Is Your Child Dyslexic?
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a brain-based condition which causes difficulty with reading, spelling, writing and sometimes speaking. When someone has dyslexia, the brain has trouble recognizing or processing certain types of information. This can include matching letter sounds and symbols (such as the letter b making the buh sound) and blending them together to make words.
Reading problems can be tough on the whole family. If your child is struggling, the first thing to do is to find out why. Dyslexia is a learning disability that can affect both boys and girls, and is more common in children whose parents also had difficulty with reading and writing.
Some people with dyslexia may not have trouble sounding out or decoding words. But they may struggle to understand what they read. It can be very hard for people with dyslexia to read in a way that’s automatic, or seemingly without effort.
Like other types of learning and attention issues, dyslexia is a lifelong condition. Children don’t outgrow it but they can go on to become successful readers with the help of cognitive stimulation activities which can help reduce the symptoms of dyslexia. It is important to seek early intervention.
Dyslexia is often confused with other learning and attention issues that cause similar difficulties.
Why do people often confuse dyslexia with other learning disorders?
Dyslexia is thought to be the most common kind of learning and attention issues. The majority of kids with learning issues have features of dyslexia. This is probably why dyslexia gets confused with learning and attention disorders such as: Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Executive Function Disorder and ADHD.
Although dyslexia is common, it’s frequently confused with other learning and attention issues. Understanding the characteristics of dyslexia—and how it overlaps with or is distinct from other issues—will give you a better handle on the kinds of learning and attention issues that may be affecting your child.
Signs That A Child May Have Dyslexia
Preschool
- May talk later than most children
- May have difficulty pronouncing words
- May be slow to add new vocabulary words
- May be unable to recall the right word for known objects, e.g. 'table, chair'.
- May have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes, how to write his or her name
- May be unable to follow multi-step directions or routines
- May have difficulty telling and/or retelling a story in the correct sequence
- Often has difficulty separating sounds in words and blending sounds to make words
- Has persistent jumbled phrases, e.g. 'cobbler's club' for 'toddler's club'
- Use of substitute words e.g. 'lampshade' for 'lamppost'.
- Difficulty learning nursery rhymes and rhyming words, e.g. 'cat, mat, sat'.
Pre-school non-language indicators.
- May have walked early but did not crawl - was a 'bottom shuffler' or 'tummy wriggler'.
- Persistent difficulties in getting dressed efficiently and putting shoes on the correct feet.
- Enjoys being read to but shows no interest in letters or words.
- Is often accused of not listening or paying attention.
- Excessive tripping, bumping into things and falling over.
- Difficulty with catching, kicking or throwing a ball; with hopping and/or skipping.
- Difficulty with clapping a simple rhythm.
Kindergarten
- Has difficulty reading single words
- May be slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
- May confuse small words – at/to, said/and, does/goes
- Makes consistent reading and spelling errors
- May have trouble remembering facts
- May be slow to learn new skills; relies heavily on memorizing without understanding
- May be impulsive and prone to accidents
- May have difficulty planning
- Often uses an awkward pencil grip
- May have trouble learning to tell time
If a child has several of these indications, further investigation should be made. The child may be living with dyslexia, or there may be other reasons.
Primary School Age
- Has difficulty with reading and spelling.
- Takes longer than average to do written work.
- Occasionally confuses 'b' and 'd' and words such as 'no/on' or ‘was/saw’.
- Still needs to use fingers or marks on paper to make simple calculations.
- Has difficulty remembering tables, alphabet, formulae etc.
- Problems processing language at speed.
- Puts letters and figures the wrong way round.
- Leaves letters out of words or puts them in the wrong order.
- Poor concentration.
- Has problems understanding what he/she has read.
Primary School Age Non-Language Indicator
- Has difficulty with tying shoe laces, tie, buttoning up, dressing.
- Has difficulty telling order of days of the week, months of the year etc.
- Surprises you because in other ways he/she is bright and alert.
- Has a poor sense of direction and still confuses left and right.
- Lacks confidence and has a poor self image.
Aged 12 or Over
Same for primary schools, plus:
- Still reads inaccurately.
- Still has difficulties in spelling.
- Needs to have instructions and telephone numbers repeated.
- Gets 'tied up' using long words, e.g. 'preliminary', 'philosophical'.
- Confuses places, times, dates.
- Has difficulty with planning and writing essays.
- Has difficulty processing complex language or long series of instructions at speed.
Aged 12 or over non-language indicators
- Has poor confidence and self-esteem.
- Has areas of strength as well as weakness.
Treatment for Dyslexia
Tests
Early detection and evaluation to identify the specific weak skills that are responsible for a child’s poor academic performance is of utmost importance. Through our online battery of cognitive test parameters, we identify the weak cognitive skills that are responsible for the reading and learning difficulties.
Training
There are many ways to help a preschool child with dyslexia ranging from listening to taped lessons, tracing the shape of letters with fingers, reading aloud with your child, working with your child’s school to encouraging reading time.
The fastest and most effective way to correct the underlying brain differences that cause dyslexia is by engaging the affected individual in cognitive training to strengthen the weak cognitive skills through dynamic training, drills and practice that engage the brain and significantly stretch the mental abilities.
Cognitive training energizes the affected areas of the brain, creates more neural pathways in those areas, and enables the individual to learn easier, faster and more effectively.
