“Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed. Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities.” ( Rose, 2009.)
Dyslexia is the most common learning disorder. It is estimated that 1 in 5 kids has dyslexia and they often show signs even before starting school.
Signs of dyslexia (Martinelli, 2023)
A young person with dyslexia may:
- Struggle with learning even simple rhymes
- Have a speech delay
- Have trouble following directions
- Repeat or omit short words such as and, the, but
- Find it difficult to tell left from right
In school, children with dyslexia are likely to:
- Have difficulty sounding out new words
- Lack fluency compared to other children their age
- Reverse letters and numbers when reading (read saw as was, for example)
- Find it difficult to take notes and copy down words from the board
- Struggle with rhyming, associating sounds with letters, and sequencing and ordering sounds
- Stumble and have difficulty spelling even common words; frequently they will spell them phonetically (hrbr instead of harbor)
- Avoid being called on to read out loud in front of classmates
- Become tired or frustrated from reading
Dyslexia affects children outside of school as well. Kids with dyslexia may also:
- Find it difficult to decode logos and signs
- Struggle when trying to learn the rules to games
- Have difficulty keeping track of multi-step directions
- Struggle with getting the hang of telling time
- Find it especially challenging to learn another language
- Become incredibly frustrated, which can effect their mood and emotional stability
A dyslexia diagnosis is not linked to child’s intelligence and does not mean that the child will never be able to learn. There are many ways to help dyslexic children overcome their difficulties. Dr. Matthew Cruger, a Neuropsychologist from Child Mind Institute believes these are some of the techniques that could be useful in teaching a child with dyslexia:
- Multi-sensory instruction in decoding skills
- Repetition and review of skills
- Intensity of intervention — that is, more than being pulled out of class once a week for extra help
- Small group or individual instruction
- Teaching decoding skills
- Drilling sight words
- Teaching comprehension strategies, to help kids derive meaning from what they’re reading
Dr. Cruger states that traditional approach in teaching can be counter-productive for children with dyslexia:
“If the child hates the experience of reading help, it’s not helpful and it’s not treating the source of the problem, the decoding weakness.”
References and relevant links:
https://childmind.org/article/understanding-dyslexia/
https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexia/about-dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia
