What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a type of mental health condition. It is characterized with leaning difficulty which can cause problems with spelling, writing and reading. The intelligence of a person is not affected due to dyslexia.It is a problem where the affected person can face challenges while doing daily activities but support is easily available to improve writing and reading skills.
What should you do if your child develops dyslexia?
If you suspect early symptoms of dyslexia, it is important to avoid ignoring these signs as it may worsen later on in life. Firstly, it is important to speak to the school’s special needs coordinator (SENCO) or the teacher in charge about your child’s health concerns. It is vital to visit an educational psychologist and a specialist dyslexia teacher more often.Adults who have dyslexia should visit a national or a local national dyslexia association to be more aware and well informed of this mental health condition.
Techniques that can support your child if he/she has dyslexia:
Causes of dyslexia?
People who suffer from dyslexia have immense difficulty in recognizing the different sounds which make up words and letters. Sometimes adults and children with a high IQ can be affected by dyslexia. The cause of dyslexia is not yet known, but studies suggest that certain genes inherited from your parents can affect how your brain works.According to scientists, a gene called DCDC2 is responsible for creating dyslexia in children and adults.Dyslexia can also be acquired after birth by factors such as emotional & physical trauma, strokes and brain injuries. This is rare but still possible in few cases. Dyslexia can also be caused due to phonological processing of words.
How is dyslexia diagnosed?
Dyslexia can be diagnosed by a medical professional or a specialist by carrying out tests to cover areas such as background information, intelligence, oral language skills, word recognition, decoding, phonological processing, fluency skills, reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge and family history.
Children, especially from a very young age, may show symptoms of dyslexia. Every case of dyslexia is unique to each child and there are many common traits and behaviours that denote a person to be dyslexic. Educate yourself on the symptoms and signs and keep a keen eye on the appearance of each one of them.
Here are five common signs of dyslexia.
Dyslexia is not that common and in most cases, the symptoms are overlooked and the child is deemed “slow” and a late bloomer. So it is necessary to keep in mind these symptoms and take advice from a specialist to deal with the situation.
Dyslexia is a neurological condition which makes learning a difficult process in children. Children suffering from dyslexia find themselves incapable of reading and learning as compared to their peers. Dyslexia occurs when the brain cannot process graphic symbols. This causes difficulty in recognizing, spelling and also decoding words. The effect of this condition varies from one person to another and is most often a lifelong condition. It can also vary as a result of different ages in people. However, a slower reading level is one common characteristic that is present in all dyslexic children.
Dyslexia is a strictly neurological condition that has little to do with a person’s intelligence. It can also occur as a result of genetic conditions. Early detection of the condition can help in improvement before he or she reaches adolescence. A thorough evaluation process of the child will include the following aspects IQ level, language skills, ability of word recognition, phonological processing, automaticity skills, fluency skills, family history and also knowledge of vocabulary.
The most common symptoms of dyslexia include:
Dyslexia is sometimes subdivided into a number of categories such as Surface Dyslexia, Rapid Deficit Dyslexia, Visual Dyslexia and Phonological Dyslexia.
There is no medical treatment for dyslexia and help generally includes assigning reading specialists, child psychologist, speech-language pathologists and child neuropsychologists.
Certain practices that you yourself follow when dealing with your dyslexic child are:
Some children have to read or hear something once and it gets imprinted in their minds. Others may struggle to understand concepts. As a parent, your first response may be to think that your child’s teacher isn’t giving him or her enough attention. However, this could indicate a specific learning disorder.
Learning disorders are an umbrella term that covers a range of learning difficulties. If your child is diagnosed with a learning disability it does not mean that he or she is any less smart as compared to their classmates. It simply means that they process information differently. There are many different types of learning disorders.
These are categorized by the skill set they affect most.
There is no known cure for learning disabilities. However, there are ways to improve the child’s skills. For this, you must tailor a learning strategy to your child’s strengths. For example, illustrating a word problem may help the child understand it better. Similarly, mnemonic devices and poems could help them memorize mathematical formulas. Converting one type of problem into another can also help them understand concepts. For example, you could turn a word problem into a math problem an vice versa.
In addition, you may also need to consider consulting a learning specialist. They can help determine the type of learning aids your child would benefit most from. Your child may need special education at a school that is equipped with the right services for him or her. The important thing to note is that early intervention is key to treating learning disorders.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
At a young age, it is fairly common to be afraid of math. The rational nature of numbers, multiplication tables, addition, subtraction and all that in between can admittedly be a tough thing to get on with at a tender age. But in most of the cases, this difficulty tends to improve as one attains maturity. This can be attributed to a growing familiarity with the subject and a subsequent change in the way of understanding certain things. But if your child suffers from a problem with understanding math even at a grown age, chances are he/she might be suffering from Dyscalculia- a special type of learning disorder that is characterized by a person’s inability to grasp the concepts of math or the very concept of numbers itself.
Dyscalculia generally occurs due to genetic factors. However, it is also possible to encounter this disorder if your child had suffered from significant brain injury in the past or have problems with remembering things. It is also possible to have this disorder, if your child is already suffering from Dyslexia ( a learning disorder which makes your child unable to read or understand written words).
The symptoms of Dyscalculia are as follows:
It is extremely important to remember that having this disorder does not necessarily mean your child has a bad academic record on the whole. Since this disorder can cause significant problems in the future for your child in terms of dealing with things in the real world, you should be extremely sensitive regarding its treatment.
The treatment of Dyscalculia might include:
All parents expect their child to start going to school, learn writing and learning and do well in academics. However, children with dyslexia may not be able to progress at school at the same pace as others. The good news is that there are early pointers that can help a parent to identify dyslexia in the early stages. This can be helpful in training and support the child socially to learn and socialise normally. Dyslexia is a disability that affects both spoken and written language. They have a different learning style and when supported and encouraged, instead of mocked and insulted, they can become avid readers. The following are common 10 indicators of developing dyslexia in children, in general, and at school.
10 Behavioural signs to watch for in general:
10 Behaviours to watch for at school:
As noted, these children have very inconsistent behaviour with very limited understanding of nonverbal communication. If these symptoms go on increasing as they grow, it is advisable to seek professional help so that support can be provided and the condition can be arrested at the early stages. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychiatrist.
What is Dyslexia?
What should you do if your child develops dyslexia?
Techniques that can support your child if he/she has dyslexia:
Causes of dyslexia?
How is dyslexia diagnosed?