Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects the part of the brain that processes language. It involves difficulty in reading due to a lack of understanding of speech sound and relating them to words and letters. It should not be mistaken that those who are suffering from dyslexia have less intelligence than normal people. People suffering from learning disabilities have normal intelligence and also have normal vision. The problem in reading and learning arises due to the inability to decode.
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| Dyslexia |
How Can You Detect It?
Dyslexia can be very difficult to detect until and unless the child starts to go to school. Usually, a teacher will be the first to recognize the signs of this learning disability. Although it can be difficult to detect dyslexia before your child goes to school, you can see signs of it in the form of the child starting to talk late, having difficulty in grasping new word and pronouncing them, having difficulty in remembering names, having trouble in playing rhyming games or learning nursery rhymes.
The severity of the difficulty in processing language differs from person to person and manifests itself in different ways. It can be difficult to notice this learning disability, and the child may go undiagnosed throughout his or her school life until they finally realize it as an adult.
By school age, this problem becomes easier to detect. The child is not able to reach the expected reading level, have difficulty in spelling, taking a lot of time to involve reading or writing or avoiding such situations altogether, they have difficulty in understanding the similarity between two words or letters, and also have difficulty in pronouncing new words. By the teenage years, these symptoms are heightened, and the student may have difficulty in memorizing or in solving math problems and may engage in labor-intensive reading and writing.
How Does it Affect Other Spheres of Life?
- Dyslexia affects various spheres of life. In school, the child has difficulty in progressing with their studies at a similar pace as their peers. They struggle with language, and may even be termed as a bad student if the disability is not recognized early on. Since they are not able to read properly, they are unable to process language-based information in the right way, and thus, it makes it difficult for them to be able to grasp simple concepts easily.
- If the learning disability is not yet diagnosed as an adult, it can lead to further problems. They will not be able to adjust well to their environment. If they have difficulty in studies, as an adult it could mean they will likely have economic problems which further reduces their self-esteem, and makes it difficult to have a positive social life.
- In social situations, the dyslexic child may feel apprehensive and have low self-esteem because of their difficulty in processing language; they may avoid situations where they have to read or write, and may even start withdrawing from their friends and family.
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Where Can You Go to Get Diagnosed?
There is no treatment for this learning disability; however, early detection and good intervention have proven to be quite helpful for dyslexic children to cope. Trained psychologists who have been certified to test and screen for the learning disability or some specialized teachers or assessors who have the necessary qualifications can diagnose a child.
Conclusion
Screening tests are a popular choice for diagnosing a child, although they are not 100% accurate they provide a good base for predicting whether or not a child is dyslexic. Dyslexia, once diagnosed, may not prove to be as much of hindrance as before. After the treatment, with the help of proper interventions, an individual is slowly but steadily able to improve his or her learning abilities.
