WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and decoding how they relate to letters and words. Dyslexia affects areas of the brain that process language and is also called a reading disability. 

Dyslexia tends to be hereditary and appears to be linked to certain genes that affect how the brain processes reading and language, as well as risk factors in the environment that include: 

• Premature or low birth weight

• Exposure to nicotine, drugs, alcohol or infection that may alter brain development in the fetus during pregnancy

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DYSLEXIA 

Signs that a young child may be at risk of dyslexia include:

• Late talking and learning new words slowly

• Problems forming words correctly

• Problems remembering or naming letters, numbers and colors

• Difficulty learning nursery rhymes or playing rhyming games

• Reading well below the expected level for age

• Problems processing and understanding what is being told

• Difficulty finding the right word or forming answers to questions

• Difficulty seeing and hearing similarities and differences in letters and words

• Inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word

• Difficulty spelling, memorising

• Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve reading or writing

• Avoiding activities that involve reading aloud

• Mispronouncing names or words, or problems retrieving words

• Trouble learning a foreign language

• Difficulty doing math problems, etc

DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT

Diagnosis: There's no single test that can diagnose Dyslexia. Diagnosis is made by considering a number of factors: 

• The child's development, educational issues and medical history

• Considering factors of the child's life at home

• Vision, hearing and brain (neurological) tests

• Psychological testing evaluation

• Testing reading and other academic skills, etc

Treatment : Early detection and evaluation to determine specific needs and appropriate treatment can improve success. Some of these are: 

• Enrolling the child into Special Education Programmes

• Improvised educational methods

• Offering emotional and vocational support 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

1. Consult a Doctor, if a child's reading level is below what is  expected of his or her age. 

2. Dyslexia can lead to a number of problems such as:

1. Trouble learning : Because reading is a skill basic to most other school subjects, a child with dyslexia is at a disadvantage in most classes

2.  Left untreated, dyslexia may lead to low self-esteem, behavior problems, anxiety, aggression, and social withdrawal

3. The inability to read and comprehend can prevent a child from reaching his or her potential

4. Children who have dyslexia are at increased risk of having attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)