Dyslexia Awareness Month: Understanding the Whole Person, Unlocking Brighter Possibilities
Marigold Speech & Co. Announces New Dyslexia Evaluation and Diagnostic Services Beginning October 12, 2026
Whole Person. Brighter Possibilities.
Reading should open doors to discovery, imagination, independence, and confidence.
For many children and adults, reading can become a source of frustration, anxiety, and self-doubt.
Perhaps your child is bright, curious, and articulate but struggles to sound out words, remember spelling patterns, or keep up with reading assignments. Maybe homework takes hours, even though your child clearly understands the material when someone explains it aloud.
Or perhaps you’re an adult who has spent years wondering why reading, spelling, and writing require so much more effort than they seem to for everyone else.
At Marigold Speech & Co., we believe that understanding these challenges begins with looking beyond the surface.
You are not a test score. Your child is not a test score. And no one should ever be defined by one.
This October, in recognition of Dyslexia Awareness Month, we’re excited to announce an important expansion of our literacy services.
Beginning October 12, 2026, Marigold Speech & Co. will offer private-pay dyslexia evaluation and diagnostic services for children, adolescents, and adults in Janesville, Wisconsin, and surrounding communities.
Our mission is simple: identify the underlying reasons learning is difficult, recognize individual strengths, and provide meaningful recommendations that help each person move forward with confidence.
What Is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental learning difference that primarily affects accurate and fluent word reading and spelling.
Individuals with dyslexia may experience difficulty with:
● Connecting letters with their corresponding sounds
● Recognizing and manipulating sounds within words
● Decoding unfamiliar words
● Reading accurately and fluently
● Recognizing familiar words automatically
● Spelling and written language skills
● Developing efficient reading skills despite appropriate instruction
Dyslexia is not caused by low intelligence, laziness, poor motivation, or a lack of effort.
In fact, many individuals with dyslexia demonstrate remarkable strengths in verbal reasoning, creativity, problem-solving, and other areas of learning.
The challenge is not necessarily understanding information. It may be accessing that information efficiently through written language.
And while dyslexia is often identified during childhood, it does not disappear with age.
Recognizing the Signs of Dyslexia at Every Age
Dyslexia can look different depending on a person’s age, educational experiences, and the strategies they have developed to compensate.
Early Childhood
Preschool through Kindergarten
Early signs may include:
Difficulty learning letter names and sounds
Trouble recognizing or producing rhyming words
Difficulty identifying sounds within spoken words
Challenges connecting letters to sounds
Difficulty beginning to sound out simple words
School-Age Children
Elementary through Middle School
Common signs may include:
Reading slowly or with significant effort
Guessing at unfamiliar words rather than sounding them out
Frequent spelling difficulties
Avoiding reading aloud or independent reading
Taking longer to complete reading and writing assignments
Understanding stories when listening but struggling to read the same material independently
Adolescents & Adults
High School Through Adulthood
Signs may include:
Reading that remains slow, tiring, or mentally exhausting
Persistent spelling and written expression difficulties
Difficulty taking notes or processing large amounts of written information
Relying on memorization, audiobooks, or other strategies to compensate for reading challenges
Needing extra time to complete reading-intensive tasks
Recognizing similar reading struggles after a child or family member is diagnosed with dyslexia
The Important Takeaway
Dyslexia is not a reflection of intelligence, effort, or potential.
Many individuals develop strategies that mask their reading difficulties for years. Whether someone is just beginning to read or has struggled throughout adulthood, understanding why reading is difficult can open the door to meaningful support.
You don’t have to wait for someone to fall behind to seek answers.
Early identification matters, but understanding your learning profile is valuable at any age.
Beyond the Test Score: Marigold’s Whole-Person Approach
At Marigold, we believe literacy is connected to language, cognitive processing, executive functioning, confidence, and everyday participation.
Reading is not an isolated skill.
When someone struggles academically, the most important question isn’t simply, “How far behind are they?”
It’s “Why is this difficult, and what is contributing to the challenge?”
Our evaluation process is designed to explore patterns of strengths and needs, rather than relying on a single score or screening measure.
Depending on the individual’s presenting concerns and the assessments selected, we may explore several important areas of learning.
Difficulties with working memory, planning, organization, and task completion can influence classroom performance and daily learning.
When concerns extend beyond reading and spelling, additional assessment may help identify contributing factors.
Mathematical Processing
Some individuals who struggle with literacy also experience difficulty with numerical concepts, mathematical language, or interpreting written mathematical information.
When these concerns are present, we can consider whether additional math-specific evaluation or referral is appropriate.
Not every individual requires testing in every area. Our goal is to select meaningful assessments based on the concerns, history, and needs of the person being evaluated.
The purpose is not to test everything.
The purpose is to understand the person.
New at Marigold: Comprehensive Dyslexia and Literacy Evaluations
Beginning October 12, 2026, Marigold Speech & Co. will offer dedicated dyslexia and literacy evaluations using standardized assessment tools, alongside additional measures when clinically indicated.
