About Dyslexia
The word ‘ Dyslexia ’ means ‘ Difficulty with words or languages ’
Hornsby defines Dyslexia as :
‘ The difficulty in learning to read and write – particularly in learning to spell correctly and to express your thoughts on paper- which affects those who have had normal schooling ’
PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON WITH LEARNING DISABILITY
Average to above average intelligence
A significant difference between achievement in some areas and child’s overall intelligence.
Obvious discrepancy between oral and written skills.
THE SKILL AREAS AND THE NATURE OF DIFFICULTIES FACED:
Reading Difficulty
- Hesitant, laboured reading especially when reading aloud
Writing and Spelling Difficulty
- Disregard for punctuations
- Poor spellings
- Phonetic spellings of non-phonetic words
Comprehension
- Inability to recall details of information
- Difficulty in recalling information in sequences
Math
- Difficulty in understanding concepts
- Difficulty in interpreting symbols
Hindi/Language
- Confusion between similar letters
- Difficulty in learning complex letters
SAMPLE OF A CHILD’S WORK :
Reema is in class three.
The first slide at the top of page shows the sequencing of the letters of the alphabet using sponge letters. The second shows her written attempt at sequencing the letters of the alphabet.
In the first slide, you will notice:
The letter ‘B’ has been reversed
The sequence is not correct
There are two letters- ‘L’ and ‘K’ that have not found a place in the sequence at all!
In the second slide, you will notice:
Errors in sequencing
Mixed use of upper and lower case letters
Letters that are missing
Reema has extreme difficulties with Spellings.
Shown above is her attempt at writing the days of the week .
Shown below is Reema's attempt at writing the months of the year
About Reema…
Reema is a young, confident child who studies in one of the well-known schools in Delhi. She is finding it difficult to cope with reading and writing tasks. She is able to cope in class because of her comprehension abilities. She understands what is read out to her and is able to answer questions on the material read.
Reema is getting support from the special educator in school who has ensured that she gets all the benefits a child with reading and spelling difficulties should get in class. She is not asked to read aloud in class, her work is not marked for spelling errors and she is allowed to sit with the special educator for class tests and exams. The special educator helps her read the question and Reema is able to write the answer accordingly.
Reema’s parents are worried about her inability to cope. They have recently got her assessed and got a formal report stating that she has a dyslexia.
Her parents are angry that the school did not tell them the specific difficulty their child was facing. This led to them losing out on two years – years that could have been crucial. If Reema had been assessed earlier, her parents could have found the appropriate support and it would have helped Reema greatly. The inability to understand why Reema found- and still finds- reading and writing difficult resulted in a lot of frustration and confusion. Reema’s parents admit to having resorted to punitive measures that included hitting her frequently. They felt that their child was just being ‘lazy and careless’- a label that was reinforced by school.
Though Reema has lost out on two crucial years and has suffered both physically and psychologically, she still retains a smile on her face.
She has very few friends – a thing that a lot of children not doing well in school face- but tries to make the most of the situation.
She loves painting and is very good at all art and craft activities.
She has just started on a remedial programme and is picking up well. It will take some time before she is able to read and spell at age and grade appropriate levels, but we are working towards it…