Dyslexia In Early Years - Essay Example

Dyslexia in Early Years Introduction Dyslexia in children is a condition in which they experience difficulties in reading, spelling and writing. Itis usually an involuntary problem that requires closer observation of the children who have some learning difficulties. The dyslexic children usually demonstrate capabilities in some aspects of learning but may have some persistent difficulties that are not common even in the weak students in school. In other words, dyslexia is different from poor performance in school. Dyslexic children can be bright and may perform well but may fail to understand some important aspects in learning such as spelling and pronunciation. This paper presents an analysis of a range of characteristics evident in children with dyslexia. It also discusses the impact of dyslexia on development and learning. Characteristics of Dyslexia in Children Confusion regarding Direction and Spelling Difficulties This is a problem that is identifiable through observing some characteristics, such as inability to distinguish right from left. According to Robb & Piazza (2004) some simple but critical knowledge such as understanding right and left, bottom and up, high and low as well as maintaining a particular position assigned to the child in a game need to be clearly understood by the age of five years. When such problems are observed beyond this age, it is likely that the child is dyslexic. The problem is also evident among children who are unable to spell words correctly by interchanging letters, such as ‘f’ and ‘v’, ‘p’ and ‘b’, ‘b’ and ‘v’, ‘c’ and ‘s’, ‘a’ and ‘u’ among other letters that have some likeness. Sequencing Dyslexic children usually have problems recognizing the sequence of activities, numbers and series. For example, it may be difficult to follow A-Z or 1-100. Even the sequence of letters in words may be a problem to such children, which is presents a major learning difficulty especially due to failure in spelling words correctly. For example, they may make mistakes while spelling words such as ‘lead’ for ‘deal’, and ‘name’ for ‘mane’, ‘left’ for ‘felt’, ‘except’ for ‘expect’ among other words with the same sound. Another problem may be misplacement of syllables. ‘Animal’ may be spelt as ‘aminal’, and ‘activity’ as ‘actitivy’. It is also difficult for such children to recognize the backward sequence such as Y, X, W, V, U e. t. c in the alphabetical order. The child unwillingly fails to pay attention to instructions (Hayes, 2006). Handwriting The child may be unable to write a legible handwriting in spite of practicing for a long time. Moreover, letters are usually inconsistent in the sentences, some times changing the meaning of the sentence completely. Other problems that may be identified in sentences are the combining upper and lower case letters which make it difficult to pass exams in grammar. This problem is referred to as dysgraphia (Wadlington et al. 2006). Difficulties in Mathematics Numerals are usually confused, such as ‘122’ for ‘221’, ‘78’ for ‘87’, and ‘416’ for ‘614’ among others. Time tables, Addition and subtraction may be difficult for the child and confusion may be evident when applying the mathematical signs. The terms used in math may be confusing, such as add, subtract, minus and multiply. On the other hand, the child may be able to subtract 5 from 1 but may find it difficult if told to ‘find the difference’ between 5 and 1. Children exhibit difficulties in mental sums that are assumed to be obvious for peers. Telling the time on the wall clock is difficult for a dyslexic child (Shaywitz, 2005). Reading Difficulties Dyslexic children usually face difficulties in reading, spelling and pronunciation of words. Some words may be read weirdly, which fails to make sense in whatever the child says. For example, a sentence such as, “the teacher explained to the students in class” may be spelt and read as, “the teacher ixslating the students in xiclass” (Geoff, 2004). The problem may make communication between the teacher and the child difficult. The child may also be confused while reading simple words such as ‘here’ and ‘there’, ‘with’ and were among others. Distinguishing between tenses is also a major problem in dyslexic children when reading. They read the words hesitantly Effect of Dyslexia on Development and Learning Dyslexia is a problem that significantly affects learning and development in a child. The inability of a child to read and write correctly affects performance in exams especially in grammar. Such problems lead to learning difficulties that may lead to a student remaining in one class for more than one year especially if progressing to the next class is based on the exams. For example, the child who writes the word ‘bucket’ as ‘packet’ may not pass the exam even though he/she understands the concept. In general, dyslexic children have difficulties in organizing their writing to communicate their ideas effectively. Confusing letters usually affects learning since the child can not express his/her ideas in form of writing especially if the teacher does not understand the learning need (Snowling, 2000). The child may also have problems in mathematics due to confusion of the numbers. Reading becomes difficult especially due to the fact that understanding sequence is significant for reading. Dyslexia has adverse impacts on the ability of the students to organize their work. More over it makes them occasionally unable to follow procedures and keep time in their tasks. This makes them unable to complete most of their exams, which largely affects their performance in learning where they are required to be organized and time conscious for them to excel. Failure to pay attention to instructions in class affects their learning because the tasks can not be accomplished without adhering to the guidelines set by the teacher. The child can not complete homework effectively due to misspellings in the instructions. Moreover, revising the notes taken in class may not be effective due to the spellings and wrong sentences (Payne & Turner, 1998). Effect of Dyslexia on Behavior, Self-Esteem and Confidence The dyslexic child usually acquires low self esteem and decreased confidence by failing to accomplish what peers can. Children fear making comments or answering questions to avoid humiliation by peers, who may laugh at them (Gehret & LaDuca, 2009). They develop inferiority complex and often feel that everything they say is wrong. They shun from teamwork as they think that they can cause the group to fail. There is a possibility of feeling stupid especially when an adult compares them with their successful peers. Failure to keep time leads to lateness in virtually all activities and the child may always be stressed by activities that require keeping time. Under severe conditions, dyslexic students may fail to attend school due to the feeling of seclusion and lack of meaning for education (Ammon and Levin, 1993). Conclusion Dyslexia is a problem that affects children in early years of learning and may persist even to an older age. Children are faced with problems with spelling, recognizing sequences in alphabets and words, handwriting problems that lead to poor note taking. The children are also faced with problems in writing and reading. They are likely to face problems in mathematics due to their problem in recognizing mathematical signs. Dyslexic children suffer from learning difficulties and may have low self esteem. References Ammon, P. and Levin B. 1993. Expertise in Teaching from a Developmental Perspective: Learning and Individual Differences, New York: Macmillan. Geoff, P. 2004. Teaching Today: A Practical Guide, 3rd Ed, Nelson Thornes. Hayes, C. B. 2006. Dyslexia in Children: New Research Summary, Nova Science Publishers Gehret, J. & LaDuca, M. 2009. The Don't-Give-Up Kid: and Learning Disabilities, Verbal Images Press Payne T. & Turner E., 1998. Dyslexia: A Parents and Teachers Guide, Multilingual Matters Publishers. Robb, D. B. & Piazza, G. 2004. The Alphabet War: A Story about Dyslexia, Albert Whitman & Company Shaywitz, S. 2005. Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level, Vintage Snowling, M. J. 2000. Dyslexia, Wiley-Blackwell. Wadlington, E., Wadlington P., & Rupp D. 2006. Effects of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia on Teachers, Rapid Intellect Group, Inc. Read More