dyslexia definition
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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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.
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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.
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Tagged dyslexia, dyslexia definition, dyslexia meaning