The Hidden Side of High-Functioning ADHD: What It Looks Like in Adults and Children

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed.

When most people picture ADHD, they imagine the child who cannot sit still, the student who blurts out answers, the adult who loses their keys three times before breakfast. But ADHD wears many faces, and one of the most overlooked is what clinicians and researchers have come to call “high-functioning ADHD.”

These are the people who appear, on the outside, to have it all together. They earn the promotions, finish the degrees, raise the families, and run the businesses. Underneath, though, they are paddling furiously to keep afloat.

As a literacy specialist who grew up with both dyslexia and ADHD, and who now works with families every week at Saybrook Reading, I see this pattern constantly.

The bright child who masks her struggles at school and falls apart at home. The accomplished parent sitting across from me at a consultation, suddenly recognizing themselves in their child’s evaluation report. High-functioning ADHD is not a separate diagnosis, but it is a real lived experience, and understanding it can change everything for the people who live with it.

What “High-Functioning” Really Means

It is important to say plainly: high-functioning ADHD is not a formal clinical diagnosis. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual recognizes ADHD by its core features of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, with severity ranging from mild to severe. The term “high-functioning” is used informally to describe people who meet criteria for ADHD but have developed strong enough coping strategies, or possess enough cognitive or environmental advantages, that their symptoms do not visibly derail their daily lives.

Research suggests that adults with higher IQ scores may be able to compensate for some ADHD-related executive function challenges, which helps explain why so many bright, capable people go undiagnosed for decades.

One study of adults diagnosed with ADHD later in life found that they tended to have above-average IQ and executive functioning during childhood, and their social adaptation abilities may have masked their underlying ADHD traits, complicating diagnosis. In other words, intelligence and effort can hide the disorder, but they do not erase it.

6 Common Signs of High-Functioning ADHD in Adults

Adults with high-functioning ADHD often look like the most capable person in the room. The struggle is internal, and these are some of the patterns I hear about most often:

Chronic procrastination followed by last-minute brilliance. Deadlines create the urgency the ADHD brain needs to mobilize, so projects get completed in frantic bursts the night before. The work is often excellent, but the cost is sleep, stress, and self-doubt.
Hyperfocus on what interests them, paralysis on what does not. An adult with high-functioning ADHD may spend nine hours absorbed in a creative project and then be unable to answer three emails or fold a basket of laundry. This is not laziness. It is a dopamine-driven attention system that struggles to engage with low-stimulation tasks.
Time blindness. Estimating how long things will take, or sensing how much time has passed, is genuinely difficult for the ADHD brain. Adults often run late, underestimate projects, or lose entire afternoons to a task they thought would take twenty minutes.
Emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity. Emotional dysregulation may be present in up to 70 percent of adults with ADHD, and it is increasingly recognized as a core feature of the condition rather than a side effect. Many adults experience what is called rejection sensitive dysphoria, an intense emotional response to perceived criticism, disapproval, or failure. A neutral comment from a boss can feel like a wound that lingers for days.
Internal chaos behind an organized exterior. Many high-functioning adults rely on elaborate systems, planners, alarms, and lists to keep up. When those systems falter, or when life demands more than the systems can hold, burnout follows. Research consistently links high-functioning ADHD to higher rates of exhaustion, anxiety, and burnout, particularly when symptoms have been masked for years.
A history that suddenly makes sense. ADHD does not appear in adulthood. By diagnostic criteria, symptoms must have been present before age twelve, even if no one noticed. Many adults describe a “lightbulb moment” when they realize the daydreaming, the lost homework, the impulsive decisions, and the constant sense of working twice as hard as everyone else were never personality flaws. They were signs.

High-Functioning ADHD in Children: What to Watch For

Children with high-functioning ADHD are often the ones who slip through the cracks. They are not the kids climbing the bookshelves. They are bright, often verbally advanced, and able to hold themselves together at school through sheer determination. The CDC notes that ADHD symptoms can present in three ways: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, or combined. The inattentive presentation is especially easy to miss in capable children, and it is more common in girls.

Here are signs I encourage parents to watch for:

