2. Dyslexia is hereditary and lifelong. Dyslexia is not a phase or something you outgrow—although it may appear differently at different points in development. Often, a child’s diagnosis will trigger parents to realize that they too have dyslexia. Their children’s symptoms are all too familiar. “It’s lifelong, and they will always expend more effort, but that doesn’t mean people with dyslexia can’t learn—or that they can’t enjoy reading,” says Nelson. Even after helping identify dyslexia in their students, a teacher’s job continues to be important, says Nelson. Educators have the role of helping their students cope with the challenges they will continue to face daily in the classroom. “One of the symptoms of dyslexia is having trouble hearing speech sounds in words. That’s a very teachable skill—even for kids with dyslexia,” Nelson explains. “They just need clear, direct instruction to develop phoneme awareness.”