Our evaluations are designed to investigate the underlying skills involved in reading and spelling and determine whether the findings support a diagnosis of dyslexia.
Depending on individual needs, the evaluation may include:
● Review of developmental, educational, and learning history
● Standardized assessment of reading and literacy skills
● Phonological processing
● Decoding and word recognition
● Reading fluency
● Spelling and orthographic processing
● Additional language and literacy measures when indicated
● Clinical interpretation of assessment findings
● A comprehensive written report
● Individualized recommendations
● A feedback meeting to review findings and next steps
Rather than simply providing a list of scores, we work to explain what those scores mean, how the findings relate to everyday challenges, and what type of support may be beneficial.
A dyslexia diagnosis is made when the clinical findings and appropriate diagnostic criteria support it. When results suggest other learning or developmental concerns, additional assessment or referral may be recommended.
When Reading Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Sometimes dyslexia is the primary concern.
Other times, families describe a much broader picture.
Perhaps a child struggles with reading but also has difficulty following multistep directions, organizing written assignments, retrieving words, or expressing complex ideas.
Maybe an adolescent can decode words accurately but struggles with comprehension, planning, written expression, and independent schoolwork.
At Marigold, our background in speech-language pathology allows us to consider how language and communication may influence literacy development.
When concerns extend beyond dyslexia, we can discuss a more comprehensive, individualized assessment approach that may examine speech, language, communication, literacy, and selected executive-function skills.
This additional assessment is determined by clinical need and the scope of the services available.
We believe the most useful evaluation is one that helps families understand how different areas of learning interact, rather than viewing each difficulty in isolation.
Whole Person. Brighter Possibilities.
Transparent Pricing: A Private-Pay Dyslexia Evaluation
We understand that seeking answers about learning differences is an important investment for individuals and families.
Marigold Speech & Co. offers a dedicated dyslexia and literacy diagnostic evaluation for $695.
This private-pay service includes standardized dyslexia and literacy assessment, interpretation of findings, a written report with individualized recommendations, and a feedback consultation.
Evaluations that require additional assessment beyond the dedicated dyslexia and literacy evaluation may involve a different scope of services and pricing. Any additional assessment recommendations and associated fees will be discussed before proceeding.
Our goal is to provide a clear, meaningful evaluation experience that helps families understand the findings and confidently determine their next steps.
What Happens After a Dyslexia Evaluation?
A diagnosis is not the end of the journey.
It is often the beginning of a more informed approach to learning.
When we understand why reading and spelling are difficult, we can identify more appropriate interventions, accommodations, and support strategies.
Following an evaluation, recommendations may include:
● Structured, explicit literacy instruction
● Evidence-based reading and spelling intervention
● Orton-Gillingham-based literacy services when appropriate
● Suggestions for classroom or workplace accommodations
● Strategies to support reading fluency and written expression
● Additional speech-language assessment when indicated
● Collaboration with educators and other professionals
● Referrals for further evaluation when concerns fall outside the scope of dyslexia testing
At Marigold, our literacy services include Orton-Gillingham instruction, allowing us to help families explore structured literacy support following the diagnostic process.
Our focus is not simply identifying a challenge. It’s helping individuals and families understand what to do next.
Dyslexia Evaluations Aren’t Just for Children
One of the most important things we want our community to understand is that dyslexia can be identified at any age.
Some adults have spent decades believing they were simply poor readers or bad spellers.
Others have worked twice as hard to achieve the same academic or professional outcomes without ever understanding why.
An evaluation can provide meaningful insight into lifelong learning patterns and help individuals advocate for the support they need.
Whether you’re seeking answers for a young child just beginning to read, a teenager struggling with increasingly complex coursework, or yourself as an adult, it is never too late to better understand how you learn.
Dyslexia Testing in Janesville, Wisconsin
Marigold Speech & Co. is proud to expand access to dyslexia and literacy diagnostic services in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Our clinic serves children, adolescents, adults, and families throughout Rock County, Walworth County, and surrounding southern Wisconsin communities, including Beloit, Milton, Edgerton, Delavan, and beyond.
With our multidisciplinary background in speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and structured literacy instruction, we recognize that learning differences deserve thoughtful, individualized attention.
We don’t believe in waiting until someone falls further behind before asking important questions.
We don’t believe a person’s potential can be measured by a single standardized score.
And we don’t believe struggling readers should have to spend years wondering why learning feels so difficult.
We believe understanding leads to opportunity.
Ready to Find Answers?
If you or someone you love is struggling with reading, spelling, or literacy development, Marigold Speech & Co. is here to help.
Our new dyslexia evaluation and diagnostic services begin October 12, 2026, and appointments are available for children, adolescents, and adults.
Dyslexia & Literacy Diagnostic Evaluation: $695 | Private Pay
Contact our team to learn more about the evaluation process and determine whether dyslexia testing is the right next step.
Marigold Speech & Co.
Janesville, Wisconsin
Phone: 608-728-7774
Speech Therapy • Occupational Therapy • Dyslexia & Literacy Evaluations • Orton-Gillingham Literacy Services
Whole Person. Brighter Possibilities.
