Dyslexia - a summary view

STEP BY STEP, HAND IN HAND-WE SHALL OVERCOME…..

A little six year old girl looks up to her mother and asks,”Ma! When I will be writing like my friends? All of us started writing at the same time. They’re writing and drawing so nicely, why does my writing look like this? Am I stupid?”

A touching question by a little girl, who is being troubled by the fact that her handwriting is indecipherable to others. It’s just not a question of bad handwriting! There are two very genuine reasons behind this article to reach to millions of readers out there. One, to try to answer the queries of parents and teachers of children who have been struggling with learning difficulties for a long time, and two, to let those children, who have been called ‘stupid’ and ‘slow’ all their lives, know that they are not so.

Some of the children are extremely different from their peers. Some might be slow, some might have trouble with their motor coordination, some might struggle to speak ordinary sounding words, etc. These kids are usually labeled as “slow”, “stupid” ,”not motivated ”,”mentally retarded ”,”hyperactive”, ”destructive” and so on.

The little girl, mentioned earlier, now watches a science show on TV with intense concentration. After it’s over, she asked her mother,” I have understood that the earth moves around the sun and the moon moves around the earth. If, for some reason, the earth falls down, what will happen to the moon?” Without waiting for answer to her first question, the little girl then asked again, “Ma, why do we need a rocket to launch a satellite in space? Why cann’t an aeroplane do the same job?” Is she mentally retarded, stupid, slow to understand? I think she is not. On the contrary, the girl is displaying a serious knack for science and scientific thinking. This little girl, with her sunny smile, extensive vocabulary and a charming disposition wins hearts everywhere she goes. But let me tell you she is also dyslexic.

What is dyslexia? The word is based on two Greek words-“dys” meaning difficulty, and “lexic” meaning anything to do with words. According to the World Federation of Neurology-“Dyslexia is a disorder manifested by difficulties in learning to read, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio cultural opportunities.”

It has been found that 20% of school-going children have difficulties in learning (read/write). But only 3% to 6% are dyslexic, and rest (14% to 17%) have a learning disability (LD). Dyslexia is a fairly rare disorder. It is a neurological condition and there is no known cause or cure for dyslexia till now. 

The brain has two important areas – known as cerebrum and cerebellum. The cerebrum receives and process stimuli from the sensory organs and the cerebellum controls body movements and connects the body’s responses effectively with the outside environment. When this connection is delayed, or when the neural pathways are incomplete, it creates a condition known as “cerebellar delay”, which causes dyslexia.

Myths Surrounding Dyslexia

People with dyslexia are stupid or dumb – No. In fact, mounting evidences show that many people with dyslexia are highly creative, out of the box thinkers and extremely intelligent. Neuro-imaging studies demonstrate that the dyslexic brain things differently. Another very peculiar myth about dyslexics is that they have vision problems. That is also not true.

People with dyslexia

We have a long list of successful people who were afflicted, or rather, blessed with dyslexia, who went on to become famous in their own right. Some of them are Archer Mortin, Tom Cruise, Pierre Curie, Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, Muhammad Ali, Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, William Hewlett etc. This list can go on and on.

I was trying to look for people from India who have embraced their dyslexia and achieved success. There are 1.27 billion people living in this country (latest census), and I still couldn’t find a single person with dyslexia. Don’t we really have any dyslexic in this country or they have been getting killed/crushed? There are big WHERE and HOW which need to be answered.

Common symptoms of dyslexia:

For a dyslexic child, alphabets become very naughty and are flying all around. The child often say, “‘c’ becomes a rabbit hiding in the bushes, ‘a’ is standing upside down, and ‘t’ has become a cloud hanging in the sky”. Just think about a little child who has been asked to writing sentences, when she/he sees only alphabets dancing and hopping. Following are some the typical symptoms observed in dyslexic children:

·         Unwillingness in going to school and having constant difficulties in keeping up with the class.

·         Very quiet or act out to either distract the teacher or get attention from other children.

·         Difficulties with spelling, in copying from the board, and reading and comprehension.

·         Marked discrepancy between the child’s apparent intelligence and their reading and spelling skills.

·         Difficulties in verbalizing words leading to weak vocabulary (at least initially) and delayed spoken language.

·         Poor grammar, handwriting and weak memory.

·         Trouble with organizing and writing thoughts and ideas.

·         Possible difficulty with mathematics (Not necessarily).

·         Difficulties in visual tracking moving objects, following simple instructions.

·         Difficulties in multi instructions & tasking

·         Confusion between left and right,

·         Additional diagnosis of ADD/ADHD in some cases.

What can be done?

Understanding the problem is the key to achieving any solution. India has a long way to go before people understand dyslexia and other learning difficulties.

1.     Early identification: As soon as some of the aforementioned symptoms are seen, don’t take it easy. Certain things are not corrected by time and age. A certified educational psychologist should thoroughly evaluate the child first. Early identification of dyslexia will help to protect the child’s self esteem. And alternative educational arrangements can be made.

2.     Acceptance: Do not panic on confirmation of dyslexia. It is not a life threatening disease. It is a learning disability, which can be overcome with patience and suitable learning techniques. We must learn to accept them the way they are. What matters the most in handling such issues is the right attitude.

