia evidence-based therapy plan is provided by a licensed occupational therapist, licensed certified occupational therapy assistant, speech language pathologist or teacher based upon the needs of your child.  When you are ready to book an evaluation, visit our new clients page. 

Occupational Evaluation 

Occupational therapists are able to provide objective, standardized assessments to determine the characteristics that most align with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ocular motor insufficiency for children ages 5.5-17.  Upon analysis of the assessment batteries, you will receive a written report that will indicate each assessment battery results to include standardized scores, percentile ranks, age, and grade-level specific to the area assessed.  We suggest you provide your primary care physician with a copy of the report for their determination of diagnosis

Auditory Working Memory  Why do we test for this? 
Deficits in Auditory Working Memory can affect one’s ability to accurately store or act on discrete information that is heard. For example, deficits in this area can make it difficult to follow verbal directions accurately and fully. 

Visual Working Memory – Why do we test for this?
Deficits in Visual Working Memory can affect one’s ability to accurately store or act on discrete information that is seen. For example, deficits in this area can make it very difficult to learn words using flashcards. 

Modality Processing – Why do we test for this?
Identifying specific difficulties and/or strengths in one or more of the following areas is critical to understand how a person can learn best:

Say what is Heard
Say what is Seen
Write what is Heard
Write what is Seen

Visual Perception – Why do we test for this?
DCT can identify specific areas of struggle to include visual memory, spatial awareness, figure ground, visual closure and visual discrimination.  Deficits in these areas can affect one’s ability to process, recall and write information that is seen, even if eyes are healthy and acuity is 20/20. For example, deficits in this area can make it difficult to interpret geometry problems or to quickly identify letters that look similar in both reading and writing. 

Visual-Motor Integration – Why do we test for this?
Deficits in VMI can affect one’s ability to write detailed information accurately. For example, copying from the board, lining up math problems, and handwriting may be challenging. 

Ocular Motor Insufficiency Why do we test for this?

How our eyes muscles work or do not work together as a team does not cause or cure dyslexia. In fact, if vision therapy cured your dyslexia you did not have dyslexia, rather a glitch in how your eyes worked together. It is not uncommon to have both dyslexia and ocular motor dysfunction. If the eye muscles do not work as a team often the eyes can easily fatigue with reading, lines may be skipped, getting lost in the text, letters vibrating or falling off the page often will be experienced by the reader. 

Phonological Awareness – Why do we test for this?
Deficits in this area can make it hard to work with and discriminate among the sounds that make up words (phonemes and syllables). If such deficits are not directly addressed, the ability to read and spell phonetically will be adversely affected. 

Sight Word Retention – Why do we test for this?
Deficits in this area can make reading and spelling from memory difficult. 

Reading & Spelling – Why do we test for this?
An accurate analysis of reading and spelling of words in isolation is necessary, to identify where to begin in the Dyslexia Center of Tulsa reading curriculum. 

Reading Comprehension, Fluency – Why do we test for this?
An accurate analysis of high-level reading skills are also necessary to identify where to begin in the Orton-Gillingham based Wilson Reading Program. 

Primitive Survival Reflexes – Why do we test for this?
Primitive Survival Reflexes are normal reflexes that help babies develop. These reflexes should extinguish long before reading age. When they do not, your child may experience symptoms that resemble the symptoms of dyslexia. If these reflexes are not integrated, treatment can be provided to fully integrate them for the symptoms to fully extinguish or diminish.  

Sensory Integration – Why do we test for this?
Lack of sensory integration can be a distraction for your child to focus or participate in the learning process and learning to read. An increased sensitivity to sound, touch, smell, organizational ability, balance, visual stimulation and socialization can be identified and treated. Once addressed your child will have a greater ability to participate in the learning process.

Handwriting – Why do we test for this?
The task of handwriting is broken down into letter formation, letter spacing, word spacing, starting point and letter recognition. Results allow the team to develop customized treatment approach to best meet your child’s specific need.

Treating Reading, Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Dyslexia Center of Tulsa utilizes evidence-based research in the fields of occupational therapy, speech language pathology and reading to treat those with characteristics of dyslexia or are slow readers. Customized multi-sensory approaches are utilized to ensure the  executive cognitive function skills, sensory processing and phonological processing skills are uniquely brought together to bring our clients to grade level reading. Here is how it works:

1. Initial Evaluation

  • Identifies the characteristics most associated with the type and severity of dyslexia.
  • Assesses a child’s current skill level in reading, spelling and multiple cognitive functions (memory, visual-motor integration, etc.)
  • Testing takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours.

2. Consultation to review assessment.

  • Results provided in 5 to 7 days.

3. Create individualized Therapy Plan

4. 1:1 In-Clinic Therapy

5. Individualized Home Therapy

6. Six month re-evaluation

7. Continued Therapy or Graduation

8. Final Evaluation & Consultation 

Example Treatments:

Individualized Plan for Persistently Slow Readers or those with characteristics of Dyslexics

Weekly 2-hour session with a licensed occupational therapist, licensed certified occupational therapist assistant, speech language pathologist or teacher – assigned per your child’s needs .

Dolch Sight Word, Pre-Reading Skills and Saxon Phonics & Wilson Reader Phonics.