Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that includes difficulty in the use and processing of linguistic and symbolic codes, alphabetic letters representing speech sounds or numeric representing numbers or quantities.

The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek word ‘dys’ (meaning poor or inadequate) plus ‘lexis’ (words or language). Implying only an inadequacy in language tasks.

Dyslexia does not reflect an overall defect in language, but, rather, a localized weakness within the phonologic module of the brain. This module is the functional part of the brain where the sounds of language are put together to form words and where words are broken down into sounds.

Dyslexia can manifest itself in different ways. It is common for children with dyslexia to experience one or several of the following challenges:

problems with the auditory side of language (the way sounds are translated into different symbols)
difficulty recognizing letters
struggling to link multiple words together (even if individual words can be read without a problem)
difficulty with language comprehension (for example, taking a long time to process words; by the time the end of a sentence or paragraph is reached, the beginning has been forgotten).

Definition

There are many definitions of the disorder called ''dyslexia'' but no consensus.

The World Federation of Neurology defined dyslexia as follows:

''Specific developmental dyslexia is a disorder manifested by difficulty learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and adequate sociocultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental cognitive disabilities that are frequently of constitutional origin.''

Symptoms of Dyslexia

Dyslexia can affect spoken language, written language and language comprehension.
Dyslexics have trouble breaking down unfamiliar words into letter-sound segments. As a result, reading is slow and filled with errors.
Dyslexics require extra time and effort to process language information.
Dyslexics have difficulty in learning (and remembering) the names of letters.
Dyslexics often fail to understand that words come apart; for example, that “batboy” can be pulled apart into “bat” and “boy” and, later on, that the word “bat” can be broken down still further and sounded out as ‘b’ ‘aaa’ ‘t’
Dyslexics often have a difficult time learning to associate letters with sounds, such as being unable to connect the letter b with the /b/ sound.
Dyslexics will sometimes make reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters; for example, the word “big” is read as “goat.”
Dyslexics often struggle to read small “sight” words such as “that,” “an,” “in.”
Dyslexics often substitute words with the same meaning for words in the text they can’t pronounce, such as “car” for “automobile.”
Dyslexics often omit parts of words when reading.
Dyslexics often have difficulty remembering dates, names, telephone numbers, and random lists.
Dyslexics often have an extreme difficulty learning a foreign language.

The symptoms of dyslexia can differ from person to person, and each person with the condition will have a unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses.

Causes

Dyslexia tends to run in families, and researchers have identified the genes that may be responsible for the condition.

Scientists have also found specific brain differences involved in dyslexia. Brain images show that dyslexia results from certain structural differences in the brain, particularly in the left hemisphere.

Brains of people with dyslexia show very little activity in areas known to be highly important in linking the written form of words with their phonetic components. So in order to read, people with dyslexia must sprout alternative neurological pathways. They compensate by making more use of a front-brain section called Broca's area, traditionally associated with other aspects of language processing and speech.

A very small percentage of people with dyslexia have what’s called the acquired form of the condition. This means they developed the disorder later in life. Acquired dyslexia can be caused by a stroke, brain injury or other type of trauma.

Treatment

While there is currently no cure for dyslexia, there is a range of specialist interventions and treatments that can help children with dyslexia with their reading and writing. The amount and type of intervention necessary will depend on the severity of their condition.

Educational intervention

Research has found that early educational interventions, ideally before a child reaches seven or eight years old, are effective in achieving long-term improvements in their reading and writing.

There is a large body of good quality evidence that interventions that focus on improving phonological skills (the ability to identify and process sounds) are the most effective way of improving reading and writing. These types of educational interventions are often referred to as phonics. Phonics is a system widely used to teach all children to read and write, not just those with dyslexia.

Remedial Teachers may use techniques involving hearing, vision and touch to improve reading skills. Helping a child use several senses to learn — for example, by listening to a taped lesson and tracing with a finger the shape of the letters used and the words spoken — can help him or her process the information.

A remedial teacher will focus on helping the dyslexic child:

Learn to recognize the smallest sounds that make up words (phonemes)
Understand that letters and strings of letters represent these sounds
Comprehend what he or she is reading
Read aloud
Build a vocabulary

If the child has a severe reading disability, tutoring may need to occur more frequently, and progress may be slower. A child with severe dyslexia may never be able to read well. However, academic problems don't necessarily mean a person with dyslexia will be unable to succeed. Students with dyslexia can be highly capable, given the right resources. Many people with dyslexia are creative and bright, and may be gifted in mathematics, science or the arts. Some even have successful writing careers.

At our “Jeyam- Remedial Education Clinic”, we are providing the following Intervention Programmes: