Understanding Dyslexia

Understanding Dyslexia

Like most learning disabilities, dyslexia brings about confusion, misinterpretation, and frustration for parents and their troubled children. Parents who are not aware of their child's dyslexia often feel a certain level of inadequacy when they notice a disparity between their child's intelligence and academic work output.

When interacting with others, their child shows charm and wit, able to speak and listen like any other kid. Yet, in class, he or she seems to struggle significantly in reading and spelling. He or she loves talking about the stories read by the teacher, but frowns when asked to read a story on his or her own.

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that interferes specifically with the acquisition and processing of language. Word recognition, spelling, and decoding skills are directly affected. It is a reading and writing difficulty, which hinders the individual's ability to express his or her own thoughts accurately and fluently.

Dyslexia is not an affliction of intelligence. Dyslexic children may understand something if it is read to them, but they are unable to read properly because their brains are wired differently. While non-dyslexic individuals easily see and read words on a page, people with dyslexia might see the same words as floating letters or inscrutable lines.

To a dyslexic, "girl" and "gril" or "b" and "d" look alike. They may spell phonetically, so the word "writing" would be written as "riting". They are not lazy or unintelligent; they just do not see words the way most people do.

However, some experts would say that dyslexics have innate gifts, which somehow compensate for their learning disability. Here are some basic abilities all dyslexics share:

- They can utilize the brain's ability to alter and create perceptions

- The are highly aware of their surroundings

- They are more curious than average children

- They think mainly in pictures instead of words

- They are highly intuitive and insightful

- They think and perceive multi-dimensionally (using all the senses)

- They can experience thought as reality

- They have vivid imaginations

Dyslexic children excel in three important areas of learning: creativity, physical coordination, and empathy with others. They may find it difficult to express themselves in writing, but they are good in imaginative and detailed drawings. Dyslexic kids excel in activities where physical coordination is required. Since many dyslexic children get frustrated with the disorder and confusion they have to deal with, they learn to empathize with other people's problems and difficulties.

Some signs of dyslexia include directional confusion, difficulties with handwriting, and difficulties with Math. There are learning strategies that parents, teachers, and caregivers can employ to help dyslexic kids overcome difficulties. The most commonly used is the Slingerland Multisensory Instruction Method.

This method involves teaching children, not only by listening to and saying the sounds of the letters, but also by using their visual and tactile memories. Some examples include writing letters in the air or forming letters with play dough while an adult sounds off the letters with the children.

Another tactic is the step-by-step rule in decoding: if the child confuses "b" with "d", the child may be asked to look at the whole word. Is it "bog" or "dog"? He or she can then ask him or her self, "Does that word exist?"

In short, emphasis lies in helping the child anticipate his or her mistakes before they happen. This way, the child is empowered. If the child is empowered, the better he or she will be able to live and cope with dyslexia.