Scott Smith

Scott Smith

1 bookParenting & FamilyEducational & AcademicChild Development

Dr. Scott Smith is an educator and clinician who has spent his career helping families make sense of reading difficulties. He writes for parents who need research they can use at the kitchen table and in a school conference room. Unlocking the Code: A Parent's Practical Guide to Childhood Dyslexia brings together cognitive science, special-education practice, and years of sitting with caregivers who were told to wait and see. He believes children with dyslexia do not need pity; they need accurate teaching and adults who refuse to confuse struggle with lack of effort. He lives and works in Oregon, continuing to train educators and support families navigating identification and intervention.

Book

Unlocking the Code: A Parent's Practical Guide to Childhood Dyslexia

Unlocking the Code: A Parent's Practical Guide to Childhood Dyslexia

Research-based steps to spot, support, and lift struggling readers

  • Parenting & Family
  • Educational & Academic

If your child is bright but still cannot decode print, you are not imagining it—and you are not failing them. Unlocking the Code walks parents and educators through early warning signs by age, what a psychoeducational evaluation actually measures, and how to read standard scores without panic. It names the myths that stall help: letter reversals as the core problem, “try harder,” and sight-word memorization that collapses once phonics is required. You will learn how to request assessments, prepare for IEP and Section 504 meetings, and turn advocacy from a fight into a plan. Practical chapters give structured multisensory phonics routines, assistive technology choices, and classroom scripts that protect dignity as much as they build skill. Rooted in cognitive science and school law, this is a clear, compassionate roadmap from first red flags to confident literacy—and a child who still likes learning.

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