The “fine at school, falling apart at home” pattern. This is one of the clearest indicators of masking. A child who is described by teachers as quiet, polite, and on-task, but who melts down the moment they walk through the front door, is often spending every ounce of energy holding it together in the classroom. Researchers describe this as a swan-on-the-lake effect: graceful above, paddling frantically below.
Daydreaming and “spacing out.” Inattentive symptoms include difficulty sustaining focus, appearing not to listen, losing track of instructions, and getting distracted by internal thoughts. A bright child may still earn decent grades while missing most of the lesson, because they can fill in gaps with intelligence and reading ability.
Disorganization that does not match their intelligence. Lost homework, a backpack that looks like a recycling bin, forgotten permission slips, and missed assignments, all alongside test scores that show the child clearly knows the material.
Emotional intensity and big reactions. Children with ADHD often have difficulty modulating emotional intensity. Small frustrations become large meltdowns. Transitions are hard. Feedback feels personal. This is not defiance. It is an executive function system that has not yet developed the neurological brakes that allow for measured response.
Procrastination and avoidance, especially with writing. Tasks that require sustained mental effort, multistep planning, or working memory, like writing assignments or long reading passages, often become flashpoints. The child may know exactly what they want to say but be unable to get started.
Twice-exceptional patterns. Many gifted children also have ADHD, and the two can mask each other. The giftedness covers the ADHD struggles, and the ADHD obscures the giftedness. Parents and educators may see a child who seems to be doing “well enough” and miss that they are working far harder than peers to achieve the same results.
Anxiety, perfectionism, and low self-esteem. When a child is constantly compensating, the emotional toll shows up somewhere. Many children with high-functioning ADHD develop anxiety, perfectionistic tendencies, or a quiet belief that something is wrong with them, long before anyone names what is actually going on.

Why Recognition Matters

I know this terrain personally. I was not identified with dyslexia until third grade, and even then no one looked closely at the ADHD piece. I spent years in the lowest reading groups, certain I was simply not smart enough. The truth, which I tell parents every week, is that bright kids with hidden challenges do not need to be fixed. They need to be understood. Once a child knows why their brain works the way it does, and once the adults around them understand it too, everything begins to shift.

If you are reading this and recognizing yourself or your child, that recognition is the beginning. A thorough evaluation with a qualified professional is the next step. Early identification, the right educational supports, and an honest conversation about how the brain actually works can transform a child’s trajectory, and an adult’s relationship with themselves.

Every child deserves to feel confident in school. And every adult who quietly suspects their lifelong “quirks” might be something more deserves the same clarity, and the same support.

To learn more, register for an upcoming webinar, or schedule a consultation, visit saybrookreading.com/events and listen to the Dyslexia Stories podcast for honest conversations about learning differences from those who live them.

Citations

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of ADHD. https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/signs-symptoms/index.html

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diagnosing ADHD. https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/diagnosis/index.html

3. National Institute of Mental Health. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: What You Need to Know. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-what-you-need-to-know

4. CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). About ADHD: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment. https://chadd.org/about-adhd/overview/

5. Mowlem, F. D., Rosenqvist, M. A., Martin, J., Lichtenstein, P., Asherson, P., & Larsson, H. (2019). Sex differences in predicting ADHD clinical diagnosis and pharmacological treatment. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

6. Kosaka, H., Fujioka, T., & Jung, M. (2019). Symptoms in individuals with adult-onset ADHD are masked during childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6689273/

7. Mostert, J. C., et al. Neuropsychological and real-life functioning of adults with ADHD. National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8196275/

8. Soler-Gutiérrez, A. M., Pérez-González, J. C., & Mayas, J. (2023). Evidence of emotion dysregulation as a core symptom of adult ADHD: A systematic review. PLOS ONE.

9. Beheshti, A., Chavanon, M. L., & Christiansen, H. (2020). Emotion dysregulation in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry.

10. Child Mind Institute. What’s ADHD (and What’s Not) in the Classroom. https://childmind.org/article/whats-adhd-and-whats-not-in-the-classroom/

11. Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA). High-Functioning ADHD: The Reality Behind Success. https://add.org/high-functioning-adhd/

‘My Child is Struggling to Read’ and Here is Exactly What to Do Next

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. | Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

You have been watching your child struggle with reading. Maybe for months. Maybe longer. You have seen the frustration, the tears, the avoidance. You have heard the excuses at homework time and watched the gap between your child and their peers quietly widen.

You are not imagining it. And you are not alone in watching your child struggle learning to read.

Dyslexia affects approximately 20 percent of the population, making it the most common learning difference in the world.

According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, it is a neurological, language-based learning difference that creates an unexpected difficulty in reading for individuals who have the intelligence to be much stronger readers. It is not a vision problem. It is not a reflection of effort. And it is not something a child can outgrow without the right instruction. The longer you wait for the right instruction, the further your child falls behind.

The most important thing you can do right now is stop waiting.

What Is Actually Happening in a Dyslexic Child's Brain

Dyslexia is rooted in phonological processing, which is the ability to recognize and work with the sounds within spoken words.

According to NIH-funded brain imaging research, children with dyslexia process written language differently in the brain. The areas that typically handle reading work in an atypical pattern, making the process of connecting letters to sounds significantly harder than it should be.

Research published in PMC by the National Institutes of Health confirms that dyslexia has a neurobiological origin and is heavily influenced by genetics. But dyslexia doesn’t have to be a lifelong limitation. Many adults with dyslexia flourish in a range of careers, and many children with dyslexia are among the most creative, curious, and intellectually capable learners in any classroom.

