The word 'dyslexia' is originally Greek and means 'difficulty with words'. Dyslexia or Learning Difficulty or LD is a congenital and developmental condition that causes neurological anomalies in the brain.
It includes a range of types of learning difficulties where a person of normal intelligence has persistent and significant problems with reading, writing, spelling and sometimes mathematics and musical notation.
In the past, dyslexia wasn't a recognised condition. Sadly, some children affected were labelled as lazy, stupid or lacking in concentration.
Dyslexia isn't a sign of low intelligence - people of all academic abilities have been dyslexic and they may not have difficulties in any other area.
Definition of Dyslexia
The world federation of Neurology defines dyslexia as "a disorder manifested by difficulties in learning to read, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio cultural opportunity."
Incidence
It is estimated that in India about 10% of the school going children are dyslexics. It is more prevalent among boys than among girls in the ratio of 4:1
What causes it?
Everyone's brain has a left side and a right side. The right side controls the creative and artistic skills. The left side controls logic and maths skills.
Many dyslexic people have a slightly larger right side of the brain which makes them very creative, musical, sporty and good at problem solving.
What are the symptoms?
Every person has different symptoms - there's a huge range - and this can make dyslexia difficult to define. It's usually diagnosed when a child's reading and writing development isn't keeping pace with their level of intelligence.
What difficulties does dyslexia cause?
Possible difficulties caused by dyslexia include:
hesitant or slow reading and writing
misreading, which makes understanding difficult
putting letters and figures the wrong way round
difficulty with sequences
poor organisation or time management
erratic spelling
poor memory and concentration
difficulty organising thoughts clearly
poor self-image
Some people are more dyslexic than others. Many people find it hard to read quickly and hard to make sense of what they've read.
Words can look blurry, jumbled up or back to front. It can be difficuly to get dates in order and to keep organised. When trying to write it can be hard to sort out your thoughts and your spelling.
Are there famous people with dyslexia?
People with dyslexia often have rare talents.
They can have great ideas and be able to solve problems in new ways by being very creative. This is called 'lateral thinking'.
General Patton, Winston Churchill, Hans Christian Andersen, Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton.
Other famous people who have said they have dyslexia include:
Robbie Williams
Michael Barrymore
Noel Gallagher
Muhammad Ali
Tom Cruise
Anthea Turner
Guy Ritchie
Richard Branson
Steve Redgrave
Princess Beatrice
Tom Cruise has said about dyslexia: "My childhood was extremely lonely. I didn't have many friends. I was dyslexic and a lot of kids made fun of me. That experience made me tough inside."
Noel Gallagher also has it: "I have problems with words over six letters long. School days were the worst days of my life."
At school it can cause problems, as a lot of importance is placed on reading and writing.
If nobody realises that you have dyslexia it may seem that you are not very clever or just being lazy - this can make going to school very upsetting.
Who is this child?
An intelligent child who fails at school.
One who gives all answers orally but fails miserably in written exam.
One who reads 'saw' as 'was'.
One who has difficulty in differentiating the sounds of p & b, t & d.
One who writes 91 as 61 or 14 as 41 or bat as dat.
One who loses pace when he reads and sometimes even lines.
One who performs well one day and badly the next day.
One who draws well but has a very bad handwriting.
One whose spellings are bizarre.
One who hates or read or being read to.
Prevention and treatment
It's not possible to prevent dyslexia but early recognition can help.
It's not possible to prevent dyslexia but early recognition can help. With proper diagnosis and tailored educational methods, people with dyslexia can achieve their full academic potential and go on to enjoy very successful careers.
Diet and practical strategies (such as using spectacles with coloured lenses) can also help
Is there any help?
There is very little help available to the dyslexic children. They cannot be handled by doctor nor as are there any medicine available to cure dyslexia. Neurologist cannot help as there is no primary emotional causes. Only special educators can help these children by using specific assessment and teaching methods.
Each dyslexia exhibits different traits. The degree of dyslexia ranges from child to child. Hence an individual assessment and educational plan is required to help the child. Otherwise these highly intelligent children get isolated in the regular educational system and their contribution to the community is denied and also lead to development emotional stress within the child and over a period development into formal education.
Genetic factors
While there is no clear inheritance pattern (so it's unlikely to be a single gene disorder) many people can trace it through the family and the genetic predisposition is strong. Three common genes that were associated with dyslexia in most affected families were identified in 1998.
Alpha To Omega Learning Centre
58, New Avadi Road, Kilpauk, Chennai 600010.
Phone : 00-91-44-26443090, 00-91-44-26476257
Email: atolc@eth.net http://www.alphatoomega.org
Mrs.Madhumathi Achuthan,
Director, ESK Learning Centre,
Old no: 30, New no:13,
Subramaniam Street,
Chennai- 600 018.
Ph: 42108568 / 98845 25393
Email: achumadhu@hotmail.com
Prof. Dr. Jayanthini, MD
Consultant Psychiatrist
Best Hospital, 9, Vellala Street
Kodambakkam, Chennai 600 024
Tel: 24832777
Growel Skills
Improvment Centre for Handwriting difficulties
K112/3, Bougainvilla
15th street
Anna Nagar East
Chennai 600102
Tel: +91-9840818051
Email: growelskills@gmail.com
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