Dyslexia –Frequently Asked
Questions
What Does Dyslexia
Mean?
“Dyslexia”
literally means ‘difficulty with words’ (from the Greek dys
=difficulty and lexis = language/ word). In some countries
like Australia, dyslexia is frequently referred to as a
‘specific learning difficulty’ (SLD) which mainly affects
the development of literacy and language related skills.
How do I know if I’m
Dyslexic?
The main symptoms
of dyslexia include difficulty with writing and spelling,
and often with reading and working with numbers. A dyslexic
person may also have problems putting things in order,
following instructions, and may confuse left and right.
The most common
characteristic is that people have difficulty reading and
spelling for no apparent reason. The person may be
intelligent, able to achieve well in other areas and
exposed to the same education as others, but is unable to
read or spell at the expected level.
Dyslexia is often
associated with inability to read but many dyslexics have
no problems with reading or if they have it is because they
take much longer than a non-dyslexic person does to read
the same piece of text. However all dyslexics have problems
with spelling and writing
Dyslexia
or SLD can be hard to diagnose unless the problem is
severe. Some dyslexics do not have much difficulty with
early reading and spelling tasks but do experience great
problems when more complex language skills are required,
such as grammar, understanding textbook material and
writing essays.
See also Signs and
Symptoms of Dyslexia
What causes Dyslexia?
Despite intensive
research, the exact causes of dyslexia remain unknown. The
following are some of the explanations provided:
Dyslexia is
actually all about how the brain processes the
information at hand. And it is now generally
accepted that dyslexic people seem to process information
in a different way from the rest of the population
The Brain and
Reading
Dyslexic brains
function differently because they are organised
differently. Much research has been carried out to show
that people consistently use the same part of their brain
when they read. People with dyslexia use different parts of
the brain than the rest of us, and the part of the brain
associated with reading doesn’t work as well as it could.
Nerve Connections
Another explanation
is that the nerve connections in the brain are not set in
the way that they are in a 'normal' brain. It was explained
to me that, when something is learned, for example eating
with chopsticks, you first see the chopsticks but have an
idea of how to use them. So, you try to use them and you'll
probably fail. Then you try again and maybe this time get
it right. As you continue to use chopsticks over the months
the nerve paths in your brain develop to allow you to use
chopsticks without thinking about it. However, in the
dyslexic's brain this does not happen, the nerve paths do
not develop as quickly, if they develop at all. This means
that the dyslexic person has to effectively relearn how to
use the chopsticks each time they use them. While a
dyslexic person may not be too concerned about using
chopsticks, this example is true of all learning. This is
the reason why techniques using reinforcement and
repetitive exercises, are used in teaching dyslexics
How do People become Dyslexic?
Dyslexia is likely to be present at birth and the person will have it for life. Much research indicates that a high percentage of cases of dyslexia are hereditary, but it is possible for the condition to occur after birth. You can acquire the symptoms of dyslexia through severe head trauma- alexia
The gene is not
always inherited directly from the parent – sometimes the
parents will have a sibling or immediate relative with the
disorder.
How common is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is the
commonest cause of learning difficulties for children and
young people in schools and colleges.
It is estimated that Dyslexia affects
between approximately 4% and 10% of the population. It is
not a disease that can be cured and it isn’t a symptom of
low intelligence. Dyslexia can occur in people of all
abilities, and dyslexic people are frequently of average or
above average ability. It is found in all socio-economic
groups and in every country in the world.
My child’s teacher think he has ADHD
but I think that he is Dyslexic
Dyslexia is
considered to be a type of specific learning disability and
research has found there is a high probability that
dyslexics will have other at least 2 other Specific
Learning Difficulties, for example autism, aspergers,
specific language impairment, ADHD and dyspraxia.
In
1998 a study conducted by Kaplan found that 63% of
dyslexics tested were also dyspraxic, which would account
for poor gross and fine motor control. ADD is a totally
separate and different condition to dyslexia. However
research has shown that approximately 40% of people who are
dyslexic also have ADD (or ADHD)
Are children with Dyslexia badly
behaved at school?
If children and young
adults have dyslexia that hasn’t been diagnosed and
supported, many can become badly behaved in school.