Right Information          right attitude        Right behavior         Create acceptance

3.     Take Expert Opinion: Specialists who routinely work with such cases should be consulted immediately at different stages. A normal pediatrician might not be of much help, but he/she can certainly recommend/refer the child to a specialist like - child development specialist, neuro-pediatrician, child psychologist, occupation therapist, special educator, etc.

4.     Tell the child we are with you: This is the most important thing of all. Unconditional love and support are all that the child needs from us.

5.       Work hard on building the child’s self –esteem:     We have seen that a few people have overcome their difficulties and made it big in life. The self image of a child has an important role in making him/her self confidence. Dr. Cosgrove ,one of the dyslexic achievers in the world, have said about confidence and self esteem:

“I frankly think dyslexia is a gift. If you are supported in school and your ego remains intact, then you emerge with a strong work ethic and a different view of the world.”

Strong Ego---------Positive Self Image -------confidence---------- self- esteem ----perform better

6.     A simple example will help you understand. A six year old girl comes home in tears. When asked by her mother, she says, “Ma, my best friend showed my writing book to the entire class today and they laughed at me. When the ma’am came, I asked her to help. But she looked at the book and laughed also with the rest of the class.  And she told me that I had the worst handwriting in the whole class. How should I change my writing?” It’s really terrible happening for a little child.

7.     We need to teach our dyslexic children how to handle critical situations and protect their ego by making them aware of their strengths. We parents should go all out and envelop the child in our safety blanket, at the same time also make him/her strong from within.

8.       Weakness Vs Strengthens: We need to focus on the bright side. What is the child good at – singing/dancing/painting? Attention should be given to channelize child’s talent/strength, as opposed to worrying about his lack of writing skills or counting ability. It will help boost the child’s self-image and self-esteem.

9.       Change the methodology: It has been proven that dyslexic children are intelligent children with lots of potential. We need to change the teaching methodology in order to utilize their potential to the maximum. For them we often need to go in for a remedial or alternate system of education, which employs the maximum use of colorful presentations, web chats, smart phones, computers, televisions, e-chats etc.

10.  To create a support group or system: The family which has a dyslexic child should try and create a closed group of sensitivity friends and families from their social circles, and inform and educate them about dyslexia. The group contributes towards the social, moral and all-round upbringing of the child and therefore, is a valuable asset.

11.   The child should not be left behind in terms of knowledge and information:

The school’s role in assisting with dyslexia: The school is one of the first places where the child can be diagnosed for dyslexia, because it has to do with reading and writing. Therefore, the school has a huge responsibility to ensure that the child receives a proper alternative educational treatment.

If, due to some reason, the school fails to identify the problem, two major difficulties will arise.

1.     The benefits of early identification will not be accessible.

2.     The child’s fragile ego and self esteem will be damaged permanently by taunts and jeers of classmates and sometimes, the teachers.

The recently amended Right to Education Act 2009 has adapted to meet the needs of special children, who require a different approach. Special considerations are routinely made for dyslexic children in board examination.

The ages between five and eight are crucial in building both the mental acuity as well as the confidence levels in the child.  So following should be done:

·         A shadow/ sensitive teacher at school should accompany the child.

·         Teachers should be made aware of the child’s difficulty, and be competent enough to identify the child and refer him/her to the right place.

·         The teacher should support and protect the child in class. For example: if the teacher asks everyone to open page 63, the dyslexic child might open page 36. In this confusion, the child will not be able to follow whatever the teacher is teaching. Polite help and encouragement are needed to child’s participation in the class.

·         The parents should immediately be informed about the child’s difficulty.

·         There should be special educators in every school.

·         Child development pediatrics should visit the school periodically.

Don’ts:-

·         Don’t pressurize them by any means into learning, reading and writing. It’ll probably be the worst thing for a dyslexic child.

·         Don’t use words like “If you will work hard you will learn”. Although they are very bright, but they become terribly anxious.

·         Don’t demoralize them.

·         Don’t blame the child for not understanding something in class or at home.

·         Don’t exclude the child from normal social life or intellectual discussions.

·         Don’t underestimate the child’s potential.

·         Don’t send him/her to special schools meant for mentally retarded children. A dyslexic child is not mentally retarded.

But through support and encouragement, these small behavioral discrepancies can be sorted out. Once that is done, the child will be free to harness his talent and potential without any barriers and reach to the stars. Nothing will bar their way to achieve their normal life. We shall surely overcome……

References:

1.       AVKO Education Research Foundation. Retrieved 5 July 2010

2.       IDA Fact Sheet (2008) Dyslexia Basics. International Dyslexia Association

3.       Lyon GR, Shaywitz SE, Shaywitz BA. A definition of dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia. 2003;53:1–14

4.       http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324020504578396421382825196 (Dyslexia Workarounds: Creativity Without a Lot of Reading)

5.       International Dyslexia Association (http://www.interdys.org)

6.       http://www.dyslexia-teacher.com

7.       http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/24/dyslexia-not-a-disability-gift

8.       Einstein: The Life and Times by Ronald William Clark

Author: Who am I to write such an article? Who am I to expound a serious and sensitive issue like dyslexia? Remember the little six year old girl you met in the article? She’s mine. I’m the mother of that girl and this article is extensively based on my personal experience. – Roohi, MSW & BA, L.Lb.