WHAT
IS DYSLEXIA?
Recent
research has proved that dyslexia is certainly a difference in the way the brain
works.
Dyslexics
have strengths in areas other than literacy. They may be exceedingly creative
and artistic, excellent engineers and scientists or have great entrepreneurial
skills (including the 'gift of the gab').
Dyslexia
does not 'go away', but strategies can be successfully learnt to overcome the
problems it causes. If not helped, these people do not reach their full
potential. What a waste of this country's most precious resource!
There are
many reasons why a child does not succeed at school, and dyslexia is just one of
them. A professional diagnosis is always necessary.
INDICATORS
OF DYSLEXIA
-
The
child has always seemed to be of at least average intelligence outside the
school situation.
-
S/he
has a far greater difficulty than other children in learning to read and
write.
-
Teachers
and parents are puzzled by the apparent gap between the child's innate
ability. and the lack of ability to read and/or get things down on paper.
-
Older
children may read adequately, but always seem to have more knowledge in
their heads than they can commit to paper.
-
The
child has trouble with sequencing - which leads to difficulties with
multiplication tables, remembering days of the week, months of the year etc.
-
The
child has a problem with a string of commands, often only remembering the
first one or two.
-
S/he
had trouble learning to tell the time, tie shoe laces and riding a bike.
-
S/he
had trouble learning to talk. If a good speaker, then may sometimes stumble
with the pronunciation of multi-syllable words.
-
The
child has word finding difficulties, e.g. s/he can describe an object, but
cannot remember what that object is called.
-
S/he
reverses letters and numbers for far longer than expected.
-
There
is a family history of difficulties with reading and spelling.
-
Slow
reading and need to re-read several times before understanding
-
Misreads
small words
-
Missing
out lines and confuses words that are similar
-
Making
spelling mistakes
-
Dreads
giving and receiving complicated instructions
-
Problems
with personal organisation
-
Difficulty
planning and writing essays
-
Trouble
with short-term rather than long-term memory
-
Poor
confidence and low self-esteem
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