Dyslexia is a reading disorder, the most common type of learning disability in children. It is not due to a vision problem or lack of early education, but is believed to be a brain-based abnormality affecting a person's ability to read. A child has a higher risk of dyslexia if someone in the family has this condition.
A dyslexia child may appear average or bright when talking, but has difficulty when it comes to reading and writing. This often cases the child to struggle with his studies, leading to poor grades in school. Over time, the child may feel "stupid", frustrated, have low self-confidence, or develop other emotional problems.
If not treated early, dyslexia may prevent a child from achieving his full potential, academically or socially. But don't misunderstand dyslexia children as "dumb". On the contrary, they ofeten exhibibt strong talents in others areas, such as music, sports and art.
Dyslexia is a lifetime condition. However, it need not be a source of your child's frustration or a barrier to his success. With early intervention, a dyslexia child can learn to overcome his inability and to achieve in school and in life. Therefore, know the common signs to help detect dyslexia early in the child.
Common Signs of Dyslexia
- Delays in speech
- Learning new words very slowly
- Mirror writing
- Reading very slowly, having difficulty reading single words
- Poor spelling
- Poor short-term memory and short attention span
- Difficulty following multiple-step instructions
- Having problems with the concept of time
- Having trouble in sloving mathematical problem
- Difficulty in coordinating left and right movement
Once dyslexia is diagnosed, the doctor or psychologist will recommend a remedial education programme for the child. The remedial education programme is specially designed for dyslexia individuals. The programme involves specially-trained teachers or reading specialists to teach specific techniques and stratefies that help dyslexia to learn to read, write, spell and understand language better. A dyslexic child would be able to learn like the rest of his classmates when he applies these techniques and strategies.
Extracted from "Positive Parenting, vol 4 2010, by Associate Professor Dr Teoh Hsien-Jin, Consultant Clinical Psychologist"
