Dyslexia Symptoms, Test and Treatment

Overcoming Dyslexia

Since dyslexia is a complex condition, involving several and complex connections in the auditory, visual, speech and comprehension areas of the cerebral hemispheres, the management also involves a holistic approach where considering each patient as a unique case gives excellent results. In addition to the disability in reading and comprehension, there maybe an involvement of the psyche of the patient, with its own set of complications.

Early detection, thorough evaluation and an understanding and “made-to-measure” approach to the patient works wonders, and most dyslexics then lead wonderfully productive and fruitful lives. Many dyslexics are now detected early, thanks to comprehensive reading programs with emphasis on phonics which most schools follow.

Spotting symptoms early is important and really help in treatment. Early detection is very important to finally overcoming dyslexia. As the name suggests, dyslexics have difficulty with the written word, the best example being ttheir tendency to transpose letters as in ‘red and green’ becomes ‘ged and reen’. However, first it is essential to rule out any accompanying disturbance in hearing and sight. There maybe a difficulty in working with numbers, a wrong sense of direction and a lack of time sense. Sometimes there is attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder as well.

An evaluation for dyslexia is best carried out by a trained specialist like a neurologist. Testing involves evaluation of reading, writing and spelling skills, with concomitant evaluation of spoken language, memory and intelligence with hearing and visual tests when deemed appropriate. Many dyslexics are found to have above average intelligence and this may be channeled into a field which does not require much reading and writing such as music or art.

Some accompanying disorders can be also seen in dyslexics

They may have behavioral problems, ranging from extreme shyness to extreme aggressiveness.
They may try several means to hide their non comprehension of the written word.
They maybe have an inability to calculate simple problems.
They frequently mix up right and left sides.
A poor hearing or visual disorder can be present
Dyslexics may see themselves as “misfits”.
The drop-out rate from educational institutes is very high.

As can be seen from the above list, dyslexics require not only medical but also psychological and social rehabilitation so that they can become productive members of society. Early detection is an absolute must and it is commonly seen that children detected with Dyslexia after 12 years rarely go on to lead fulfilling academic lives, having dropped out of schools due to sheer misery.

A one on one approach is the best way to educate these children, which can be had in a “remedial classes” in regular streams or else in special institutes. Stress has to be laid on phonetic decoding skills, either with special auditory or visual aids. Special software has been developed for this in the form of modules which gradually help in regularising the education. Musical training is found to be extremely beneficial, as is training in art. Medication may be required to control any attendant attention deficit, hyperactivity or extreme disruptive behaviour.

Rather than labeling these differently abled individuals as “trouble makers”, a little effort on the part of society as a whole can lead to a very colorful life for dyslexics and society as a whole can benefit from their unique gifts.

Posted in Dyslexia, Dyslexia in Children, Dyslexia Treatment

Tagged dyslexia, Handle Dyslexic Child In School, How To Handle Dyslexia In The Classroom

Types Of Dyslexia

Traditionally referred to as “slow learning disorders”, many disabilities relating to language processing are now called as Dyslexia. They form a complex group of disorders, the sufferers of which face difficulties in decoding spoken and written words.

In the strictest etymological terms, dyslexia means having problems with reading written text. However, this does not embrace the problem in its entirety which actually includes difficulties in reading, writing, spelling and coordinating among all three. It is believed that almost 5 –10% of the population suffers from some form of dyslexia but exact figures need more documentary evidence.

In addition to difficulty in language processing, dyslexics may have associated hearing deficits, poor short term memory, lack of physical co-ordination, lack of sense of direction and a lack of time sense. Co-existing conditions include dysgraphia, dyscalculia, attention deficit disorders(ADD) and cluttering speech.

In keeping with the basic disorder, Dyslexia can be defined as “A learning disability that is at its core neurological in origin and is symptomatic with difficulties in recognizing letters and words along with poor reading, decoding and spelling abilities.

Dyslexia Types

Classification helps a better understanding of this complex disorder. Classification in turn maybe based on the following

Aetiology(causes)
The Pathology or
The Symptoms.

Aetiological Classification

Developmental – Developmental Dyslexia is caused by biological anomalies during the prenatal period or in early childhood.
Acquired – Acquired Dyslexia is caused mainly by cranial trauma in later life and a prime example of adult dyslexia.

Pathological Classification

Stems from the magnocellular theory of dyslexia which postulates that a neurological weakness in the magnocellular area of the thalamus of the brain where rapid processing of visual and auditory cues takes place leads to the manifestations. Accordingly, Dyslexia can be classified into

Auditory Dyslexia – These individuals have poor hearing or disability in processing auditory cues but will have normal visual processing.
Visual Dyslexia – Poor visual cue processing but normal hearing.

