Dyslexia Test – Does Lexercise Work?

Let me share a little about our dyslexia journey. You might be in a place where you suspect your child has dyslexia (that’s where I was), or you may have an official diagnosis after completing a dyslexia test. Our journey may be very similar or wildly different, but I really think it helps to hear from others who are walking this journey with their child because it sure helped me.

Dyslexia Symptoms

I love reading and wanted my kids to love it, too! As a new mom, I started reading aloud to my kids when they were only a few days old. It wasn’t surprising when my two older kids learned to read and developed a passion for it, just like I had. With my third child, though, everything changed.

He loved listening as I read to him. He paid attention, asked good questions, and remembered much of whatever story or textbook I read. When it came time for him to learn to read, I expected him to be an eager, willing learner, just like my other two kids had been when I taught them.

I read to him, just like I did the older two.

I took him to the library and let him choose his own books, just like the older two,

I read so that he could see me modeling reading.

I did all the “right” things.

My hopes were shattered (I know that is a strong word, but it was a huge source of stress at home!) when my son had a breakdown every day when we did his reading lesson.

He showed so many symptoms of dyslexia, but I was unfamiliar with them, so I didn’t recognize them. So I’m sharing some so you can maybe recognize them sooner than I did.

Struggling to learn new words

Rhyming words are hard for them

Confusing letters regularly

Reading below the grade level for their age

Struggling with grammar too

Spelling is a chore

No phonemic awareness

Meltdowns when asked to read aloud

Copy work is hard for them

Complaining that letters appear to move and are blurry, or are out of focus

After two school years of trying to teach him to learn, I decided to have him screened for dyslexia. I’m so thankful that I got him to do that dyslexia test! That dyslexia test led to a complete evaluation, revealing that he indeed does have dyslexia. I was strangely relieved to find that there was a “problem” that could be addressed.

What is Dyslexia?

Reading is complex and has several interconnecting pieces. These pieces can’t be taught in isolation from each other, but are connecting pieces that depend on each another. When one of the pieces is missing, the entire experience of reading is weakened. Really, no piece can be missing. Reading really requires our brains to connect with the letters and translate those letters to sounds in the right order. Then we string those words together into sentences and paragraphs, then chapters and books that can be read and comprehended.

People with dyslexia have trouble translating from the letters on the page to the sounds those letters and combinations of letters should make, making it a struggle to read fluently and spell words correctly. Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities. It impacts 1 in every 5 people in the United States. It is one of the most common underlying reasons for reading difficulties in elementary-aged children.

Dyslexia can’t be “cured” and is usually not outgrown. But with the right treatment and effective intervention, dyslexic individuals can become highly successful students and adults.

The Dyslexia Diagnosis

When my third child was not progressing through the curriculum like even my reluctant reader was, I thought it must be a problem with the curriculum. We tried soooo many curriculums! Many of my fellow homeschooling parents had great curriculum suggestions, which I eagerly accepted and acted on in many cases, but none of them worked.

When all those curriculums didn’t work, honestly, I started feeling like a really huge failure! I wondered if my son was just “not trying hard enough” or “not paying attention.” It frustrated me when he would look at a word and then look at the ceiling and start guessing rather than trying to “sound out the word.”

My son was really frustrated, too. He was enjoying the other subjects he was learning, but he just hated trying to learn to read. He longed to be able to read too, but reading itself or the lessons were just miserable for him.

After two school years of trying everything I knew to teach him to read, I felt panicky and anxious when the next year rolled around. I had no idea what to try. When I finally faced the reality of how stressed we both were, I knew it was time to try something entirely different.

I decided to have him do a dyslexia test almost on a whim because I just couldn’t think of anything else to do. I didn’t know there was a history of dyslexia (undiagnosed) on my husband’s side of the family, so I really didn’t think the screening would amount to much. I went ahead with it because I was so exhausted from two years of failures that I knew something had to change.

I’m so thankful that I did! That dyslexia test resulted in a full evaluation that revealed he indeed had dyslexia! I was actually strangely relieved to find that there was a “problem” that could be addressed! As I sat sobbing in the evaluator’s office, she said it is not uncommon for parents to experience relief after their child’s diagnosis. She said that the great news is that dyslexia can be “treated” and that results are usually excellent.

Our First Attempt at Dyslexia Treatment

My son began dyslexia treatment immediately. He attended an in-person class that met four times every week. We live in a small town, so we had to pack up our large family and travel to get to the class. It was a great class, but packing up everybody and sitting for an hour every afternoon while he was in class proved overwhelming and exhausting for all of us. We had to find a way for my son to get the dyslexia treatment he needed, but in-person classes were just. not. working. 

Then we found Lexercise. I almost feel like I need to have the angels singing and the sky parting here because I really believed it could be the answer to our prayers.

What is Lexercise?

Lexercise offers professional language therapy for children who suffer from not only dyslexia but also dysgraphia and other reading and writing problems. Through their online dyslexia programs, they provide at-your-own-pace lessons, interactive games, and engaging activities to help your child master reading and spelling.

Lexercise was founded in 2008. They combine the latest technology with the Orton-Gillingham approach to assist parents in treating learning disabilities. They are a team of passionate therapists, technologists, and business people united by this shared goal. They have built a platform that empowers children to improve their reading, writing, and spelling through online therapy from literacy experts combined with daily practice activities.

When we learned about Lexercise for dyslexia therapy and learned that we could do everything online, we knew we had to try it. In fact, when I realized Lexercise included online lessons plus access to an actual dyslexia therapist I was convinced this was it! The answer to my prayers!

