Dyslexia Symptoms, Test and Treatment

What is Dyslexia?

Defining Dyslexia

There was very little understanding of Dyslexia before the National Institute of Health began their research in the 1980′s. According to the National Institute of Health, Dyslexia is termed as a learning disability that hinders an individual’s ability to spell, read, write and sometimes even speak. Though Dyslexia has been around for a very long time, it is only recently that there is widespread understanding of this disability. Dyslexic people are recognized to have difficulty in accurately recognizing words and very often have poor spelling and decoding abilities.

What Is Dyslexia

Dyslexia often goes undetected in a child’s early years of schooling. Since children with Dyslexia have trouble reading, this leads to a lot of frustration and anxiety. Children with Dyslexia have an impairment in the brains ability to process the signals it receives from the eyes and ears. The severity of this disability varies from person to person and it is a lifelong disability. It is wise as a parent to be able to understand Dyslexia and be able to recognize Dyslexia so that you can begin to treatment as early as you can.

If Dyslexia goes undetected in a child then you will have a situation where the child becomes more and more frustrated at the difficulty in learning to write and read. School work will suffer leading to other issues especially disciplinary and behavior issues cropping up.

Dyslexic people are very creative and intuitive and are very good at hands on learning. There are treatment/study options that can be used to bring up a dyslexic child up to an average level for their age. It is important to give the proper help to a dyslexic child to ensure they succeed in school. It is also important to note that a dyslexic child will often be very talented in other areas. It is crucial to develop those talents and skills thereby raising self esteem and confidence in the child. Creativity, artistic, good physical abilities are some of the traits that a dyslexic child is blessed with.

Finally it is important to note that Dyslexia is not a disease to be cured. It is a disability that needs special attention.

photo

Posted in Dyslexia

Tagged dyslexia, dyslexia definition, dyslexia meaning

Causes Of Dyslexia

What are the caused of Dyslexia?

Dyslexia, now classified as a learning disability is the difficulty in understanding and reproducing language, whether spoken or written. Though detected mostly in early childhood, hanks to laws making it mandatory for schools to provide appropriate testing and counseling facilities, adult dyslexics, who have managed to hide their poor ability to read and write are not uncommon.

Dyslexia is suspected when a child of apparently normal or above average intelligence exhibits a marked inability to keep up with the reading and writing programs prescribed for that particular age. Such children often exhibit above normal skills or sheer genius in other fields, which do not require reading or writhing, like art, music, sports or drama.

The causes of dyslexia though widely studied, have not been exactly pinpointed, though several theories abound. Since dyslexia is itself a complex disorder involving various aspects of language, including reading, spelling, understanding and writing, the exact cause or the exact area of the brain involved is difficult to pinpoint. In addition, the presence of other conditions like ADHD, dyscalculia and dysgraphia, further complicate matters.

Inherited factors, acquired hearing disabilities in early childhood, or a combination of both have been implicated in the causes of dyslexia. Cranial trauma has also been implicated, though this is rarely seen now. Dietary deficiencies during pregnancy have also been postulated as causative factors.

Of all the theories postulated in the causes of dyslexia, the inherited factor theory is the most common. Dyslexia is often seen to run in families and there are significantly higher chances of a child being a dyslexic if either of the parents or the siblings have the condition. This does not mean that all the children of a dyslexic will suffer from the condition, but they certainly have a higher chance than the general population.

Another interesting fact is the presence of left-handedness in many dyslexics. It is important to note that more than half of the dyslexics diagnosed are left- handed. Hence, the presence of left-handedness in a child born in a dyslexic family has a higher chance of being dyslexic, than a right-handed child born in a non- dyslexic family.

CT scans of the brain show ectopic cell nests below the surface of the brain, which indicate that there is a faulty migration of brain cells in dyslexic patients. This faulty migration is mainly seen in the left and frontal parts of the brain, which deals with reading and writing, leading to dyslexia. Also, the magnocellular area of the brain, which deals with the ability to see moving images is smaller in dyslexics, indicating that dyslexics have difficulty in processing visual language cues.

Electroencephalograms show that while normal people deal with language, using mainly the left side of their brains, dyslexics have to use both the right, as well as the left side of their brains and their brains have to take nearly six times the effort of a non-dyslexic.

Hearing difficulties in early childhood, mainly in the form of ‘glue ear’, if left undetected and untreated causes abnormality or delay in phonemic awareness, resulting in delay in phonemic awareness, leading to a life long difficulty in processing verbal language cues. A combination of both these factors results in severe dyslexia, which needs support throughout life.

Certain accompanying conditions like aphasia, ADHD, auditory processing disorders, developmental dyspraxias and scotopic sensitivity syndromes exacerbate dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a complex disorder, with varied causes, it is difficult to implicate a single causative factor and a good support system with aided education remains the only way to deal with it, until further research is able to throw more light on this complex disorder.