They are simply working with a brain that needs a different kind of instruction.

The Most Dangerous Piece of Advice: ‘Wait and See’

One of the most common things parents are told is to wait until third grade before seeking help. This advice is not just unhelpful. It is actively harmful.

Research cited by Reading Rockets and the NIH shows that 74 percent of children who display reading problems in third grade will remain poor readers into adulthood unless they receive specialized instruction.

That statistic is worth reading again.

Waiting is not a neutral decision. Every year without the right instruction is a year of compounding difficulty, compounding self-doubt, and compounding distance from grade-level expectations.

A 2023 meta-analysis published in Reading Research Quarterly reviewed 40 years of reading intervention research across more than 6,000 students.

The findings were unambiguous: early, intensive, structured intervention produces significantly stronger reading outcomes. The more frequent the sessions the larger the gains. The earlier the intervention begins, the more effectively the brain can build the pathways needed for fluent reading.

Early intervention is not an advantage.

It is the difference between a child who learns to read and one who spends their entire school career working around a gap that was never addressed.

Signs That Your Child's Reading Struggles May Be Dyslexia

Not every reading struggle is dyslexia. But certain patterns are worth taking seriously. The following signs, across any age group, warrant a closer look:

• Reading feels like significant effort even after consistent, dedicated instruction at home or school

• Your child guesses words based on the first letter rather than sounding them out

• Spelling is unpredictable and inconsistent, even with words your child has seen many times

• Reading aloud is slow, choppy, or filled with substitutions and omissions

• Your child understands everything when you read aloud to them but struggles to access text independently

• Strong verbal skills that do not match reading or writing ability

• Avoidance, frustration, or emotional distress that seems disproportionate to the task

• A family history of reading difficulties, dyslexia, or learning differences

The International Dyslexia Association notes that dyslexia exists on a continuum of severity and can present differently in each child. If several of the signs above resonate with your experience of your child, that is meaningful information worth acting on.

What the School Is Required to Do

There is a federal law called Child Find, established under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Child Find requires every public school district to actively identify, locate, and evaluate all children who may have a disability and need special education services. This includes children in private schools and homeschool settings. This evaluation is free — and it can be the first step toward helping your child

Here is what you can do right now:

• Ask your child's teacher for data from any reading screeners or assessments the school has administered

• Request a written explanation of how your child is performing relative to grade-level benchmarks

• Put your request for an evaluation in writing. Once the school receives a written request, federal timelines are triggered

• Know that under IDEA, if a school cannot provide a free appropriate public education in-district, they are required to fund an appropriate outside placement

You do not have to wait for the school to bring this to you. You have the right to initiate the conversation, and the law is on your side.

What Actually Works: The Science Behind Structured Literacy

Not all reading programs are created equal.

The National Reading Panel, commissioned by the National Institutes of Health, identified five essential components of evidence-based reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Programs that do not address all five components are not sufficient for children with dyslexia.

The Orton-Gillingham approach is backed by decades of peer-reviewed research and is widely regarded as the gold standard for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences.

Recognized by the International Dyslexia Association as a structured literacy instructional approach, OG incorporates all five of those components in a way that is explicit, systematic, sequential, and multisensory.The 2023 meta-analysis in Reading Research Quarterly confirmed significant positive effects of structured, multicomponent reading interventions across 40 years of research. The research is clear. The method works. What struggling children need is consistent access to a practitioner who is trained to deliver it.

What You Can Do Right Now

You do not need a formal diagnosis before your child can begin receiving structured literacy instruction. If your child is showing signs of dyslexia, the right instruction can and should begin immediately while an evaluation is underway. Here are your concrete next steps:

• Trust your instincts. You know your child. If something feels off, it is worth pursuing.

• Request a comprehensive evaluation through your local school district at no cost. Ask for it in writing and keep a copy for your records.

• Seek out a specialist trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach. Look for credentials through the Academy of Orton-Gillingham, which sets the standard for practitioner training.

• Do not wait for the evaluation to begin intervention. Structured literacy instruction can start now and run alongside the school's evaluation process.

• Document everything. Keep records of all school communications, assessment results, and your child's progress. This documentation protects your child's rights and strengthens any future advocacy.

Yes, Your Child Can Love Reading

With the right instruction, children with dyslexia can and do become capable, confident readers. The research on this is unambiguous.

According to the International Dyslexia Association, children who receive effective phonological awareness and phonics training in kindergarten and first grade have significantly fewer problems learning to read at grade level than those who are not identified or helped until third grade. It is never too late to intervene. But the earlier the better, and the more intensive the instruction, the stronger the outcomes.

