Raising a child with dyslexia can stir up a lot of emotions. You may look ahead and wonder if this learning issue will affect your child's future. But dyslexia is not a prediction of failure. Dyslexia is quite common, and many successful individuals have dyslexia.

Research has proven that there are different ways of teaching that can help people with dyslexia succeed. There's a lot you can do as a parent too.

What are the symptoms of dyslexia?

Because dyslexia affects some people more severely than others, your child's symptoms may look different from those in another child. Some kids with dyslexia have trouble with reading and spelling. Others may struggle to write or to tell left from right.

Dyslexia can also make it difficult for people to express themselves clearly. It can be hard for them to structure their thoughts during conversation. They may have trouble finding the right words to say.

Others struggle to understand what they're hearing. This is especially true when someone uses nonliteral language such as jokes and sarcasm.

The signs you see may also look different at various ages. Some of the warning signs for dyslexia, such as a speech delay, appear before a child reaches kindergarten. More often, though, dyslexia is identified in grade school. As schoolwork gets more demanding, trouble processing language becomes more apparent.

Here are some signs to look out for:

Warning Signs in Preschool or Kindergarten

Has trouble recognizing the letters of the alphabet

Struggles to match letters to sounds, such as not knowing what sounds b or h make

Has difficulty blending sounds into words, such as connecting C-H-A-T to the word chat

Struggles to pronounce words correctly, such as saying 'mawn lower' instead of 'lawn mower'

Has difficulty learning new words

Has a smaller vocabulary than other kids the same age

Has trouble learning to count or say the days of the week and other common word sequences

Has trouble rhyming

Warning Signs in Grade School or Middle School

Struggles with reading and spelling

Confuses the order of letters, such as writing 'left' instead of 'felt'

Has trouble remembering facts and numbers

Has difficulty gripping a pencil

Has difficulty using proper grammar

Has trouble learning new skills and relies heavily on memorization

Gets tripped up by word problems in math

Has a tough time sounding out unfamiliar words

Has trouble following a sequence of directions

Warning Signs in High School

Struggles with reading out loud

Doesn't read at the expected grade level

Has trouble understanding jokes or idioms

Has difficulty organizing and managing time

Struggles to summarize a story

Has difficulty learning a foreign language

Skills that are affected by Dyslexia-

Dyslexia doesn't just affect reading and writing. Here are some everyday skills and activities your child may be struggling with because of this learning issue:

General

Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.

Labelled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or "behavior problem."

Isn't "behind enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school setting.

High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.

Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.

Talented in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building, or engineering.

Seems to "Zone out" or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.

Difficulty sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer."

Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.

Vision, Reading, and Spelling Skills

Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.

Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.

Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.

Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.

Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.

Extremely keen sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.

Reads and rereads with little comprehension.

Spells phonetically and inconsistently.

Hearing and Speech Skills

Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted by sounds.

Difficulty putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.

Writing and Motor Skills

Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.

Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.

Can be ambidextrous, and often confuses left/right, over/under.

Math and Time Management Skills

Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time.

Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but can't do it on paper.

Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.

Can do arithmetic, but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.

Memory and Cognition

Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations, and faces.

Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.

Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).

Behavior, Health, Development and Personality

Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.

Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.

Had unusually early or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).

Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.

Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.

Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.

Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.

What can be done at home for dyslexia?

Helping your child with dyslexia can be a challenge, particularly if you're never been confident in your own reading and writing skills. But you don't have to be an expert to help work on certain skills or strengthen your child's self-esteem.

Keep in mind that kids (and families) are all different, so not all options will work for you. Don't panic if the first strategies you try aren't effective. You may need to try several approaches to find what works best for your child. Here are some things you can try at home:

Read out loud every day

Tap into your child's interests

Use audiobooks

Look for apps and other high-tech help

Focus on effort, not outcome

Make your home reader-friendly

Boost confidence

What can make the journey easier?

Dyslexia can present challenges for your child and for you. But with the proper support, almost all people with dyslexia can become accurate readers. Your involvement will help tremendously.

Wherever you are in your journey, whether you're just starting out or are well on your way, this site can help you find more ways to support your child. Here are a few things that can help make the journey easier:

Connect with other parents. Remember that you're not alone. Use our safe online community to find parents like you.

Get behavior advice. Parenting Coach offers expert-approved strategies on a variety of issues that can affect children with dyslexia, including trouble with time management, anxiety and fear, frustration and low self-esteem.

Build a support plan. Come up with a game plan and anticipate what lies ahead.