Posted in Dyslexia, Dyslexia Signs

Preparing for Dyslexia Screening

Dyslexia, a common learning disorder affects many Americans. If diagnosed early, the concomitant conditions may be effectively treated and dyslexia itself, managed with suitable learning skills to ensure the optimum growth of the individual. The main reason why dyslexia should be diagnosed early is that this is a disability, which has far reaching emotional and social consequences on the life of the patient and a failure to diagnose it early will affect a person in many ways.

Since it is a common learning disorder, screening and subsequent detailed assessment, if necessary are mandatory by law. Screening for dyslexia maybe done either at the behest of the parents, in the case of a child, or by self-assessment, in case of adults who believe themselves to be dyslexic. Either way, the pattern of testing remains the same, with an initial screening and a subsequent detailed examination by a qualified psychologist.

Screening tests maybe done through a list of questions, which are put to the individual being screened and the person further referred, if he answers in the affirmative. These questions include:

Do you have a family history of dyslexia?
Do you face difficulties in spelling?
Do you face difficulties in writing in any way?
Do you try to avoid situations in which you maybe expected to read and write?

In case of children, the questions maybe put to the parents and may include the following:

Do any of your other children suffer from dyslexia?
Has you child ever tried to avoid attending school?
Is your child comfortable with his/her peers?
Does your child try to avoid reading?

It is important to prepare oneself even before the screening tests, so that the subsequent tests are easy. After an initial referral, the doctor may recommend a visit either to an opthalmologist, an otolaryngologist or a neurologist to rule out organic visual, auditory or cerebral disorders as the case maybe.

Before meeting the doctor, it is important to have the following checklist

Write down the symptoms, no matter how trivial they seem.
Write down key personal information like any emotional or personal upheavals, which may have affected the child.
Make a list of the dietary supplements that the child is taking, like vitamins or minerals.
Ask a family member or a close friend along so that they can fill in the gaps in your knowledge, if any.
Write down questions to ask your doctor, which may include the following: Will my other children suffer from dyslexia too?
What are the further tests needed?
How will the treatment take place?
What are the latest methods of treatment?

If the person tests positive for any of the above, they are referred to detailed tests in language, spelling, grammar and math, which are carried out by a psychologist.

Nowadays, some special short computer games like ‘Lucid’ and ‘Smart Cat’ have been devised which enable easy screening in children, without having to revert to detailed and often boring questions.

With careful preparation, dyslexia can be caught early and managed effectively.

Posted in Dyslexia, Dyslexia Treatment

Dyslexia Testing Options

Dyslexia Tests and Testing options

In our last article we talked about the treatment options for Dyslexia, In this article let us look at the various dyslexia tests and options that are available to help in identifying the condition. Since nearly five to seven percent of the American population is believed to suffer from some forms of learning disabilities, testing for them becomes very important. According to Federal law, schools have to have a learning disability testing program in place to ensure that children are diagnosed early, so that immediate remedial steps to ensure their medical, social and emotional well- being may be taken.

The symptoms of learning disorders encompass a vast spectrum, ranging from dyslexia, ADHD, autism and emotional disturbances. Hence, it becomes very important to arrive at the right diagnosis to ensure that the right treatment is administered at the right time.

The tests for dyslexia are two fold

Screening tests
Comprehensive tests

Dyslexia Screening Tests

Screening tests are used exactly as the name suggests, to screen individuals who are believed to suffer from dyslexia. They do not provide any definitive diagnosis, but merely serve as pointers towards more detailed assessment in case of individuals believed to be suffering from dyslexia. They consist of simple questions to be answered by the individual and give an insight into his/her disability. These questions are generally as follows:

Do you have difficulties with spelling?
Do you find directions confusing?
Do you have difficulties with math?
Were you reluctant to go to school at any time?

The last question is generally asked in case of a suspected adult dyslexic.

Comprehensive Dyslexia Tests

In case of a positive screening test, a comprehensive test is necessary, which actually consists of several tests assessing reading, comprehension, grammar, spelling and mathematical abilities, in addition to hearing and visual tests to rule out any organic disorders. They maybe carried out by the following organizations:

Schools: as stated above, it is mandatory for schools to carry out comprehensive tests if requested for by the parents/guardians of a student. They are carried out by an educational psychologist employed by the local authorities in association with the school.
Private Professionals: in case the school does not have the proper channels in place, it becomes necessary to approach a private psychologist or psychiatrist, with special training in administering dyslexia tests. Approaching the Dyslexia Institute, now termed Dyslexia Action is helpful, because these professionals not only provide a psychological assessment and specialist therapy, but also provides teacher training and educational literature on dyslexia.
Job Center: this is screening done for employees or for suspected dyslexics, actively seeking employment, who are not undergoing any training.
Further/ Higher Education: for suspected dyslexics seeking admission to college or for higher training in any field.

Comprehensive tests again may be carried out face to face or remotely and a complete assessment file on the suspected person is compiled. This gives a complete idea on the learning abilities of the individual. The only advantage of a face to face assessment is that an emotional evaluation of the patient may be done at the same time.

With a large number of tests in place for dyslexia testing, it is easy to detect it early and take corrective measures to ensure a productive life for the individual.