Your child is not broken. They are not lazy. They are not less than. They are a bright, capable human being whose brain processes language differently. And with the right instruction, there is nothing they cannot achieve.

I know this because I was one of those children. I sat in the lowest reading groups. I was labeled. I was told, implicitly and explicitly, that I was behind. What nobody knew was how smart I really was. And what nobody gave me was the right instruction.

I built Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab because no child should spend their school years wondering what is wrong with them when nothing is wrong with them at all.

Do you have a struggling reader at home? Take the first step toward the help that they need. We offer free consultations for parents to learn about effective support programs.

At Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, every consultation is free. We help families understand their child's assessment data, navigate the school system, and connect their child with the expert literacy instruction they deserve. Visit saybrookreading.com or email us at info@saybrookreading.com to schedule your free consultation today.

Every child deserves to feel confident in school.

Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. is a Connecticut-certified special education teacher and literacy specialist with a Master's degree in Reading, a 092 administrator endorsement, and specialized training through the Academy of Orton-Gillingham. She is the founder of Saybrook Reading (Old Saybrook, CT), OG Learning Lab (Portland, CT), The Learning Lab Foundation, and the Dyslexia Stories podcast. Sarah has dyslexia herself and has spent her career building the resources she wished had existed when she was a child.

Research Citations

Source: Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity — Definition and Prevalence of Dyslexia

Source: NIH / Reading Rockets — Brain Research and Dyslexia

Source: Hall et al. (2023) — Forty Years of Reading Intervention Research, Reading Research Quarterly

Source: NIH — Early Identification and Interventions for Dyslexia, PMC

Source: International Dyslexia Association — Frequently Asked Questions

Source: International Dyslexia Association — Structured Literacy and Orton-Gillingham

Source: National Reading Panel — Five Components of Evidence-Based Reading Instruction

Source: Child Find — IDEA Section 300.111

Source: Academy of Orton-Gillingham — Practitioner Credentialing

Your Questions Answered:

A Parent's Guide to Getting Started at Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. | Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

When a family reaches out to us for the first time, they often come with a list of questions and a lot of uncertainty. That is completely understandable. Navigating a child's reading struggles can feel overwhelming, and knowing what to expect from a specialist makes all the difference.

Below are answers to the questions we hear most often. If yours is not here, please reach out. Every consultation is free and we are always happy to talk.

How often should my child come, and is one session enough?

The honest answer is that frequency is completely dependent on the individual child. The OG approach meets a child where they are at. A certified practitioner will be able to give more guidance on the frequency of instruction as it truly depends on the child and how impacted a child is.

Best practice, grounded in the science of reading research, recommends between two and five sessions per week depending on the severity of a child's dyslexia and the level of support they need. More frequent instruction, particularly in the early stages, produces faster and more durable results.

That said, we understand that financial circumstances are a real consideration for many families. We will always work with you to find a plan that fits your situation, and we can provide structured at-home practice activities between sessions to make every week as productive as possible.

Starting with one session per week is a comfortable starting point for most families . Dyslexia intervention requires consistency and repetition. We will be honest with you about what your child needs and help you build a realistic plan.

How do you share progress with us?

We share information with families after every session. You will never wonder how your child is doing because we believe in fluid, ongoing conversation rather than waiting for a formal report to tell you something you should have known weeks ago.

Every session includes data collection. We track what your child worked on, how they performed, and where we are headed next. That data is compiled into weekly or biweekly reports that can be shared with school teams, educational advocates, or anyone else supporting your child.

For families who need more formal documentation, we also compile comprehensive evaluations that can be presented at IEP, 504, or PPT meetings. Our goal is to make sure everyone on your child's team is working from the same accurate, up-to-date picture.

What can we do at home to support our child between sessions?

Home should feel safe. That is our first and most important principle when it comes to at-home practice. If your child is resistant to reading at home, we do not want that resistance to become a battle. Building a child's comfort and confidence with reading always comes first.

With that foundation in place, we send home targeted practice materials at your child's exact instructional level. These typically include word practice, sight word review, and decodable books that your child can read independently with success. We also send home authentic books for parents to read aloud to their child at night, because listening to a skilled reader model fluency and expression is one of the most powerful things a parent can do.

Everything we send home is intentional. If something is not working or your child is showing signs of frustration, tell us. We will adjust.

What are the steps in the process?

Here is exactly what to expect when you reach out to us:

You contact us by phone or email. We respond within 24 to 48 hours.
We schedule a free consultation. This is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We listen to your concerns, ask questions about your child, and offer honest guidance. Sometimes that means we provide resources and point you in a direction that does not involve us. We are here to help, not to sign you up.
We build a plan together. This may include scheduling a comprehensive criterion-based assessment to understand exactly how your child is performing across all areas of reading and language. This assessment helps us build an accurate picture and identify where instruction should begin.
We match your child with the right practitioner within our practice based on their needs, schedule, and learning profile.
If you need us at a school meeting, we show up. We can present our assessment data and progress documentation at IEP, 504, or PPT meetings. We will help you understand the process and prepare you to advocate confidently for your child.

