Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Dyslexia
Get the lowdown on this common condition.
Dyslexia is a learning disorder that causes problems with writing, reading and sometimes numbers. People with dyslexia may be diagnosed when they are very young, or their problems may be more subtle and take some time to diagnose. Dyslexics can live a fully functioning life and there are many famous dyslexics around such as Alexander Graham Bell, Robin Williams, Danny Glover, John Lennon and Muhammad Ali. Not bad company to keep....
Signs of dyslexia
Problems dyslexics may experience include:
- Difficulty seeing letters properly.
- Getting letters mixed up.
- Seeing letters upside down.
- Getting left and right mixed up.
- Mixing up the sounds of words and numbers.
- Mixing up words and letters that sound alike, e.g. cat/act.
- Difficulty copying notes from a blackboard.
- Difficulty remembering words.
- Difficulty with writing – writing may be awkward and difficult for the dyslexic.
Causes of dyslexia
The jury is still out on the cause of dyslexia. Here is what is currently known:
- It is associated with left handed people and tends to occur in families.
- People with dyslexia have problems with ectopic brain cells. Basically, during development of the foetus in a non dyslexic, ectopic cells move to the areas associated with reading and writing. In dyslexic people this does not happen. Therefore, people with dyslexia find reading and writing harder.
- The magno-cellular area of the brain, which is the area that governs moving images, is smaller in dyslexics. This may explain why reading is difficult for dyslexics.
- The left area of the brain does not seem to work as well in dyslexics as in non dyslexics.
- All of above are just associated with dyslexia and nobody yet knows the exact cause of it.
Managing dyslexia
Dyslexia is managable when you use certain techniques:
- Many people find the use of reading rulers makes reading much easier. This is because most books, newspapers etc. are in black and white and the contrast between the background and the print can cause the letters and words to move and jump off the page. Coloured reading rulers decrease this contrast factor and make reading easier.
- People with dyslexia may find it easier to learn through different mediums than the standard methods such as books and lecture notes. Audio materials or pictures may be easier to work with. If you are at college, you may be able to tape your lectures.
- Try mind mapping. A mind map is a diagram used to represent ideas and concepts in a visual way. Many students find mind maps to be powerful tools in learning, but dyslexics especially so. This is because mind maps are focused on images and not words.
- Use the technology that we have to hand. Nowadays, everyone uses spell-check on computers and it is especially helpful for dyslexics.
The Gift of Dyslexia:
Dyslexia isn’t just a disability. It may also confer certain advantages:
- Dyslexics tend to be at least of average intelligence and many are very smart indeed. In fact, to be diagnosed with dyslexia, a person has to have a certain level of intelligence. Most people with dyslexia score high on tests of intelligence, but lower on reading tests. The problem is specifically to do with reading and it has nothing to do with how smart someone is. The fact is, dyslexics tend to be very smart.
- Dyslexics tend to have vivid imaginations and are very creative. They excel at careers which require ‘thinking outside the box’. Dyslexics tend to make excellent entrepreneurs, artists, musicians and actors.
- Dyslexics pick up certain skills faster than the average person. They may pick up sport, dancing or music pretty quickly.
- Dyslexics tend to be very intuitive and aware of their environment. This means that they are highly observant.
Further Information:
www.dyslexia.ie/dysexp.htm
www.dyslexia.com/