Dyslexia as a Learning Disorder - Essay Example

Dyslexia is a very important problem because it makes difficult for children to learn to read. These children can't do well at school. Dyslexia canbe defined as a learning disability that makes reading difficult for children and adults who otherwise have the intelligence necessary to learn to read. (www.health.am ). The term 'dyslexia' was coined in 1887 by Rudolf Berlin. He used the term to refer to a case of a young boy who had a severe impairment in learning to read and write in spite of showing typical intellectual and physical abilities in all other respects. Several years later, W. Pringle Morgan, a British physician, published a description of a reading-specific learning disorder in a letter to the British Medical Journal. His letter described the case of a boy named Percy who, at age 14, had not yet learned to read, yet he showed normal intelligence and was generally adept at other activities typical of children of that age. It's evident that such children need some peculiar aide. To prove it I'd like to give an example of my little nephew. Andrew is a very smart boy. At the age of five he was able to accomplish complex mathematical tasks. But he couldn't read and all our forces to teach him reading were in vain. He was absolutely happy when somebody was reading him aloud. It took him ten or five minutes to learn by heart a large poem consisting of twenty lines. So we decided that he was too young to read and at school this problem would be solved. But our suppositions have not proved to be correct. Among the children of his lass he was the best in mathematics and the worst in reading. He got bad marks everyday and that made him believe to be stupid. His teacher explained us that he wasn't to identify words and to recognize the sounds that made up words. Having looked into his copy book my aunt saw that he tended to reverse letters and sometimes whole words for example "saw" was written as "was" "b" as "d" etc. Andrew continued to lag behind his peers in reading and writing skills. He hated school because he was always told to be stupid lazy and the worst. Our previously happy boy was close to nervous breakdown. And we decided to consult a doctor. The dyslexia was diagnosed. Well let's continue Andrew's story. At the first visit to doctor Brant his mother was asked about the family's medical and developmental history. Andrew's mother said that her cousin had had the same problem. After that they were said that after the treatment Andrew would be doing well at school and would have all chances to make a thoroughly successful career. Andrew's mother was advised to use reading upgrade course and the result was tremendous. Only a month after starting this course my little nephew began to read himself at first syllables and after month and a fortnight he become able to read perfectly without missing or reversing letters. But this great success has come to us not only owing to this program. Andrew's relatives were given a special guide aimed to teach parents right behavior. Nowadays Andrew is a thoroughly successful young man. He's a first year student of the university; he does very well at the university and doesn't remember about his problems at the childhood. He is a real fan of reading. He seems to know everything in the would. dyslexia is a learning disorder. Its underlying cause is believed to be a brain-based condition that influences the ability to read written language. It is identified in individuals who fail to learn to read in the absence of a verbal or nonverbal intellectual impairment, sensory deficit (e.g., a visual deficit or hearing loss), pervasive developmental deficit or a frank neurological impairment. The following conditions are sometimes confused with dyslexia because they can also lead to difficulty reading: Auditory Processing Disorder is a condition that affects the ability to encode auditory information. It can lead to problems with auditory working memory and auditory sequencing. Dyspraxia is a neurological condition characterized by a marked difficulty in carrying out routine tasks involving balance, fine-motor control, and kinesthetic coordination. This is most common in dyslexics who also have an attention deficit disorder. Verbal Dyspraxia is a neurological condition characterized by marked difficulty in the use of speech sounds, which is the result of an immaturity in the speech production area of the brain. Dysgraphia is a neurological condition characterized by distorted and incorrect handwriting. Dyscalculia is a neurological condition characterized by a problem with learning fundamentals and one or more of the basic numerical skills. Often people with this condition can understand very complex mathematical concepts and principles but have difficulty processing formulas and even basic addition and subtraction. Researchers are not sure about the main causes of this disease but the problem during development may be the provocation of such disability. Developmental dyslexia also appears to have a genetic component, such that it can tend to occur in multiple members of the same family.They also believe that genetics (inheritance) plays a part. Although a gene for dyslexia has not been found, dyslexia does tend to run in families. Dyslexia is not caused by a physical disability, such as vision or hearing problems. Dyslexia is the most common learning disorder. Nearly 5 % of children suffer from it. Symptoms A person with dyslexia may have difficulties with the following tasks: 1. learning the alphabet during the primary school 2. spelling 3. Identifying words 4. Recognizing the sounds that make up words 5. Understanding and remembering what is read 6. Translating printed words into spoken words 7. Organizing or sequencing thoughts 8. Rhyming words . Sometimes as I have already said a person with dyslexia problems can reverse letters or words. But it's not a visual problem. The person's eyes see the words in a right way but the has difficulties in interpreting the visual information. Of course any person suffering from dyslexia requires a qualified doctor's help. But primarily he or she needs psychological support from his or her relatives. For example Andrew was explained that he wasn't stupid and he in contrast was very clever and even talented. And it wasnt just a flattery It's a fact that people with dyslexia problems often succeed in theirs life. To support by evidence lets look at the list of famous people diagnosed with dyslexia The following is a list of notable people who have been diagnosed with dyslexia.