One thing we always tell families: we do not want to keep your child with us indefinitely. Our goal is to get them the skills and the services they need to make real, lasting progress, and ultimately to return to their school community stronger and more capable than before.

What should we be asking for at school?

There is a federal law called Child Find, established under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Child Find requires every public school district in the United States to actively identify, locate, and evaluate all children who may have a disability and need special education services. This includes children in private schools and homeschool settings. The evaluation is provided at no cost to the family.

What this means in practical terms is that you have the right to ask your school to evaluate your child. You do not have to wait for a teacher to bring it up. You do not have to wait for your child to fall far enough behind. You can request it.

Here is what we recommend:

Ask your child's classroom teacher for data from any screeners or assessments the school has administered. Schools are required to conduct screening to identify students who may be struggling.
Ask for an update on how your child is performing relative to grade-level benchmarks in reading and language arts.
If the data suggests your child is struggling, ask about tiered intervention services under the school's Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework, or request a referral to special education for a formal evaluation.

We are happy to review any school data with you and help you understand what it means and what your next steps should be. That is part of what we do.

What assessments do you use?

We use a range of criterion-based assessments, and we go over each one with families before we administer it so you always understand the purpose and what we are looking for. Every assessment we use has a specific role in helping us build a complete picture of your child as a reader and a learner.

Our assessments typically evaluate:

Single word reading, to see how accurately your child decodes known words
Nonsense word reading, to assess their ability to apply phonics rules to unfamiliar words
Phonological processing, which is the foundational skill underlying reading and one of the core areas affected by dyslexia
Reading fluency, measuring the speed and accuracy with which your child reads connected text
Reading comprehension, to understand what your child takes away from what they read
Vocabulary and listening comprehension
Spelling and basic writing skills

Depending on the child, we may go deeper in specific areas. Some students need a closer look at working memory, phonemic awareness, or written expression. We let the child's profile guide us and we always explain what we find and why it matters.

Still have questions? We would love to hear from you. Schedule a free consultation at

saybrookreading.com or email us at info@saybrookreading.com. There is no pressure and no obligation. Just answers.

Every child deserves to feel confident in school.

Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. is a Connecticut-certified special education teacher and literacy specialist, trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach. She is the founder of Saybrook Reading (Old Saybrook, CT), OG Learning Lab (Portland, CT), The Learning Lab Foundation, and the Dyslexia Stories podcast.

References

Source: Child Find — Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 300.111

Source: International Dyslexia Association — Structured Literacy

Source: Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity — Early Identification

Connecticut's State-Based Assessments:Why They Exist, How Districts Use Them, and What Parents Can Do

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. | Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

Each spring, students across Connecticut participate in statewide assessments designed to measure academic progress in English language arts and mathematics.

For many families, the results arrive in the fall with limited context.

To become an informed advocate for your child, you’ll need to understand what these assessments are intended to measure, how school districts use the data and what parents can do with the information. Below, we’ll dive into all three.

Why Does Connecticut Require State-Based Assessments?

The primary purpose of state-based assessments is to provide a consistent, comparable measure of student achievement across all schools and districts.

According to Connecticut's Assessment FAQ published by ReadyCT, standardized testing gives schools, districts, policymakers, and families a statistically accurate picture of how students are performing relative to grade-level expectations statewide.

Without this consistent measure, gaps in achievement among different groups of students would be difficult to identify and address.

Connecticut uses the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) for students in grades 3 through 8, measuring proficiency in English language arts and mathematics.

In 11th grade, students take the Connecticut SAT School Day, which assesses college and career readiness.

Both tests are aligned to Connecticut Core Standards.

According to the Connecticut General Assembly, these summative assessments are administered at the end of each school year and results are reported across four performance levels, ranging from Level 1, which indicates a student has not yet met the standard, to Level 4, which indicates a student exceeds it.

These assessments also fulfill a federal requirement. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states must assess every student annually in grades 3 through. Additionally, states must assess high schoolers once in reading and mathematics. This requirement exists to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, English learners, and economically disadvantaged students, are being measured against the same academic standards and that schools are held accountable for the progress of every subgroup.

What Do Districts Do With the Scores?

School districts use SBAC results as one component of a broader accountability system. According to the Connecticut State Department of Education, assessment data informs Connecticut's Next Generation Accountability System, which evaluates schools and districts across twelve indicators. Test scores contribute to a district's Connecticut Performance Index (CPI), which tracks average achievement and growth over time and is used to identify schools that may need additional support or resources.

