What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia according to many definitions is a developmental disorder specifically in reading and comprehension that could be defined as “word blindness”. This means that often words are mixed up and make it nearly impossible for people with normal intelligence to read, speak, spell, write, as well as sounding-out words and groups of numbers.
As with other learning disabilities, dyslexia is a lifelong challenge that people are born with. Dyslexia is not a sign of poor intelligence or laziness. It is also not the result of impaired vision. Children and adults with dyslexia simply have a neurological disorder that causes their brains to process and interpret information differently.
As with other learning disabilities, dyslexia is a lifelong challenge that people are born with. Dyslexia is not a sign of poor intelligence or laziness. It is also not the result of impaired vision. Children and adults with dyslexia simply have a neurological disorder that causes their brains to process and interpret information differently.
Dyslexia is a consequence of the way a person’s brain is organized. Until recently the cause for dyslexia had been unknown and still today it is not exact. Recent research explains the most plausible explanation: The two most important contributors to dyslexia are an underutilized left-hemisphere, and an out-of-whack central bridge of tissue in the brain, called the corpus callosum. The left-hemisphere is programmed to do the things you need for reading and the right is not.
EFFECTS
Dyslexia can effect people in very different ways. It also depends upon the severity of the learning disorder and how
well the alternate learning methods work. Some with dyslexia can have trouble with reading and spelling, while others struggle to write, or to tell left from right. It can make people unable to express themselves clearly and hard for them to use vocabulary and to structure their thoughts during conversation. Others struggle to understand when people speak to them. This isn't due to hearing problems. Instead, it's from trouble processing verbal information. All of these effects can really hurt a person's self-image and confidence. It is extremely frustrating without help and often can cause people to give up on school work because it is too stressful.
SYMPTOMS
At the school age level, symptoms include:
TREATMENT
The only treatments for dyslexia are practice and doing many different exercises. It is best to identify dyslexia as early as possible. With help from a tutor, teacher, or other trained professional, almost all people with dyslexia can become good readers and writers. These are some strategies that are often used to help dyslexia:
EFFECTS
Dyslexia can effect people in very different ways. It also depends upon the severity of the learning disorder and how
well the alternate learning methods work. Some with dyslexia can have trouble with reading and spelling, while others struggle to write, or to tell left from right. It can make people unable to express themselves clearly and hard for them to use vocabulary and to structure their thoughts during conversation. Others struggle to understand when people speak to them. This isn't due to hearing problems. Instead, it's from trouble processing verbal information. All of these effects can really hurt a person's self-image and confidence. It is extremely frustrating without help and often can cause people to give up on school work because it is too stressful.
SYMPTOMS
At the school age level, symptoms include:
- Reading at a level well below the expected level for the age
- Problems processing and understanding what he or she hears
- Difficulty comprehending rapid instructions
- Trouble with spelling rules
- Trouble with word problems in math
- Trouble following more than one command at a time
- Problems remembering the sequence of things
- Difficulty seeing (and occasionally hearing) similarities and differences in letters and words
- An inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word
- Seeing letters or words in reverse ("b" for "d" or "saw" for "was," for example) — this is common in young children, but may be more pronounced in children with dyslexia
- Trouble learning a foreign language
TREATMENT
The only treatments for dyslexia are practice and doing many different exercises. It is best to identify dyslexia as early as possible. With help from a tutor, teacher, or other trained professional, almost all people with dyslexia can become good readers and writers. These are some strategies that are often used to help dyslexia:
- Expose your child to early oral reading, writing, drawing, and practice to encourage development of print knowledge, basic letter formation, recognition skills, and linguistic awareness (the relationship between sound and meaning).
- Have your child practice reading different kinds of texts. This includes books, magazines, ads, and comics.
- Include multi-sensory, structured language instruction. Practice using sight, sound, and touch when introducing new ideas.
- Seek modifications in the classroom. This might include extra time to complete assignments, help with note taking, oral testing, and other means of assessment.
- Use books on tape and assistive technology. Examples are screen readers and voice recognition computer software.
- Get help with the emotional issues that arise from struggling to overcome academic difficulties.