DYSLEXIA: THE INCONSISTENCY IN LEARNING
Dyslexia, a neurological learning disability often misinterpreted by parents and educators as a simple case of being a slow learner.
Dyslexia has been around for some time and has been defined and classified in different ways. For example, in 1968, the World Federation of Neurologists defined dyslexia as "a disorder in children who, in spite of formal classroom experience, fail to attain the language skills of reading, writing, and spelling equal with their intellectual abilities."
Dyslexia was identified by Oswald Berkhan in 1881 and the term for the disability was coined by Rudolf Berlin in 1887. The disability has been defined in various ways, but without any accord. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, dyslexia is a learning disability that can hinder a person's ability to read, write, spell, and sometimes, speak.
The difficulty with the visual annotation of speech or written language, particularly while reading the various writing systems is different from the reading difficulties that are caused by non-neurological deficiency related to vision or hearing and is also different from reading difficulties caused due to poor reading instructions.
Dyslexia is one of the common learning disabilities confronted by children and the severity can vary from mild to grave. The cause of dyslexia is impairment in the brain’s ability to translate images received from the eyes or ears into languages that are understandable. It is not a result of vision or hearing problems, mental retardation, brain damage or lack of intelligence. A child suffering from dyslexia often feels frustrated and suffers emotionally and low self-esteem. Behavior problems at home and school can be frequently seen, as the child becomes unmotivated, raising a dislike for school.
There are different types of dyslexia that can affect a child.
The ‘trauma dyslexia’ is the type of dyslexia which takes place due to some form of brain trauma to that particular area of the brain which controls reading and writing.
The ‘primary dyslexia’ is the type of dyslexia that is said to be hereditary in nature. This type of dyslexia is a dysfunction of the left side of the brain and does not cure with age. Individuals suffering from this type of dyslexia are rarely able to read beyond the fourth-grade level. As adults also, they suffer from reading, spelling and writing difficulties.
Secondary’ or ‘developmental dysplexia' is the third type of dyslexia. It is said to be caused by hormonal development during the early stages of fetal growth. It is also common in boys and tends to diminish as the child matures.
Dyslexia may affect several different body functions.
Visual dyslexia is characterized by number and letter reversals and the inability to write symbols in the correct sequence.
Auditory dyslexia involves difficulty with hearing sounds of letters or groups of letters. The sounds are perceived as disorderly or not heard correctly.
"Dysgraphia" also refers to the child's difficulty holding and controlling a pencil or pen so that the actual markings can be made on the paper.
Famous people with dyslexia are listed including celebrities
Signs and Symptoms of Dyslexia
Letter and number reverse
Difficulty copying from the book or board
Confusion with before/ after, left/ right and other such words
Trouble in learning letter alphabets
Disorganization of written work
Difficulty remembering content, even of the favorite video or storybook
Coordination problems and difficulty with organized games and plays
Difficulty coordination with the rhythm of the music
Trouble remembering, understanding and to response to what is heard
Difficulty recalling sequences of things or more than one command
Trouble finding right words to express their thoughts
Trouble with time keeping and loses track of time
Difficulty sustaining attention; seems “hyper” or “daydreamer.” Difficulty in associating individual words with their correct meanings
The most consistent thing about dyslexics is their inconsistency.
After a child has been diagnosed with dyslexia, an evaluation is needed to be done, to determine his/ her specific area of disability. An appropriate treatment plan will focus on the following aspects:
Strengthening the child’s weaknesses and using his strengths
A systematic study of phonics
Helping all the senses work together, by specially designed techniques
Specific reading approaches are available like Davies Dyslexia Correction or Project READ, which require a child to hear, see, say, and do something
Use of the modern accessible tool – computer
Compensation and coping skills
Optimum learning conditions, effective strategy and alternative approach for student performance
“I am taking the time to write this to be an encouragement to those struggling with dyslexia. I am now sixty nine (2011). I was never diagnosed with Dyslexia because when I went to school in the 50s and no one knew what it was. I only learned about this disability when my son in the first grade was diagnosed with it. We sent him to a special school, which although helped, did not cure the problem.”
A personal experience as a dyslexic, by Cooper Abrams - http://bible-truth.org/Dyslexia.html
Conclusion, it must be remembered that the treatment of dyslexia ideally involves planning, communication and coordination between the parents and the teachers. Both parties should resort to using modern interactive tools and techniques to get proper result from the children suffering from the disability. It is only their joint effort that can make the treatment process interesting and effective.
Reference:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/learning_problem/dyslexia.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/dyslexia/article.htm
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/what-is-dyslexia
Image Source - Google Image
