Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects reading ability. Sufferers will have difficulty recognizing words, so they often struggle with reading, spelling, writing, and understanding what they read. Dyslexia is not caused by low intelligence, nor is it due to poor teaching or education.
Signs of Dyslexia
Dyslexia generally tends to appear in childhood, but anyone of any age can experience it. The symptoms vary from person to person, but primarily relate to reading and speaking. Signs to watch out for dyslexia, especially in children, include:
- Children learn to crawl, walk, or speak more slowly than their peers.
- Children take longer to learn to speak, such as mispronouncing words, finding the rhythm challenging, and seeming unable to distinguish between different word sounds.
- Children have difficulty matching letters with sounds, so they often avoid situations that require them to read.
- Children unconsciously write numbers as letters or letters as numbers.
- Difficulty processing more than two syllables, for example, only being able to sound out "ke" and "an" in the word "difficulty."
- Difficulty remembering sets of data, such as the alphabet, days of the week, months, or arithmetic tables.
- Difficulty with coordination activities, such as confusion between right and left.
- Difficulty concentrating, as their difficulty in reading or writing causes mental fatigue
- Difficulty expressing ideas in a logical sequence, often causing confusion to their peers.
- Require greater effort to read and write, so they do not enjoy these activities.
People with dyslexia feel they need a great effort to read.
Causes
The exact cause of dyslexia is unknown, but it is highly likely to be inherited in families, where certain genes affect a person's ability to process letters, words, and language. Although most people with dyslexia are diagnosed in childhood, some people can develop it as adults. This may be due to brain injury or stroke.
Diagnosis
Dyslexia is most likely diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood. The signs may be noticed by parents or teachers at school. The importance of diagnosing dyslexia is so that the child can receive more support, such as special education services, both during school and college. Some things that need to be examined include:
- Family history and early development
- Intelligence
- Oral language skills
- Word recognition
- Fluency skills
- Reading comprehension
- Vocabulary
- Ability to read new words using letter sound knowledge (decoding)
- How the brain processes word sounds (phonological processing)
Dyslexia Management
There is no cure for dyslexia, but several strategies can be used to help facilitate daily tasks. Of course, this must first be consulted with a professional. Dyslexia management can be done in the following ways:
- Special education plans: including learning tailored to their needs, such as learning aids or additional time during exams
- Ongoing evaluation: as adults, it is important to continually assess the progress of people with dyslexia and identify areas where they need more support.
- Time management: dividing tasks into small parts or outlining tasks before starting them
- Aids: flashcards or text-to-voice
- Visual notes: making colorful notes
- Distraction-free environment: find a quiet place or use a headset
People with dyslexia need to get a special education plan.
So, dyslexia is not just marked by difficulty distinguishing between right and left, but broader than that. For example, difficulties in reading and writing. These signs need to be noticed from childhood. The goal is for someone to get special support to help them carry out daily activities because there is no cure for dyslexia.
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