Lexercise Dyslexia Test

If you are worried that your child has a learning disability, it feels very overwhelming. You want answers as fast as you can get them. I know I was right there with you. I wish I had known about Lexercise from the beginning of my journey. It would have saved us a lot of tears after our early dyslexia diagnosis. That is why I’m doing this exhaustive review about Lexercise, their dyslexia test and treatment, to save you some time and heartache.

Lexercise offers several different tests besides just the dyslexia test, which you can use to explore what specific learning disabilities your child might have. And they are all FREE. For the dylexia test, you will need your kiddo to be there with you to take the test. It takes 10 minutes or less, and you will have an immediate assessment.

If you would rather review a list of symptoms or your child is not with you currently, you can review those here and do the dyslexia test when you are together.

Lexercise Dyslexia Treatment Review

Why I am so glad we found Lexercise:

Lexercise saves time. You already know my story about our attempt at in-person dyslexia treatment and what a disaster that was. The time we spent preparing to leave the house, driving to therapy, and waiting now is used for other chores I need to do, like cooking, laundry, and cleaning the house. Not that I want to do those things, but hey, they have to get done and Lexercise has given that time back to me to do some of them.

Lexercise offers a combination of professional help and parent resources. Another huge worry for me as the mom was that I didn’t feel like I could become an “expert” on dyslexia! With Lexercise, I don’t have to be the expert; they are! Of course, I was willing to participate and interested in getting familiar with how to help my son. But, after two years of trying, it was very obvious he needed dyslexia treatment that I didn’t know how to provide on my own. Thank goodness, with Lexercise, you don’t have to take this journey with dyslexia alone.

Lexercise offers comparable cost with lots more convenience. Lexercise is not inexpensive, but after my experience with in-person treatment, I can assure you it is a great value! In-person classes cost $30 to $40/hour in our area for group classes and are way more than that for individual therapy. Much of the class time was spent saying “hello” and getting the group organized and started. Additionally, getting wrapped up after class took time too. I felt like we were really only getting 45 minutes of class rather than an hour, making it even more expensive.

Things We Love About Lexercise

The guarantee. This guarantee is the reason we decided to give Lexercise a try. I knew they would not offer that guarantee if they doubted their ability to help children!

Lexercise offers access to a dyslexia therapist. Not only did our therapist help us set up the program, but she was also available whenever I had a question. It was very encouraging to know that a knowledgeable professional shared all of the responsibility with me, guiding me down the treatment path. When I had questions; she answered them promptly and was friendly and supportive.

Lexercise incorporates a variety of learning activities and styles. Lexercise offers videos for parents, videos for students, and daily games as part of the treatment plan for your student. The games include all the concepts covered in the lesson, some review from previous lessons, and other skills, such as listening and spelling. It covers all of the skills he needs to review for the day.

Lexercise has excellent record-keeping and detailed feedback for parents. Parent prep lessons give an overview of what your student will encounter in the upcoming lesson. It provides links for documents to print for record keeping. There are support links, so you don’t have to search for information if you need help recalling or explaining something to your child. It has everything right there at your fingertips, helping you feel much more confident and prepared as you work through the material.

Lexercise was easy to set up.  Setting up the program was quick and easy! Since my son had some previous dyslexia treatment, we knew we would start a little further in the program. The therapist helped us determine where to begin and after a few changes in the settings, we were off and running.

Some additional features that add so much value with using Lexercise:

• emails giving me a status update and letting me know what lessons were watched
• emails showing what games were played and what percentage of the attempts were correct
• videos for me to watch to help me get familiar with the information in case my student needs immediate help with the current lesson
• assignment videos for the student
• extra practice assignments in case my student needs a little more work or is particularly interested in a certain concept
• the ability to go back and review previously-learned concepts as needed
• access to the parent portal, which also links to blog post articles and research information (you even get a message letting you know when there is a suggested article, so you don’t have to be concerned about missing relevant and helpful information)
• plenty of extra activities and games that allow you to tailor the program to specific skills that your student needs to work on

The Lexercise activities move in a logical progression. The program requires a certain amount of practice before allowing the student to access the next lesson. This prevented my son from just rushing through his lessons. When he grasped a concept quickly, he wanted to rush ahead. My son tended to forget that even when he understood a concept quickly, it still took practice to get the concept into his long-term memory. This feature eliminates any arguing over when to move forward.

Lexercise is accredited. Lexercise has earned International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Accredited Program^PLUS. I knew we were using a solution developed and implemented by top-notch professionals committed to helping children with dyslexia. As parents, when it comes to our child’s education, we want to give them the best.

Does Lexercise Work?

Yes, it works. After using Lexercise, my son and I noticed a significant improvement in both his reading and spelling skills. As a mom, watching my son’s confidence increase was such a great feeling! Bottom line…

I highly recommend Lexercise!

The program begins with the very beginning of information that the youngest students will need to become successful readers, but it can be altered for students such as mine who have either progressed some at home or have already had some dyslexia treatment.

I have done much research over the years and have not found a program that matched Lexercise. Although it is not cheap, it was worth every penny. Watching my son’s success, and how much progress he made using the program confirmed to me that this was the right decision.

Don’t wait. If your child is struggling, reach out to them. Do it. Now. You will thank me later!

If you want to read another mom’s perspective about Lexercise, you can read Kris’ review at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

A Hip Homeschool Mom Discount!!

Lexercise has generously provided our community an amazing discount of 40% off their Basic Therapy Program. You will need to use this code and link:

Use Code: HIPHOMESCHOOL