Symptomatic Classification

Surface – In this type of disorder, frequent mistakes are seen with inconsistent pronunciations of words that have similar spelling. Eg: Bowl maybe pronounced to rhyme with howl. Even though there maybe recognition of the spelling, there are problems with whole word recognition.

Phonological – This indicates an inability to grasp the phonic nature of language.There is a pronounced difficulty in reading new words because of an inability to grasp links between individual sounds or phonemes.

Double Deficit Dyslexia – Double deficit dyslexia combines the manifestations of both the above types.

Another symptomatic classification based on Border`s Reading-Spelling Pattern is as follows

Dysphonetic Dyslexia – This maybe regarded as the symptomatic form of auditory dyslexia.Typical sufferers face difficulty in connecting sounds to symbols and also find it difficult to sound out words.Spelling mistakes reveal poor phonetic grasp of the language.There is a problem in mentally processing language.Any disruption in the pathway of hearing can also lead to this type.

Dysedetic Dyslexia – This is visual dyslexia in a symptomatic guise.It refers to how a person sees and mentally processes the symbols,letters and word concepts of language into correct written formats.Even with a good grasp of phonetic concepts,sufferers have difficulty with whole word recognition and spelling.Similarity between the intended word and the actual word written will allow the reader to guess at what the word was, but the spelling is still far from correct. Eg: Telephone maybe spelt as telafone.There may also be a transposition or reversal of the letters in a word. Eg: Need maybe written as deen.

Mixed Dyslexia – Mixed Dyslexia is a combination of the above two with difficulty in processing language audio-visually.This form is not very amenable to correction.

The description of the types of dyslexia would be incomplete without describing “Orthographic Dyslexia”. Orthography relates to the symbols used in the written form of a language. In English, this denotes the 26 letters of the alphabet. In pictographic languages like Chinese and Japanese, it includes thousands of symbols for different words. Orthographic dyslexics have difficulty in identifying and manipulating letters in reading, writing and spelling. Although, they have good phonetic grasp, they are unable to manipulate the letters and respond better to verbal cues.

In conclusion, it would be safe to say that dyslexia is a very general term encompassing a vast spectrum of disorders relating to language and an individualistic approach to each case will be advantageous in understanding and managing each particular patient.

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Tagged dyslexia, dyslexia definition, dyslexia meaning

What Does Dyslexia Mean?

Meaning of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a medical condition that is the consequence of a neurological disability. Dyslexia inhibits a person’s ability to remember the name of objects, simply recall the definition of an item, manage a link between an object and its definition, identify letters, words and numbers. Dyslexia can be classified basically under two categories. The first category is that of Genetic dyslexia which is the type of Dyslexia that is transferred with your genes. The second category is known as acquired dyslexia. Acquired Dyslexia is where Dyslexia occurs due to damage to the brain on the left side. A curious fact that has been observed is that it occurs mostly among boys and much less among girls.

We have written extensively about the condition and the symptoms. Read our previous articles for more information on What is Dyslexia, Dyslexia Symptoms in Children and Adults.

Increasing awareness and training

With the rise in the level of awareness amongst people, more and more treatment options are being explored and being conducted with regard to the condition, the reasons for it, as well as its after-effects. This is very important, especially when it comes to the proper treatment of this disorder, eradicating discrimination, meted out to kids suffering from Dyslexia. It is therefore important to have proper and complete knowledge in regard to dyslexia to help you deal with various situations.

If you are in contact with Dyslexics, then increasing your awareness and training is very important. It may play a very vital role in helping people with dyslexia. Being trained to deal with the disorder can mitigate, resolve and improve a child’s or adults progression. With the right understanding and training, you can help people be more at ease and play a vital role in establishing a level of normalcy and help a dyslexic child or adult adjust and continue life with minimal disruption.

A few important factors to keep in mind is that people affected with dyslexia find it very hard to combine things, understand their meanings, remember sounds, colors, definitions, read, write etc. All of this means that you need to have a lot of patience in dealing with people suffering from dyslexia. It is very important to understand and learn to keep your patience. This is because a child suffering from dyslexia would take relatively longer time to learn and would need special attention and care apart from repeated explanations from you.

We have come a long way in our understanding of the condition and each year we are making rapid progress when it comes to the disorder. You have many treatment options and specialized care facilities these days to help you control and manage the disorder. Identifying the condition at an early age is crucial. The earlier you spot the problem the easier and faster it is to begin treatment.