What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia, referred to as Learning Disability, is a specific learning disorder that causes problems in language, reading, and writing abilities, even though an individual is at a normal intelligence level.
A child with dyslexia will have difficulty learning how they relate to letters or words, even if they can recognize speech sounds. Dyslexia, which is usually observed as a reading disorder, can also affect attention and memory and affects the areas of the brain that process language.
Children with dyslexia have the intelligence of a normal child and generally have no problems with their vision. Most children with dyslexia can do well in school with tutoring or a special education program. Emotional support plays a very important role in the process of coping with dyslexia.
Although there is no specific cure for dyslexia, early detection and intervention works best. However, in some patients, dyslexia goes undiagnosed for years and is not recognized until adulthood, Yet it is never too late to seek help and support for dyslexia.
How Much Is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia symptoms can vary depending on age and person. Young children may experience delays in speaking, difficulty learning new words, and encountering problems while playing. Dyslexia symptoms often become more pronounced as children start school.
There are 6 different types of dyslexia. These;
Phonological Dyslexia: In this type of dyslexia, children may have difficulty pronouncing certain words. In this type of dyslexia, visual processing problems come to the fore rather than auditory.
Superficial Dyslexia: Difficulty in recognizing and writing words.
Visual dyslexia: Difficulty in reading due to visual problems (due to physical causes) or visual processing disorders (cognitive/neurological causes).
Primary Dyslexia: The most common type of dyslexia. It is a functional disorder that occurs in the left cerebral cortex of the brain and does not change with age.
Secondary (Developmental) Dyslexia: Secondary dyslexia is caused by problems in brain development during the early stages of fetal development. Developmental dyslexia may decrease as the child grows.
Trauma Dyslexia: It develops due to damage to the brain due to trauma or disease in adults or children.
When Does Dyslexia Occur?
The earliest symptoms of dyslexia develop in childhood. It occurs especially at the age of 1-2 when children learn to make sounds. However, not every child with speech delay can be called dyslexic. Children of families with a history of reading difficulties or dyslexia should also be closely monitored.
What Should Families with a Dyslexic Child Do?
Families who learn that their child has dyslexia naturally want to do their best to help him. One of the best ways to help children with dyslexia is to learn as much as possible about learning disabilities. When you see how much you can do for your child or loved ones, you can ease both his and your own fears.
Everything you learn about dyslexia can guide you to make more informed choices. You can make a better educational program for your child. A planned education will facilitate learning and will also facilitate communication with friends in the classroom.
To support your child's learning, you can search for schools specially designed for dyslexia students and ensure that they receive their education in this direction. In addition to the education your child receives at school, the education and attention given at home will also help make his life easier.
It is very difficult for a child with dyslexia to learn the subjects that other children easily learn in the same way. In this difficult process, your support and patience are very important both at school and at home. During this difficult process, you will need to approach your child with love, support and patience.
What are the Causes of Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is usually seen in members of the same family. It is thought to be linked to genes that govern the part of the brain that governs reading and language, and various environmental factors.
In addition to a family history of dyslexia or other learning difficulties, premature birth or low weight at birth, exposure to nicotine, drugs, alcohol, or infection during pregnancy that can alter fetal brain development, and mismatches between the various parts of the brain that enable reading can increase the likelihood of dyslexia.
Dyslexia causes a variety of problems, including learning difficulties. Because reading is a core skill for most other school subjects, a child with dyslexia is disadvantaged in most subjects and may have trouble keeping up with their peers.
If dyslexia is left untreated, it can lead to self-confidence problems, behavioral problems, anxiety, aggression, and avoidance of friends, parents, and teachers from an early age in children.
Reading and inability can prevent a child from reaching his or her capacity as he grows up. Therefore, dyslexia in adults can have long-term educational, social and economic consequences.
Children with dyslexia are also at risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short. The opposite is also true. ADHD can make dyslexia difficult to treat because of hyperactivity and impulsive behaviors.
What Are the Symptoms of Dyslexia?
Dyslexia can be difficult to understand before children start school, but a number of signs that indicate the presence of such a problem can be noticed beforehand. However, when children reach school age, the first person to notice a problem will often be their teacher.
The severity of dyslexia varies from individual to individual, but the severity of the condition often becomes apparent as a child begins to learn to read. Signs that a young preschooler may be at risk for dyslexia include:
talk late,
slowness in learning new words
Confusing the sound order of words or having difficulty distinguishing between similar words,
Difficulty remembering the names of letters, colors and numbers
Difficulty saying rhymes or learning rhymes.
Signs and symptoms of dyslexia may become more pronounced in a school-age child. Among them:
Ability to read below the expected level for age,
Having problems understanding and comprehending what they hear,
Difficulty finding the right word or answering questions
Difficulty remembering the order of various objects
Difficulty seeing/hearing differences or similarities between letters or words
Difficulty pronouncing a foreign word
Difficulty in spelling and spelling
Completing reading assignments in longer time than usual
Avoidance of activities that involve reading.
Signs of dyslexia in teenagers and adults are similar to those seen in childhood. Some common dyslexia signs and symptoms in teens and adults include:
Difficulty reading or reading aloud
Slow and forced read/write
Difficulty in spelling
Avoiding activities that involve reading
Difficulty pronouncing or remembering names or words
Difficulty understanding jokes or expressions that cannot be easily understood from the words in it,
needing unexpected time for activities that involve reading or writing
Difficulty summarizing the story
Difficulty learning a foreign language
Difficulty in memorizing
Difficulty solving math problems.
While most children are ready to learn to read by the beginning of kindergarten or first grade, children with dyslexia often do not grasp the basics of reading until then.
If a child's reading level is below what would be expected for their age, or if other signs of dyslexia are noticed, it is recommended that a doctor be consulted. If dyslexia is not diagnosed and treated, reading difficulties that begin in childhood will continue into adulthood.
How Is Dyslexia Treated?
There is no treatment method or medicine for dyslexia...! In addition, early detection and appropriate treatment for the child can be effective in defeating this disease.
Tutoring sessions with a reading professional whenever possible can be helpful for children with dyslexia. If the reading disability is more serious, tutoring may need to take place more often or progress may be slower.
Dyslexic who receives additional help in the classroom at the beginning of kindergarten or elementary school develops their reading skills enough to be successful in elementary and high school. However, children who do not receive support and help until the upper grades may have more difficulty learning the skills necessary to read well.