Understanding dyslexia and looking for ways to help your child is an important first step. There's a lot you can do just don't feel you have to do everything all at once. Pace yourself. If you try a bunch of strategies at the same time, it might be hard to figure out which ones are working. And do your best to stay positive. Your love and support can make a big difference in your child's life.

9 Dyslexia Signs & Symptoms - Your Kid is Suffering from it!

Migraine is a very common form of a headache which strikes nearly 15 % of the population. Females are more prone to migraines. Science has not been able to find the real cause behind migraine attacks and the way it treats these massive headaches is also patchy at best. A migraine occurs for a definite period of time, usually, comes with a warning and paralysing pain.

Ayurvedic view
According to Ayurveda, migraine is a tri-dosha disorder. It occurs when vata or the wind element goes out of sync. Vata controls the nervous system and brain activity. Vata imbalances are linked to many diseases like joint problems, dizziness and it happens because of faulty metabolism, poor elimination, sleeplessness, etc. Pitta the fire element also has a role to play in migraines. It causes dilation of the blood vessels, which brings on a migraine attack.

Ayurvedic physicians can identify which dosha is causing a migraine. If the patient is constipated, has acute pain and has dry skin, his Vata is out of whack. If a patient has nosebleeds, is hypersensitive to light, has burning eyes and is irritable, pitta is out of balance. And if a patient has fatigue, is depressed and has a dull throbbing in the head, he is suffering a Kapha imbalance.

Ayurvedic therapies

Shirolepa: Application of herbal pastes to pacify pitta like sandalwood, camphor, Jatamansi.
Shiro Dhara: Medicated oils are poured on the scalp.
Taila dhara: Oils like ksheerabala taila, chandanadi taila are poured on scalp for calming higher vata imbalances. 
Ksheera dhara: Here cow milk is poured on the scalp to pacify pitta.
Takra dhara:  Also known as buttermilk is poured when there is obstruction to passage of vata.
Kavala graha: Oil pulling done with oils like chandanadi taila and mahanarayana taila.
Shirovasti: Medicated oils are retained on the scalp by wearing a leather cap.
Sneha nasya: Oils like Anu tailam are poured into nostrils.
Apart from there therapies herbs like Kumari or Aloe vera, Amalaki or amala and Bala or Sida cardifolia are very useful as migraine cures. Several Ayurvedic medicines are also very useful in migraine-like-

Pathyadi khada: It is used in the treatment of headaches, earaches, and migraine etc.
Shirashooladi vajra rasa: It is used in the treatment of headache, migraine, tension headache, vascular headache etc.
Bhoonimbadi khada: Used as a cure for fever, cold, sinusitis, headache.
Kamadugha rasa: Used to cure all high pitta conditions.
Godanti Bhasma: 250 mg of this medicine is also given twice a day for immediate relief from migraines.
Patients should also eat warm, nutritive foods like sesame, sweet fruits, cumin, garlic, jaggery and rice for balancing Vata. For balancing pitta, they should stay away from smoking and drinking at the very least.

Migraine - 8 Ayurvedic Remedies For Treating It!

Brain surgery involves several medical procedures, which incorporate fixing issues with the brain, including changes in the tissues of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid and brain blood flow. Brain surgery is quite a complicated method of surgery and the type of surgery to be conducted depends on the underlying conditions.

Reasons for Brain Surgery:
Brain surgery is performed for the correction of physical brain abnormalities. These abnormalities could occur because of diseases, birth defects and injuries. A brain surgery is required when the following conditions arise in the brain:

Abnormal blood vessels
Aneurysm
Bleeding
Blood clots in the brain
When the protective tissue or dura is damaged
Epilepsy
Due to nerve damage
Parkinson's disease
Any kind of pressure after an injury
Abscesses
Skull fractures
In case of stroke and tumors
A surgery may not be required for all the above mentioned conditions, but in case of many, a brain surgery is very important as the conditions may worsen health problems.