At the district level, SBAC data is used to evaluate curriculum effectiveness, identify instructional gaps, allocate professional development resources, and determine which student subgroups may need additional support.

Districts are required to disaggregate data by student group, meaning scores are reported separately for students with disabilities, English learners, economically disadvantaged students, and students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

This disaggregation is what makes it possible to see whether certain groups of students are being underserved even when overall district averages look strong.

One Town, Many Stories: Old Saybrook’s Report Card

Old Saybrook's district-level data illustrates this clearly. According to Public School Review, the district's overall reading proficiency rate of 66 percent exceeds the Connecticut state average of 51 percent, and its math proficiency of 54 percent exceeds the state average of 42 percent. The district ranks 70th out of 197 Connecticut school districts overall.

At the school level, SchoolDigger data confirms that all three Old Saybrook schools outperform the state average on standardized tests. Old Saybrook Senior High School ranks 37th out of 145 Connecticut high schools. Old Saybrook Middle School ranks 57th out of 250 Connecticut middle schools, with 63 percent of students scoring at or above proficiency in reading. Kathleen E. Goodwin Elementary School's 3rd-grade SBAC scores exceed state averages in both ELA and mathematics.

It is worth noting that district-wide averages reflect the performance of all students collectively. Subgroup data, particularly for students with disabilities, often tells a different story and is where district action plans tend to focus most directly.

What Can Parents Do With This Information?

State assessment results are one data point in a larger picture of a child's academic development. Used well, they give parents concrete, grade-level referenced information that can inform conversations with teachers, guide requests for additional evaluation, and support advocacy within the school system.

Request your child's full score report, not just their overall performance level. Individual skill-area scores in areas such as reading foundational skills, language, and writing can reveal specific patterns worth discussing with your child's teacher.
Look for trends across years rather than reacting to a single result. A child who scores at Level 2 in ELA across grades 3, 4, and 5 is showing a consistent pattern. According to NIH research on early identification, persistent reading difficulty that does not respond to typical classroom instruction is one of the primary indicators of dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.
If your child's scores do not align with your observations of their intelligence and effort, ask questions. A child who is bright and hardworking but consistently scoring below grade level may be working around an unidentified learning difference rather than receiving instruction designed to address it.
Use scores to open conversations with your child's school. Parents can request an evaluation for a suspected learning disability through their local school district at no cost. A formal evaluation provides a more comprehensive picture than test scores alone and can unlock access to specialized instruction and legal protections under IDEA and Section 504.
Know that intervention does not require a formal diagnosis. If patterns in your child's scores indicate a concern, structured literacy instruction using an evidence-based approach such as the Orton-Gillingham method can begin immediately while an evaluation is underway.

At Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, we help families interpret assessment data, understand their rights, and connect their child with the instruction they need. Every consultation is free. Visit saybrookreading.com or email info@saybrookreading.com.

Every child deserves to feel confident in school.

Research Citations

Source: Connecticut General Assembly — State Assessment Overview 2025

Source: ReadyCT — Connecticut Assessment FAQ

Source: Connecticut State Department of Education — 2025 Test Score Results

Source: Public School Review — Old Saybrook School District Profile

Source: SchoolDigger — Old Saybrook District Rankings

Source: NIH — Early Identification and Interventions for Dyslexia

Source: CT Portal — Smarter Balanced Assessment Information

8 Signs Your Homeschooled Child May Have Dyslexia

And What to Do Next

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. | Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

One of the greatest gifts of homeschooling is that you see your child learning in real time. You notice things a classroom teacher, managing twenty or more students, might miss entirely.

If something feels off about the way your child is approaching reading, that instinct is worth taking seriously. Homeschool parents are often the first to recognize the signs of dyslexia, precisely because they are paying such close attention.

But to the untrained eye, it can be hard to distinguish between the normal process of learning to read and a bigger challenge.

Why Dyslexia Can Be Hard to Spot at Home

Dyslexia is not always obvious, especially in children who are bright and motivated. Many children with dyslexia develop sophisticated compensating strategies early on. They memorize words by sight, use context clues, and rely heavily on listening comprehension to mask their decoding struggles. At home, where the environment is supportive and low-pressure, these strategies can carry a child further before the gap becomes apparent.

Dyslexia is also frequently misunderstood as a vision problem or a matter of effort. It is neither.

According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, dyslexia is a neurological, language-based learning difference that creates an unexpected difficulty in reading for an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader. It is most commonly caused by a difficulty in phonological processing — the ability to recognize and work with the sounds of spoken language — which affects how a child learns to decode, spell, and read fluently.

Research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirms that the best-understood cause of dyslexia is a weakness in phonological awareness, and that no amount of extra practice with a standard reading curriculum will address this underlying difference. Only structured, systematic, multisensory instruction will.