Consider the impact of being asked to copy reams from the board every day when the print is moving and blurring or being asked to follow a list of instructions when after the first 2 you can’t retain any more. What about being asked to write a story or an essay when you can’t spell or have no idea how to organise your writing? And worse; how about having to stand up and read in front or your peers or being asked to come to the front of the class and write on the board?
Many dyslexics I
have spoken to, or read about, say that they resorted to
behaving badly at school because being told off for bad
behaviour by their teachers was infinitely better than
trying to complete work they knew was impossible, failing
in front of their peers and looking like an idiot.
I read an article
by a Headteacher who runs an extremely successful school in
England catering for all children but with a high
percentage of dyslexics. Her enthusiasm to provide a
dyslexia friendly school came about from her own
experiences as a dyslexic. She said that at school, “I
couldn't spell and I couldn't learn from the way they were
delivering the curriculum, which was to do with teachers
talking a lot and writing quickly on the blackboard. We
were expected to take notes and that's the aspect of school
life I found the hardest, so I cheated and lied and became
destructive."
Why wasn’t my Dyslexia picked up
before?
Dyslexia is a permanent disability
which often goes unnoticed until a child starts school.
Then a child (and later an adult) knows something is wrong
but cannot understand why they find it so hard to cope with
the work that others find so easy. This often results in
stress, lack of confidence and self-esteem.
A dyslexic person’s difficulty is not
visible compared to a person in a wheelchair, for example
and therefore it often goes
unrecognised by teachers,
lecturers and employers. The result can often be that the
person is labelled
“Lazy” or “Slow,” “a daydreamer.”
It is easy to blame a school for not
recognising that a child is
dyslexic. However, teacher training universities cover the
main areas of teaching and a very small proportion of that
time is spent covering “Special Needs” in general. I taught
for 10 years before I attended my first diploma course
about dyslexia. I knew of dyslexia, had read articles about
it but once I attended the course I realised I didn’t
understand the condition at all. I thought back to a number
of pupils who were intelligent, able, but I couldn’t bring
their reading and spelling to the level that matched their
age, let alone their ability, no matter how hard I tried
using the conventional teaching methods that worked for all
the other pupils. Once I realised that these methods would
never have worked I felt so guilty and just wanted to
contact them and say, “come back I know where I’ve gone
wrong!” Teacher training colleges then didn’t cover
dyslexia at all. I know that In Australia dyslexia isn’t as
high profile as in countries like America and the UK. When
I run courses for teachers about making their classrooms
“Dyslexia Friendly” many tell me that a lot of the
information I give them is totally new to them.
So it is understandable that teachers may know a
pupil has a difficulty, but be unable to diagnose the
difficulty let alone know how to remediate the symptoms.
That is how an assessment will help. The report will
explain your child’s weaknesses and contain recommendations
for the school to help support your child in class and
individually.
I am worried my employers will find
out I am Dyslexic, what can I do?
Many dyslexic adults have found
effective strategies to cope with their disability.
However, at work they may be asked to perform certain tasks
that they find very difficult. Because dyslexics are
normally very creative, good communicators and are able to
think “outside the box” they are often noticed by their
employers and promoted to higher positions. Unfortunately
these positions can place new demands on them and suddenly
their employers wonder why they are experiencing problems.
Even without promotion dyslexic
employees will find certain aspects of their employment
difficult. For example they may read documents more slowly,
find it difficult to retain a lot of information at one
time, have problems filling in forms, confuse sequences of
numbers etc. They may dread having to write anything in
front of their colleagues or being asked to give a
presentation.
Employers may consider that their
employee is careless, for example, when writing reports,
inputting data or making calculations involving money. They
may also feel that the employee is taking more time than
necessary to complete work assignments. They do not
understand that the dyslexic employee needs to read
everything more than once to check for errors.
However there are so many small
changes that companies can make to make life so much easier
for the dyslexic employee. My reports will provide
strategies for coping at work and at home and lists of free
resources to help you. I can also include recommendations
for your employers.
Many companies are now seeking to make the workplace “Dyslexia Friendly” to improve staff retention and productivity. IBM in the United States is an excellent example of this.