Definitions and Contrasting Theories Trying to Explain the Causes of Dyslexia - Essay Example

Definitions and contrasting theories trying to explain the causes of dyslexia By 7th October, Dyslexia is aproblem that makes it difficult for someone to read (Dyslexia-Assistive-Technology, 2011). The disorder develops slowly and in the long run; the patient finds it difficult to recognize some symbols that necessitate fluent reading. The patient also lacks to recognize the words and therefore he or she cannot be able to spell or read the word. The problem that results from dyslexia is that a student suffering from this disease will be taking long to read a comprehension and he, or she will not be able to understand it. There are various concepts that have been established to describe the existence of dyslexia (Guo, 2014). These models are widely related to some biological make-up of victims. The concepts are, therefore, referred to as the biological systems of dyslexia (Wagner, 1973). The theories have been developing as researchers continues to investigate the causes of the disease. Their motivation is derived by their search that could mitigate the disease. One of the theories that have been placed onward in explaining the occurrence of dyslexia is the Cerebellar Theory (Stein & Kapoula, 2012). The model explains that dyslexia is caused by the malfunction of the cerebellum (Beaton, 2011). The lack of proper functioning of the cerebellum may lead to impairment of the brain and therefore the information may lack a good processing when reading. Theorists to this knowledge came up with the idea after a thorough investigation of the information entering the brain at a given time. When a person has some defects on the brain, the signals sending the message got distorted, and their response fails. The theory also suggests that the brain disorder makes the patient have no room to store what he or she is reading. Even though, they read they lack to comprehend whatever they are reading. Another concept that explains the existence of dyslexia is an evolutionary model (Stevens, 2010). The theory outlines that dyslexia may occur as a result of a problem during the human evolution. Human being changes their behaviour as they evolve, and their young ones should also develop these changes, failure to which they will be left behind in development. Majority of communities uses speech as a way of communication rather than written methods. The lack of exposure in writing and reading causes dyslexia according to the theory. The theory has similar reasoning with the cerebellar theory in that the symptoms associated are caused by the lack of proper development of cerebellar vestibular. Cerebellar vestibular malfunction, usually, happens to the young children thus reflecting the symptoms of dyslexia. The theory suggests that the deficiency is more of genetics and thus becoming similar to the cerebellar theory. Magnocellular theory is another explanation that has been developed to tell the occurrence of dyslexia. The theory extends the causes by illustrating that dyslexia is not only caused by damage of the visual system but also the ads auditory and modalities as some other causes. The model consequently brings together several additional theories into the justification (Barton, 2007). The concepts are phonological model, the rapid processing model and the pictorial theory (Ramus & Rosen, 2003). Therefore, the theory has different facts that are put forward to support it. The theory is still under investigation to give the full account of how different subjects are related to one another. Some subjects like the population size and age whose dyslexia is caused by visual impairment can be looked at among other factors contributing to the disease. Naming speed deficit and double deficit theories have also been developed to explain the existence of dyslexia. The theory suggests that a student can experiment their status of dyslexia by performing a speed test that involve the naming of objects and reading some words. The theory suggests that pupils with slow naming skills can be suffering from dyslexia and that this condition is likely to continue to adulthood. The speed test in this theory is used to get rid of the processing deficit of phonology. According to wolf, there are four types of readers. There are those who do not have any deficit, those with the deficit of phonological processing, those with the deficit of speed of naming and those with a combined or double deficit. The pupils suffering from double deficit are found to have a serious problem in reading. Students need to be subjected into special instructions in order to differentiate the existence of these deficiencies. Perceptual visual-noise exclusion theory in another model used (Hansini, 2009). The theory suggests a hypothesis that the student suffering from dyslexia may show differing responses when exposed to distracting factors. The distracting factors makes the vision to get damaged, and the student may not be able to follow the motion of a substance. When the distracting factor is removed, the student can get back to the visual capability. Researchers have concluded that dyslexia students are not able to separate between visual and noise and therefore when voice is used as a distracting factor, the student will get confused. Phonological shortage model is also used in this context. The theory suggests that the student’s inability to hear the sound and associate it with and object is affected by sound manipulation defect. The inability makes the student not to be able to memorise and recall the words and therefore they cannot read efficiently, leading to dyslexia. Rapid auditory processing theory is another theory that has been developed to explain dyslexia. The model is used as a substitute to the phonological scarcity model (Rocky Mountain Learning System, 2001). The theory suggests that a dyslexia student can be traced on short sounds that are varying rapidly. People suffering from dyslexia are said to lack proper accommodation to follow the sounds that are interchanged at a quick frequency. The visual theory is also placed frontward to illustrate the existence of dyslexia (Russell & Pavelka, 2002). The theory suggests that the lack of clear visual ability is the cause to poor reading ability. Possibly, this is the furthermost traditional cause of dyslexia (Elliot, et al., 2007). Visually impairment students may