If your child is dyslexic, the earlier you can offer intervention, the better the outcomes.

Signs to Watch For in Your Homeschooled Child

The International Dyslexia Association notes that dyslexia exists on a continuum of severity and can present differently in each child.

The following signs may indicate that your child's reading challenges go beyond typical development and warrant a closer look:

Reading feels like a significant effort even after consistent, dedicated instruction
Your child reads the same words incorrectly across multiple sessions, even words they have seen many times
Your child’s written spelling is unpredictable and inconsistent, even with high-frequency words
Your child struggles to sound out unfamiliar words and tends to guess based on the first letter
Reading aloud is slow, choppy, or filled with substitutions and omissions
Your child has strong verbal communication skills but those skills are not reflected in their reading or writing
Reading tasks trigger frustration, avoidance, or emotional distress that seems disproportionate
There is a noticeable gap between what your child understands when you read aloud to them and what they can access independently

Although it’s not a traditional sign, don’t ignore your family’s history of reading difficulties, dyslexia, or learning differences.

This point matters: Yale School of Medicine research has found that dyslexia often runs in families, and that reading development in the first five years of school has a strong association with reading outcomes in adulthood.

Identifying dyslexia early is one of the most powerful steps a family can take.

If You Notice The Signs, Here’s What to Do Next

If several of the signs above resonate with you, there are clear, concrete steps you can take:

Seek a comprehensive evaluation. A qualified reading specialist like practitioners at Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, or educational psychologist can assess your child's phonological processing, decoding skills, and reading fluency. This evaluation will give you a clear picture of where your child is and what kind of support they need.
Request an evaluation through your local school district. Even if your child is homeschooled, your local public school district is required to evaluate children suspected of having a learning disability at no cost to your family.
Connect with a specialist trained in structured literacy. The Orton-Gillingham approach is recognized by the International Dyslexia Association as a Structured Literacy instruction that incorporates all five components of evidence-based reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Look for an educator who holds credentials through the Academy of Orton-Gillingham.
Do not wait. The research is consistent and clear. NIH neuroscience research confirms that remediation is most effective in beginning readers, and that early, accurate identification promotes effective intervention before children experience prolonged reading failure. Every year without appropriate instruction is a year of compounding struggle.

How Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab Can Help

At Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, we work with homeschool families throughout Connecticut and beyond. As a Connecticut-certified special educator and literacy specialist with a Master's degree in Reading and specialized training in the Orton-Gillingham approach, I understand exactly what your child needs and how to deliver it.

OG Learning Lab offers one-on-one Orton-Gillingham instruction in a structured, supportive environment, with half-day and full-day options available. Whether your child needs intensive intervention or targeted supplemental support alongside your homeschool curriculum, we can build a plan that works for your family.

Schedule a free consultation or reach us directly at info@saybrookreading.com. Your child deserves to feel confident in their learning, and it starts with one conversation.

Every child deserves to feel confident in school.

Research Citations

Source: Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity — Definition & Prevalence of Dyslexia

Source: Yale School of Medicine — Reading Development from Childhood to Adulthood

Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) — Neurobiology of Dyslexia

Source: International Dyslexia Association — Structured Literacy & Orton-Gillingham

Source: National Reading Panel — Five Components of Evidence-Based Reading Instruction

Got a Struggling Reader? A Parent's Guide to Early Dyslexia Diagnosis

What Parents Need to Know About Timing, Testing, and Taking Action

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. | Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

One of the most common questions parents ask is whether their child is too young to be tested for dyslexia. The answer is almost always no. Dyslexia can be identified earlier than most families realize, and waiting for a child to fall further behind before seeking an evaluation is one of the most costly mistakes a family can make.

The research is clear: According to a longitudinal study by Yale, earlier identification leads to better outcomes, every single time.

If you’re a parent worrying about your child’s reading, the sooner you get answers, the sooner they can get help.

When Can Dyslexia First Be Identified?

Signs of dyslexia can appear as early as age three or four, before a child ever enters a formal reading classroom.

At this stage, the indicators are primarily oral and phonological rather than reading-based. A child who has difficulty rhyming, cannot easily clap the syllables in words, struggles to learn the names of letters, or has delayed speech development may be showing the early markers of a phonological processing difference.

By kindergarten and first grade, the picture becomes clearer.

Children who struggle to connect letters to sounds, who cannot blend phonemes together to form words, or who are not making expected progress despite quality classroom instruction are showing signs that warrant a closer look. A formal evaluation is appropriate at this stage and should not be delayed.

The Formal Diagnosis: What It Involves and When It Happens

A formal dyslexia diagnosis is typically made through a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation conducted by a neuropsychologist, educational psychologist, or a highly qualified reading specialist.

