Dyslexia is a neurological learning disorder, characterized by difficulty reading and parsing linguistic information. Over 40 million Americans suffer from dyslexia, making it an extraordinarily widespread disorder. Life as a dyslexic can be extremely frustrating, especially before dyslexia is diagnosed, because people often mistake the symptoms of dyslexia as indicators of a less than average intelligence. In fact, most dyslexics are of above average intelligence and merely have difficulty with written communications.
There appears to be a genetic link that causes dyslexia, although dyslexic parents need not worry that they will necessarily have dyslexic children. Many families with a history of learning disabilities may have a history of dyslexia as well, however. In addition, it has been suggested that childhood hearing problems may lead to dyslexia, as being able to hear and communicate through spoken language is an important building block to successful written communication later in life.
Some dyslexics also suffer from dysgraphia, a condition in which the sufferer has extreme difficulty writing. Most, however, merely have difficulty spelling, discriminating between words of similar appearance, and comprehending written language. Because dyslexics often have difficulty reading, their writing may be stilted as well. Dyslexia can come in forms of varying severity, and it is rarely crippling as long as it is addressed by teachers and medical professionals.
If the condition is caught early enough, teachers can use specialized education techniques to help individuals with dyslexia. These include multisensory teaching programs with a strong emphasis on phonetic learning. Young dyslexics can be taught to parse information in the same way as people with conventional brain patterns, and even older students are capable of learning to read and write effectively. Most dyslexia can be alleviated with focused care and attention, and dyslexics can go on to succeed in college with additional help, such as more time to take tests and dictation software.
Like many learning disorders, dyslexia is not always negative. Dyslexia is often accompanied by a high level of creativity and unconventional thinking. In addition, dyslexic children have been shown to have more empathy and better cooperation abilities, perhaps brought on by their understanding of the difficulties other people might face in daily life. Because the dyslexic mind works differently from the conventional mind, dyslexics often have interesting insights into learning and society, and many have made valuable cultural contributions.
The symptoms of dyslexia can differ from person to person, and each person with the condition will have a unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses.
In some cases, it may be possible to detect symptoms of dyslexia before a child starts school.
Possible symptoms include:
delayed speech development in comparison with other children of the same age
speech problems, such as not being able to pronounce long words properly and ‘jumbling’ up phrases - for example, saying ‘hecilopter’ instead of ‘helicopter’, or ‘beddy tear’ instead of ‘teddy bear’
problems expressing themselves using spoken language, such as being unable to remember the right word to use, or putting together sentences together incorrectly
little understanding or appreciation of rhyming words, such as ‘the cat sat on the mat’, or nursery rhymes
difficulty with, or little interest in, learning the letters of the alphabet
Symptoms of dyslexia in children who are 5-7 years of age include:
problems learning the names and sounds of letters
spelling that is unpredictable and inconsistent
problems copying written language
poor phonological awareness
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognise that words are made up of smaller units of sound (phonemes) and that changing and manipulating phonemes can create new words and meanings.
A child with poor phonological awareness may not be able correctly answer the questions below.
What sounds do you think make up the word ‘hot’ and are these different to the sounds that make up the word ‘hat’?
What word would you have if you changed the ‘p’ sound in ‘pot’ to a ‘h’ sound?
How many words can you think of that rhyme with the word ‘cat’?
Young children with dyslexia also have problems with ‘word attack skills’. This is the ability to make sense of unfamiliar words by looking for smaller words, or collections of letters, such as ‘ph’ or ‘ing’, that a child has previously learnt.
For example, a child with good word attack skills may read the word ‘sunbathing’ for the first time and gain a sense of the meaning of the word by breaking it down into ‘sun’, ‘bath’, and ‘ing’.
Symptoms of dyslexia in children who are 7-12 years of age include:
slow reading speed
problems with the correct spelling of words
problems understanding and recognising new words - for example, children with dyslexia may have problems with school subjects that introduce them to technical terms, such as science subjects
Symptoms of dyslexia in teenagers include:
slow writing speed
poorly organised written work which lacks expression - for example, even though an older child may be very knowledgeable about a certain subject, they may have problems expressing that knowledge in writing
problems with reading fluency - reading fluency is the ability to read text smoothly, rapidly, and automatically, without having to use any, or little, conscious effort
It may be possible for someone with dyslexia to reach adulthood without the condition being properly identified. Signs that you may have dyslexia include:
trying to avoid reading and writing whenever possible
trying to conceal any difficulties that you have with reading and writing from other people
poor spelling
poor time management and organisational skills
relying on memory and verbal skills, rather than reading or writing
Most dyslexics will exhibit about 10 of the following traits and behaviors. These characteristics can vary from day-to-day or minute-to-minute. The most consistent thing about dyslexics is their inconsistency.
Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.
High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.
Talented in art, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building, or engineering.
Seems to daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.
Difficulty sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer."
Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.
Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.
Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.
Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.
Extremely keen sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
Reads and rereads with little comprehension.
Spells phonetically and inconsistently.
Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted by sounds.
Difficulty putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.
Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.
Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.
Can be ambidextrous, and often confuses left/right, over/under.
Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time.
Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but can't do it on paper.
Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.
Can do arithmetic, but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.
Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations, and faces.
Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).
Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.
Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.
Had unusually early or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.
Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.
Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive.
Mistakes and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional stress, or poor health.