(www.wikipedia.org.) Orlando Bloom, actor [1] Jeremy Bonderman, baseball player [2] Richard Branson, entrepreneur. [3] Carl XVI Gustaf, king of Sweden [4] Cher, entertainer, and her daughter, Chastity Bono [5] Tom Cruise, actor [6] John de Lancie, actor [7] Samuel R. Delany, science fiction author and literary critic [8] Now let me tell you about the general methods of treatment Several techniques and strategies are used to help people with dyslexia, such as taping lectures, listening to books on tape, using flash cards and using computers to check spelling and grammar. It is best if information is presented in small units, a little at a time, and repeated over and over. In addition, using several senses (hearing, seeing and touching) can help the child make connections in order to increase learning. For example, a child might listen to a word, and then say the word while tracing the word's shape with a finger. The child also could practice making sounds in front of a mirror, watching the shapes that his or her mouth makes. Treatment may involve time spent with speech and language therapists, tutors and special-education teachers. With support, most children with dyslexia are able to make adjustments to their learning and remain in a regular classroom. (www. Shb learning. Com) Fortunately there are a great number of associations dealing with dyslexia suffers and many practitioners developing treatment courses. I d like to say few words about the learning upgrade programs giving to the children and their parents possibilities of solving this problem either at the special centers or at home. For example a course named reading upgrade is to help children to overcome reading weaknesses at home. He is a short description of this program. (info learning upgreat .com) This innovative course can improve reading by 1 to 2+ grade levels after 20 hours of individualized instruction. The course has proven effective for students with learning differences, dyslexia, auditory processing issues, ADD, and behavioral issues. Students use web-connected computers to complete enjoyable self-paced lessons featuring pop music, video, and games. In just 3 to 8 weeks of 30 to 60-minute sessions, students complete 50 research-based lessons and receive a certificate. Quite ofteninstead off supporting them they tended to punish to criticize. These actions can't help such children but may provocate frustration nervousness and negative attitude towards the school. So how can the parents help their children First if their children are suspected to have dyslexia. (www.schwablearning.com.) Prepare to talk with your child's teacher about the problems you've observed at home and learn how your child is doing in the classroom. Rest assured: There are many techniques that may help your child succeed, either by gaining new skills or by using bypass strategies. Take notes on the types of errors your child makes, how often they occur, and where you've noticed them. Keep copies of her work and results from group tests. Conference with her teacher to get a sense of how she's doing in comparison with her peers. Check to see if the school offers any special instructional programs that might be appropriate for her Request a meeting of your school's student/teacher support team. (These multidisciplinary, general education, prereferral teams have different names in different school districts and states.) Express your concerns to the group and develop a plan of action with a specific time to be evaluated. Ask the teacher if she thinks your child might have a learning disability. (Remember that's the term most schools use instead of dyslexia.) If you feel your child's problems are significant and she may need special education services to benefit from the general academic curriculum, you can make a written request for assessment and send it to the school and/or district administrator. You'll need to be specific about her problems, so the information you gathered earlier will come in handy. 1 But it is espesialy necessary to pay special attention to you child to persuade him that he is not stupid that all his difficulties will be overcome easily. And here is a short list of behaving rules recommended by the psychologists. (Www. Schwablearning.com) Depending on your child's age and language skills, speak with her about the difficulties you've observed. Ask her how she feels about school and what she feels she needs help with. Tell her you know she tries hard, but you and her teachers are going to help her find ways to succeed. Work in collaboration with school staff; let your child see you functioning as a team. Look into private tutoring through community agencies or privately if you can afford it. Encourage her to use her strengths and talents. Be patient with her and support her efforts. Nowadays Andrew is a thoroughly successful young man. He's a first year student of the university; he does very well at the university and doesn't remember about his problems at the childhood. He is a real fan of reading. He seems to know everything in the would. Dyslexia is a very important problem because nowdays the literacy has a crucial role in the person's social integration. Education, work, and discovering information these all requires reading skills. Also it's evident that anybody prefers communicate with broad-minded person. You may say that there are some other sources of information for example the TV. But it is counted by the specialists that most of the information is discovered by the person when reading books and magazines. It becomes evident that dyslexia is a disease that requires patience and long treatment. But its easier to overcome learning problems at the beginning. That's why dyslexia should be diagnosed as soon as possible. So parents should be careful to theirs children not to miss the first symptoms of dyslexia. But without being too overwhelming about them For example if you child reverse letters at the first month of his or her elementary education it doesn't always means the dyslexia. Normal children tend to do it during theirs first year but if it hasn't finished it's necessary to apply to a doctor. Don't be afraid of consulting a doctor. Dyslexia is not a psychical disease it's something like a ton deaf but with more serious consequences. It is a 'must' to give the doctor detailed information about the main difficulties you children have and about the peculiarities of his or her character. That will help to work out an individual program of development. As a conclusion I d like to give a peace of advice to the dyslexia suffers. Don't lose hope and you problem will be overcome. Sources 1) www.health.am 2. www.wikipedia.org. 3. info learning upgreat .com 4. www. schwablearning.com Read More