lack the ability to recognize and identify letters as put up in a written form. They are mostly subjected to overcrowded letters and are supposed to develop a sound by reading. The theory is different from others in that the student can write when the words are said to him or her. The definitions that have been developed from different theories are important in explaining dyslexia. The inability to read and decode a written sentence seemed to be a very outstanding phenomenon, but the different theories have enabled me to know that dyslexia is a common inability. A good example is the visual theory that suggest dyslexia is inability caused by lack of clear vision. Although there are different causes of dyslexia, they all come to a common conclusion that it is the lack or inability to read fluently. Diagnosing the dyslexic students help in rebuilding the reading and comprehending ability of the student. A study developed by Tapani Rahko, who is a physician suggest that students who have undergone diagnosis develop a faster reading skills and can comprehend whatever they have read. Their writing speed is said to go up by about 40%. The test is done before and after the treatment and the students are supposed to increase the movement of the eyes. The recording is done on the capturing ability of the student and then a comparison is made. A research done by Frank together with Levinson in 1973 shows that students who have undergone dyslexia shows a positive approach to reading. They express a lot of enthusiastic and confidence since they can work at a near the same rate with the rest of the student. Their reading and writing skills is enhanced leading to clear understanding of the subject. Their lesson performance similarly upsurges at a big notch. An approach to the identification and assessment of special learning difficulty will depend on the individual. As the model suggests, there are varied foundations of dyslexia (Ministry of Education, 2000). Some students have a single cause while others have some combined causes of the dyslexia. Physicians should do a proper examination of the student that will help to identify the type of dyslexia and administer proper treatment to the students. The process requires high ability and intelligence to ensure that the student does not suffer any psychological defect (Reid, 2001). Students subjected to treatment will also be required to be instructed on the importance of their being diagnosed so that they may have the confidence in doing the tests. Dyslexia study is a fascinating subject. Many models have been positioned across to explicate the occurrence and the indications of dyslexia (Ramus & Rosen, 2003). The approaches that I have understood is that dyslexia is a comprehensive tenure. The deficiency is not only caused by the visual inability but also the audio and other psychological factors. The presence of the inability does not condemn an individual to a long-lasting suffering. There are remedies to the malfunction, and a student can be treated. The diseases causes’ shame, fear and phobia to the students in a class especially when they realise that they cannot perform some readings like the other students (Lawrence, 2009). The difficulty should never be seen to end the student admiration to study. They can always be treated and be endorsed to linger with their studies. References Barton, M., 2007. Rediscovering Darwin: Evolutionary Theory in Archaeological Explanation.. [Online] Available at: http://www.academia.edu/763786/Rediscovering_Darwin_Evolutionary_Theory_in_Archaeological_Explanation [Accessed 07 October 2010]. Beaton, A. A., 2011. DYSLEXIA AND THE CEREBELLAR DEFICIT HYPOTHESIS. [Online] Available at: www.liacs.nl/~mvavic/werk/05b_hci/pdf/Beaton_dyslexia%20cerebellum.pdf [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Dyslexia-Assistive-Technology, 2011. Assistive technology that understands you. [Online] Available at: http://www.ghotit.com/2011/03/difficult-dyslexia-tspell-correctly/ [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Elliot, D. L., Davidson, J. K. & Lewin, J., 2007. Literature Review of Current Approaches to the Provision of Education for Children with Dyslexia. [Online] Available at: www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/lrcapecd_tcm4-712884.pdf [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Guo, L., 2014. Developmental Dyslexia Studies in Chinese Learners. [Online] Available at: http://pubs.sciepub.com/rpbs/2/2/2/ [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Hansini, 2009. Reading Disorder – Symptoms, Types, Diagnosis, and Treatments. [Online] Available at: http://www.mental-health-disorders.org/childhood-disorders/reading-disorder-symptoms-types-diagnosis-and-treatments/ [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Lawrence, D., 2009. Understanding Dyslexia: A Guide For Teachers And Parents: A Guide for Teachers and Parents. New York: McGraw-Hill International. Ministry of Education, 2000. Literature Review: An International Perspective on Dyslexia. [Online] Available at: literacyonline.tki.org.nz/content/download/4401/24402/file/Literature+Review+%E2%80%93+An+International+Perspective+on+Dyslexia+(PDF).pdf [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Ramus, F. & Rosen, S., 2003. Theories of developmental dyslexia: insights from a multiple case study of dyslexic adults.. [Online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12615643 [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Reid, G., 2001. Dyslexia: A Practitioners Handbook. 4 ed. Manchester: A&C Black. Rocky Mountain Learning System, 2001. Dyslexia. [Online] Available at: http://www.rmlearning.com/dyslexia.htm [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Russell, G. & Pavelka, Z., 2002. Co-Occurrence of Developmental Disorders: Children Who Share Symptoms of Autism, Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. [Online] Available at: www.intechopen.com/download/pdf/43435 [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Stein, J. & Kapoula, Z., 2012. Visual Aspects of Dyslexia. New York: Oxford University Press. Stevens, A., 2010. What Causes Dyslexia? An Overview of 5 Theories. [Online] Available at: http://www.readinghorizons.com/blog/post/2010/10/04/What-Causes-Dyslexia-An-Overview-of-5-Theories.aspx [Accessed 07 October 2014]. Wagner, R., 1973. Rudolf Berlin: Originator of the term dyslexia". Annals of Dyslexia. Barlin: s.n. Read More