This evaluation assesses phonological processing, decoding skills, reading fluency, spelling, and working memory, among other areas. Most professionals are comfortable conducting a formal evaluation beginning around age five or six, though some early screeners can be used with children as young as four.

Treatment Doesn’t Have to Wait for a Diagnosis

It is important to understand that a formal diagnosis is not required before a child can receive intervention.

If a child is showing signs of dyslexia, structured literacy instruction using the Orton-Gillingham approach should begin immediately. A diagnosis is valuable for accessing school-based services and legal protections, but it should never be a prerequisite for getting a child the help they need.

Why Early Identification Matters So Much

The research on early intervention in dyslexia is among the most consistent in all of education. Children who receive structured literacy instruction before the end of second grade demonstrate significantly stronger long-term reading outcomes than those who begin intervention later.

Here is why the timing matters so much:

The brain is most neuroplastic in the early years. Young children's brains can form new phonological pathways more readily than older children or adults.
Children who struggle without support develop avoidance behaviors and negative beliefs about their own intelligence that become harder to undo over time.
By third grade, reading is no longer just a subject. It is the primary tool for learning across every subject. A child who has not mastered decoding by this point faces compounding academic challenges.
Research consistently shows that intervention after third grade requires significantly more time and intensity to produce the same gains that earlier intervention achieves efficiently.

What to Do If You Suspect Dyslexia in your Child at Any Age

Whether your child is four or fourteen, the steps are the same:

Do not wait for your child to fail significantly before acting. Trust your instincts as a parent.
Request a comprehensive evaluation through your school district or a private evaluator.
Seek out a specialist trained in structured literacy and the Orton-Gillingham approach.
Begin intervention as soon as possible, regardless of whether a formal diagnosis has been made.

At Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, we work with children across a wide range of ages and stages. Whether you are concerned about a four-year-old who cannot rhyme or a ten-year-old who is still struggling to decode, we can help you understand what your child needs and how to get started.

Schedule a free consultation at saybrookreading.com or email us at info@saybrookreading.com.

Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. is a Connecticut-certified special education teacher and literacy specialist. She is the founder of Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, located in Portland, CT.

How Do I Know If My Child Has Dyslexia?

Early Signs Parents Should Watch For

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. | Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

As a parent, you know your child better than anyone. If you have noticed that your child struggles with reading in ways that seem different from their peers, you are not alone, and your instincts are worth paying attention to. Dyslexia is the most common learning difference in the world. According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, dyslexia affects approximately 20 percent of the population (dyslexia.yale.edu). The good news is that early identification leads to early intervention, and early intervention changes outcomes.

What Is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a neurological, language-based learning difference that affects a person's ability to read, spell, and decode written words. It is not a reflection of intelligence. Children with dyslexia are often creative, curious, and highly capable learners who simply process language differently. With the right instruction, they can and do become confident, skilled readers.

Early Signs to Watch For

The signs of dyslexia can appear as early as preschool. Parents should not wait for a child to fall far enough behind before seeking support. Here is what to look for at each stage:

Preschool and Kindergarten

• Difficulty learning nursery rhymes or recognizing rhyming words

• Trouble learning the alphabet, letter names, or letter sounds

• Delayed speech development or difficulty pronouncing words correctly

• Struggles to connect letters to their sounds

Early Elementary (Grades 1 to 3)

• Reading slowly, with significant effort, even after instruction

• Frequent letter or word reversals (b/d, was/saw) beyond age 7

• Difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words

• Inconsistent spelling, even of familiar words

• Avoidance of reading aloud or reading in general

• Strong verbal skills that do not match their reading ability

Later Elementary and Beyond

• Reading significantly below grade level despite intervention and tutoring

• Difficulty with reading comprehension due to the energy spent decoding

• Poor written expression compared to verbal communication

• Low reading stamina and frustration during reading tasks

What Dyslexia Does Not Look Like

Dyslexia is frequently misunderstood. It is not caused by laziness, lack of effort, or poor parenting. Many children with dyslexia are working twice as hard as their peers just to keep up. They are not seeing letters backwards. What they are experiencing is a difference in how the brain processes the sounds within words, known as phonological processing.

What to Do If You Are Concerned

If several of the signs above sound familiar, the next step is to seek a comprehensive evaluation from a qualified reading specialist or educational psychologist. You can also contact your child's school to request an evaluation at no cost. The earlier a child receives structured, systematic reading instruction using an evidence-based approach like Orton-Gillingham, the stronger their outcomes will be.

At Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, we specialize in exactly this work. If you have questions about your child's reading development or would like to schedule a free consultation, we encourage you to reach out. Your child deserves to feel confident in school, and it starts with one conversation.

Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. is a Connecticut-certified special education teacher and literacy specialist with a Master's degree in Reading. She is the founder of Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, located in Portland, CT. Contact us at info@saybrookreading.com or visit saybrookreading.com.