Dyslexia is a reading and learning disability which gives trouble to a child while reading comprehension, spelling a word and even understanding the phonetics. Here, the brain is unable to identify the correct word or an alphabet hence it creates jumble or mixes up the similar looking alphabet by creating the mirror image of that letter, for eg, b-d, p-q, m-w, etc.
Children with Dyslexia often suffer from poor memory and lack of concentration as they are unable to understand and recognize the word. They feel a lot of trouble while understanding the rhyming words too, like 'rat-cat', 'hen-pen', 'cap-tap', etc.
However, children with dyslexia should not be considered below average in terms of their intelligence. There were several Dyslexics who marked their presence in society like a shining star. The famous German-born physicist Albert Einstein, the famous American inventor Thomas Alva Edison, the famous English writer Agatha Christie and the famous Indian Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan is among them.
It is often been heard that Dyslexia is caused by the poor vision and dyslexics read the word backwards. However, this is not a real fact. The poor vision and backward reading have nothing to do with Dyslexia.
Although experts are not sure about the exact cause of Dyslexia, the genetic disorder is considered to be one of the causes of this disability. Therefore, this disorder may pass from parents to children. At the same time, studies have shown how a brain malfunctioning is related to this disorder. The region towards the front of the dyslexic brain becomes over-reactive and does not perform well.
What are the possible Symptoms of Dyslexia?
There are two different levels of an age where the possible symptoms of dyslexia can be seen in a child.
Before the age of schooling -
Taking more than expected time to start talking, delayed speech.
Slow learner - taking more than usual time to learn and understand new words.
Unable to understand the rhyming words.
Getting confused to understand the steps of instructions - for e.g. go to the kitchen and bring the spoon.
After the schooling is started -
Once your kid starts going to the school, the signs and symptoms become more visible and apparent.
Unable to read 2-3 letter's words like 'at', 'cat', 'dog', etc.
Getting confused with the letters which have a mirror image. For e.g., the word 'pot' may become 'qot' for a dyslexic student.
A lot of spelling errors can be seen in a notebook of a child suffering from Dyslexia.
Trouble in solving mathematical questions.
How a Dyslexia can be diagnosed?
Dyslexia affects 1 out of 10 children. According to the Press Information Bureau by the Government of India dated 14th October 2015, "the incidence of Dyslexia in India is believed to be 15%."
Once the symptoms and signs of dyslexia are observed, it is important to get it correctly diagnosed by a medical practitioner or by a speech therapist as this disability is associated with language. If the diagnosis gets started at the correct stage, a positive outcome can be expected.
The diagnosis may include several tests like a reading test, speech test, and other skills related tests. These test will enable the doctor or speech therapist to reach up to the conclusion about the treatment and the therapies which can be suggested to help the dyslexic child.
What a Parent can do to help his/her Dyslexic child?
Being a parent, you can do a lot of good things to your child to overcome this disability. It is been studied in several cases that a dyslexic child has a capability to think out of the box. Their IQ level is as good as like another child. As you are aware of his/her strengths and weakness, so never discourage or demotivate your child to do something which is not related to his/her learning and reading skills.
However, you can choose several other methods to help your child to improve his/her reading and learning skills.
Read along with your child so that you can help him to identify his mistakes and errors.
Inculcate the reading habits right from the early childhood days.
Help your child with the phonetic sounds of the letters/alphabets.
Focus on spellings too.
Dyslexia affected children need extra emotional support from their parents and teachers so that they can face the challenges in their daily life. Making them isolated and neglected will make the situation worst. Therefore, love them and support them, as LOVE and CARE can overcome several big disabilities.
Take Care :)