Types of brain surgeries:

Craniotomy: During this open brain surgery, an incision is made in the scalp, and a hole is created in the skull, near the area, which is being treated. After this process is complete, the hole or bone flap is secured in its place using plates or wires.
Biopsy: This form of brain surgery helps in the removal of a small amount of brain tissues or tumors. After removal, the tissues or tumors are examined under a microscope. The creation of a small incision and a hole in the skull is indicated as a part of this process.
Minimally invasive endonasal endoscopic surgery: This form of brain surgery enables the removal or lesions and tumors via the nose and sinuses. Private parts of the brain can be accessed without creating an incision. An endoscope is utilized in the process which is used to examine tumors all across the brain.
Minimally Invasive neuroendoscopy: This process is similar to the minimally invasive endonasal endoscopic surgery. This method also involves the use of an endoscope for removal of brain tumors. Small, dime sized holes may be made in the skull to access some brain parts.
Risks:
Brain surgeries may be associated with several risks. They may be:

Allergic reactions to anesthesia
Bleeding
Blood clot formations
Swelling of the brain
A state of coma
Impairment in speech, coordination and vision.
Problems in memory
Strokes and seizures
Infections in the brain
A brain surgery is a serious and very complex surgery. There are different kinds of brain surgeries, which are conducted depending on the condition and severity of the disease.

Brain Surgery - When It Is Required?

Proper rest and a sound sleep are prerequisites for keeping the physical and mental health in good shape. Difficulty to fall asleep or having a disturbed and interrupted sleep day after day can be a nightmare. In addition to the immense physical exhaustion and fatigue, insomnia can leave a person stressed out mentally which is bound to have an impact on their professional as well as personal lives and commitments. Over the last few years, incidences of insomnia have been rising at an alarming rate.

Insomnia does not always exhibit similar symptoms in all the affected individuals. In some, the condition may be short-term, lasting for a few days or weeks (Transient Insomnia). In some, the problem may appear on and off (Intermittent Insomnia). In extreme cases, insomnia and the associated discomfort may continue for months (Chronic Insomnia). In some instances, insomnia appears as a symptom associated with health conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart ailments, GERD, to name a few. Severe stress and anxiety along with unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits are also known to play a pivotal role resulting in insomnia.

The goodness of Unani in treating Insomnia
Unani is one of the ancient forms of medications that has gained immense worldwide appreciation due to its effectiveness in treating various threatening and complicated health conditions including insomnia. In case of Insomnia, the Unani treatment involves a combination of Dietotherapy, Regimental Therapy, and Pharmacotherapy. The main aim of the Unani treatment is to treat insomnia by restoring the balance between the four humors namely, Blood (Dum), Yellow bile (Safra), Phlegm (Balgham), and Black bile (Sauda). It is these four humors that not only nourish the body and the vital organs but also keeps the various health conditions at bay.

With Dietotherapy or Ilaj Bil Ghiza, the aim is to bring the necessary dietary changes to deal with insomnia. The daily intake of banana, walnuts, kale, lettuce leaves, sweet potatoes, herbal tea (especially Chamomile), grapefruits, turkey and red meat (in moderation), whole grains, go a long way to improve the condition of insomnia. People with insomnia should, however, try and avoid processed foods, cheese, pork, aerated, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks, as much as possible. Unani also suggests that the dinner should be light and taken at least 2-3 hours before going to sleep.

Pharmacotherapy or Ilaj Bil Dawa involves the use of Unani medicine to alleviate the discomfort. Some of the medicines often used in treating insomnia includes:

Rogan Kaddo
Rogan Badaam
Hareera Magaz Badaam
To treat insomnia, a Unani specialist will also carry out a detoxification of the body, known as Regimental Therapy or Ilaj Bil Tadbeer, the detoxification is brought about through

Exercise (Riyazat)
Massages (Dalk)
Leeching (Taleeq-e-Alaq)
Venesection (Fasd)
Turkish bath (Hammam)

Role Of Unani Medication In Insomnia Treatment

Are you aware of behavioral and emotional disorders in children? During the developmental years of a child, constant growth and change are signified. This fact should be strictly kept in mind while dealing with behavioral and emotional disorders in children. Brain disorders like bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorders may affect any child during early childhood. The assistance of a mental health professional should be taken while dealing with these problems. On a global scale, almost 15% of children suffer from behavioral disorders. Among the different forms of behavioral disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) accounts for being one of the most common ones.

Here is a list of the different forms of behavioral and emotional disorders, which are observed in children:

ADHD- This common mental disorder in children is more common in boys than in girls. Commonly, children affected with this disorder are unable to finish familiar tasks, plan or sit still. They may even lose awareness about what goes around them. ADHD-affected children may seem fine on some days, but on other days, they may experience disorganized and frenzied activities. This disorder may continue into adolescence and adulthood as well. There are several treatment options for ADHD, which may include medications, therapy and educational options.

