Does Your Child Have Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disability around reading and writing. It is thought to affect 1 out of 5 people. Often children with dyslexia are only diagnosed after experiencing serious difficulties at school. They have self esteem and emotional issues added to their learning disability that are often difficult to overcome.

People who have reading and writing problems are often regarded as less intelligent as well. People with dyslexia have a great many things they are talented at and enjoy doing, the same as everyone else.

Humans learn about the world in a variety of ways. We learn by doing and using things. We learn from others by copying, watching or talking to each other. We get information from the radio, television and films.

We also learn through reading (literacy). This is the area of learning that is hard for a person with dyslexia. It must be recognize that there are degrees of disability as well.

In the modern world we are surrounded by print. Not being able to decipher print impinges on everyday living. This is why research into DYSLEXIA is so important so the knowledge can be used to develop programs to help the many people who have difficulty learning to read.

DYSLEXIA FACTS

• Dyslexia is something a person is born with and they will have it all their lives.
• It is common. It is estimated that 1 in 5 people have some degree of dyslexia.
• It is estimated that 70-85% or more of children with learning disabilities are dyslexic.
• People with dyslexia have average or above average intelligence the same as non dyslexic people do.
• The most common manifestation is difficulty in recognizing words, but there are many other symptoms.
• Deficits are more often with spelling than reading.
• Problem with short term auditory memory and short term visual memory often occur.
• Problems with co-ordination, fine motor control and hand-eye co-ordination can be symptoms
• Reading difficulties can be related to visual-processing.
• Reading delays can be associated with auditory-processing difficulties
• Dyslexia can't be effectively treated using traditional reading or tutoring programs.
• Cognitive (mental) training is the most effective treatment for dyslexia.

If your child has any of the following symptoms do not assume he or she is not trying or misbehaving. It is important to get an assessment by someone who understands dyslexia and learning difficulties.

DYSLEXIA SYMPTOMS

• Lacks concentration.
• Quickly forgets what he or she has learned.
• Reads slowly and hesitantly, little fluency.
• Reverses letters like b and d, either when reading or writing.
• Reads or writes letters in the wrong order, like felt as left.
• Reads with poor comprehension.
• Spells words as they sound, for example rite for right.
• Has a poor or slow handwriting.
• Battles to use writing as a communication tool.
• Struggles with maths.
• Has problems expressing him or herself or lacks understanding others.
• Is often clumsy and uncoordinated.

Current research supports that dyslexia is inherited.

Research into the auditory and visual physiology problems which commonly affect people with dyslexia is well advanced. Researchers are interested in trying to understand more about how dyslexics hear speech sounds. The emphasis is on trying to work out which speech sounds give the greatest problem and why.

The results of this research will be used to design effective remediation programmes so that dyslexics' difficulties with speech perception may be alleviated. Another cause of confusion is that many dyslexics seem to have unstable visual perception, perhaps because their eye control is different from that of normal subjects. This often makes them very artistically talented, but poor at accurately segmenting the fine details of print required for rapid reading and correct spelling.

Some simple ways of improving the visual perception of dyslexic sufferers have already been discovered. Visual perception difficulties can be fixed in 98 to 99 per cent of cases by using light-filtering coloured lenses, while difficulty in analysing sounds can be helped through several months of training.

Most adults with dyslexia struggle with study and the demands of jobs which require good literacy. Undiagnosed cases can lead to depression and even suicide.

It is imperative that each child who has trouble with reading is helped and supported as soon as the problem is noticed.

The earlier the better but it is never too late to seek professional support.

When something is named and acknowledged something can be done about it. if someone in your family or your child has dyslexia there are lots of ways to work around any difficulties.

Dyslexia is a manageable condition, but you have to know you have it and you have to know how to manage it.

Marilyn Martyn has been a teacher for over thirty-five years teaching English to five year olds through to adults. Her concern is for the children, teenagers and adults who did not learn the basics of reading in their early years of schooling. Reading is a skill. The most important skill we learn in the educational system. Poor literacy skills cause low self-esteem and limit life's opportunities. THE GOOD NEWS IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO LEARN TO READ AND IT IS NEVER TOO LATE!

Her website http://www.superlearner.com.au is a reading resource and she invites interested parents and others to view the contents.