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 several difficulties in learning to read and
write, out of which 14% to 17% have a learning disability (LD). But 3% to 6%
are dyslexic. It is a fairly rare disorder. It
is a neurological condition and there is no known cause or cure for dyslexia
till now.
Dyslexia is a specific
reading disability due to a defect in the brain's processing. The brain has two
important areas-the cerebrum and the cerebellum. The cerebrum receives and
processes stimuli from the outer environment with the help of sensory organs, and
the cerebellum takes care of body control and movements and makes it possible
to connect 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.