Autism- Children affected with autism seem to become indifferent, remote and isolated in a world of their own. They are unable to form emotional ties with other people or their peers. Autism is more likely to occur in boys than in girls. The condition may result in language delays, mental retardation, and in some cases, a child may suffer high functioning and usual speech and intelligence. This is because the brain of such children functions differently than others. Consistency is very important for managing autism in children.

Bipolar Disorder- This disorder is most likely to begin in early childhood and it continues into adulthood. It is featured by extreme mood swings in the patient. A child may have extremely high or euphoric feelings, but his mood may turn into depression and sadness all of a sudden. This condition is a genetic illness, and it is often mistaken or misdiagnosed as ADHD.

Anxiety- Anxiety disorders make children feel uneasy, distressed and unusually scared for no appropriate reason. Panic disorders, featured, by intense episodes of fear, which occur without any kind of provocation or signal are a common type of anxiety disorder. OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder, which is repetitive and compulsive in nature, is another type of anxiety disorder.

It is very important to treat and deal with children s behavioral and emotional disorders at an early stage. Early diagnosis enables an early start of treatment, which prevents further degradation of the condition.

Types Of Behavioral And Emotional Disorders In Children

Trigeminal neuralgia is specified by the condition of a chronic pain that influences the trigeminal nerve. This nerve transfers sensation from one s face to his/her brain. If a person is suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, then a gentle stimulation of face (sourced from brushing teeth or applying makeup) might generate a fright of agonizing pain. The affected person might experience short and mild attacks initially. However, the trigeminal neuralgia might progress and generate more-frequently and longer attack of severely critical pain. Women get affected by this situation more than men get and it is more prominently occur in individuals older than 50 years.

Trigeminal neuralgia does not mandatorily mean that you need to experience a lifelong pain. Various types of treatment alternatives are available and so doctors can usually handle the particular condition effectively by taking help of injections, medications or surgery. Various types of triggers might cause the pain regarding trigeminal neuralgia, such as eating, drinking, shaving, brushing teeth, touching face, smiling, washing face etc.

Symptoms

The symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia might comprise of one or more patterns and some of these are described below:

Sequences of serious, jolting or shooting pain that might generate as an electric shock
Spontaneous pain attacks or attacks stimulated by different activities like face touching, speaking, chewing, or brushing teeth. Pain attacks last from a few moments to some minutes.
It is not a comprehensive list because Trigeminal neuralgia hosts various other symptoms as well. If a person feels facial pain, specifically recurring or prolonged pain or if the person does not get relief through the utilization over-the-counter pain relievers, then that person must consult a doctor.
How does Radiofrequency Ablation treat Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic and painful condition that involves the trigeminal nerve. There are two separate trigeminal nerves on both sides of the face, which carry the sensations like pain from the face to the body. Each nerve has three branches- forehand, midface and chin and trigeminal neuralgia can cause intense pain in any of these areas.

Causes-

This occurs when the trigeminal nerve functioning is disrupted. When the blood vessel/artery and the trigeminal nerve at the base of your brain come in contact, it puts pressure on the nerves and causes pain.
It also occurs as a result of ageing or multiple sclerosis
A disorder that damages the myelin sheath protecting the nerves can trigger pain
Sometimes pain occurs from tumors, which compresses the trigeminal nerves
Surgical strokes, facial trauma or strokes can also be the root cause of excruciating pain
Triggers-

Shaving
Touching your face
Eating and drinking
Putting on makeup
Brushing
Washing your face
Symptoms-

The pain can be mild and for a shorter duration or it can happen frequently for longer durations. Some experience the pain in cycles where it can come and go for days or even for weeks. Gradually the intensity of the pain lessens.

Cure by Radio-frequency Ablation

The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is often a challenging process in clinical practice. When medicines do not prove as effective, surgery is the desired option.

Procedure-

After applying local anaesthesia, the Pain Specialist carefully inserts a needle through the corner of your mouth to reach the trigeminal nerve
The doctors then wake up the patient after stimulating the nerves and ask them to feel the stimulation at the same place where they undergo pain. This confirms their targeted location
Once you fall asleep again, the Pain Specialist uses radiofrequency heat to injure the nerve enough to create numbness and removes the pain
How Effective is Radio-frequency Ablation?

The pain is cured almost in 98% of the patients. 50% of patients report a recurrence of pain after about two years. Hence the procedure can be repeated in the same patient if necessary.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult a specialist & get answers to your questions!

Trigeminal Neuralgia And Radio-Frequency Ablation - What Causes It?

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