Detecting dyslexia in children:

Symptoms, remedies
Dr Jithin T Joseph, Infoclinic
MARCH 06, 2019 05:28 PM IST

Dyslexia, dyslexic, Onmanorama, health, healthcare, symptoms, remedies, learning disability,

brain, well being

Leonardo Da Vinci, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Thomas Alva Edison,

Salma Hayek and Stephen Spielberg are some of the exemplary
personalities who mesmerized the world with their unparalleled talent
and intelligence. However, there is something else which connects all
these people. They all have achieved great success in their lives by
surviving a condition called dyslexia. The list is endless as a basic
search on the Google would reveal the names of thousands of
successful people who fared amazingly well despite diagnosed with
dyslexia.

However, there is a lack of awareness in our society about dyslexia and

children affected by such condition are often mocked or isolated. It is
high time that we enlighten ourselves with the various kinds of
learning disabilities like dyslexia.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disability which is linked to how the brain

processes reading and writing. Children with dyslexia nd it extremely
dif cult to learn the various aspects of language acquisition. For
instance, it would be dif cult for a dyslexic child to recognize the
alphabets in words. Similarly, late talking, struggling to learn new
words, dif culty in learning the meanings of words, problems in
forming words correctly, dif culty in writing down what he/she has
understood, struggle in learning mathematics and calculations are
some of the prominent symptoms of dyslexia.

Teachers often complain that some students struggle to explain what

they have learned or write down what they have understood about a
lesson, despite possessing amazing intelligence. Dyslexic students have
dif culty reading, writing, spelling and processing and understanding
what he/she hears. Thus their academic performances wouldn’t be as
impressive as their peers’. However, it must be noted that dyslexic
students often possess normal or high intelligence.

Problems like poor eye sight or hearing disabilities, which are likely to
affect the academic performances of the students, are not usually found
in dyslexic students. Children, who don’t seem to suffer from
noticeable physical disabilities, may get noticed when they display poor
skills in reading and writing. Teachers and parents are often misled by
their poor classroom performance to believe that such children lack the
intelligence that is expected of their age level.

Causes

The superior temporal gyrus on top of the temporal lobe of the human
brains enables the handling of language, including speech and writing.
This part of the brain helps see and recognize language, process the
words, recognize different sounds that make up a word, spell it and
then present the meaning of it in its fullest sense. The medical science
explains dyslexia as caused by irregularities in the development of the
superior temporal gyrus. These are also linked to the unique features of
the genes and thus dyslexia tends to run in the family. Besides, there
are some other reasons that cause dyslexia. They are:

» Pre-mature birth

» Complications during child labor which blocks suf cient supply of

oxygen to the baby’s brain.

» Infections in expectant mothers

These are some of the dif culties experienced by dyslexic persons:

» Dif culty in using language - slow learning of new words, dif culty in
pronouncing certain words or sounds.

» Dif culty in learning alphabets and their sounds.

» Problems in forming words correctly while speaking and writing

» Problems in processing and understanding what they hear

» Dif culty to spell - recurring spelling mistakes could be spotted in
their note books

» Trouble doing mathematical calculations

Look for the following symptoms in small kids to understand

whether they are dyslexic:

» Frequent mistakes while saying the alphabets and numbers

» Dif culty in understanding the differences of similar sounding words

(For example: cat, hat, mat)

» Trouble recalling words starting with a particular alphabet (For

instance dyslexic students may nd dif cult recalling words that begin
with ‘A’)

» Mispronouncing the words

» Unable to clap according to the rhythm of a song

» Trouble remembering certain words and instructions

» Forgetting names of people and places

» How does dyslexia affect the lives of children?

Due to the ‘poor’ academic performances, dyslexic students often get

misunderstood for being retarded or lacking the intelligence that is
expected of their age. This creates problems in continuing their
education.

Some teachers and parents falsely believe that such kids are
purposefully repeating the same mistakes. They may accuse or punish
the students for not faring well in exams as well. Their struggle in
reading and writing may hinder their academic progress. Children may
lose interest in studies as it turns into an extremely dif cult process for
them.

Dyslexic students are often mocked by their teachers, classmates and

friends. This severely affects their con dence and self respect. If
undiagnosed in the early stages, it may lead to depression and anxiety.

Lack of concentration and Attention De cit Hyperactive Disorder may

affect their studies and lives as well. Children begin to dislike going to
the school for these reasons. Many survey reports and numbers reveal
dyslexia as the main reason for millions of students to drop out of
schools.

How to diagnose dyslexia?

The symptoms of dyslexia are usually exhibited during the primary

classes itself. This condition becomes noticeably prominent between
the ages of 6 and 8. Specially trained teachers can easily identify the
symptoms of dyslexia in their students. If diagnosed with dyslexia, do
not hesitate to seek medical assistance. Elaborate tests could con rm
conditions like autism, ADHD and other brain disorders too.

IQ tests and memory tests are part of the diagnosis of dyslexia.

Observe the way the child reads or writes to identify disabilities. Rely
on their school notebooks for that.

Remedies

Dyslexia is not a disease that can be cured by administering medicines.

There are various ways in which children could be helped with their
dif culties and enable them to complete their education. It is
important to diagnose the condition as early as possible.
Each child has different needs. Realize their individual needs to come
up with solutions that suit them.

Remedial teaching is one of the important factors which help train

dyslexic students effectively.

Making lessons simpli ed and direct, dividing activities into small

parts, avoiding features which may distract them, and marking the
words that require special attention and correcting the mistakes while
reading are some of the remedial measures.

Conditions like ADHD, depression and anxiety, which are likely to

accompany dyslexia, should be diagnosed and treated.

Special schools and specially designed curriculum are available for

dyslexic students.

Some misconceptions about dyslexia and their explanations:

» Dyslexic people are low on intelligence: No, they usually display

normal or high intelligence

» It is a rare condition: No, 5 – 10% of people around the world are

diagnosed with dyslexia

» There is no solution to it: There are solutions. Dyslexic people can

absolutely lead normal lives if they are diagnosed at an early age and
trained appropriately.

» Dyslexic people read and write everything in reverse order: Some may
do that. However, majority of dyslexic people do not read or write in
reverse order.

» This condition will disappear after a while: No. If not diagnosed and
trained accordingly, it may severely affect the studies.
» Dyslexia is a mental disorder: No, it is a learning disorder linked to
irregularities in brain activities.

» Dyslexia is caused by poor eye sight: No, dyslexic students have

normal eyesight like other children.

People with dyslexia deserve support and not mockery or sympathy.

Teachers should be specially trained to recognize the symptoms of
dyslexia in students at a young age itself. Similarly, projects to support
and motivate them and special curriculum that suit their needs should
be created and made available for the ordinary folks.