The World of Dyslexia: The Difficult Journey to Be Understood

“For too long, we've assumed that there is a single template for human nature,
which is why we diagnose most deviations as disorders.
But the reality is that there are many different kinds of minds.
And that's a very good thing.”
-Jonah Lehrer

Oftentimes parents or teachers may notice that a child has difficulty with reading or avoids reading out loud. The child may have difficulty with spelling, leaving certain letters out or writing a letter backwards. Frequently he/she will show difficulty with handwriting, math computations, and following a sequence of directions. The child may mispronounce words or ignores punctuations where he/she may fail to stop at the end of a written sentence or pause with a comma. These symptoms should be a warning that perhaps the child may have dyslexia.

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Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. It is not an illness nor is it a vision problem. Most of all it does not stem from any lack of intelligence. In fact many Dyslexics are highly intelligent. Dyslexia affects the way the brain processes language. Children with dyslexia may feel inadequate because they are not meeting the expectations of others. Sometimes they are labelled as lazy, careless, not trying hard enough. They easily get frustrated in school with reading activities and testing. Dyslexics may seem hyper or seem like a daydreamer when they zone out. Attention span may be limited.

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Children with dyslexia have difficulty with managing their time and show difficulty telling time. When doing math problems, they may count using their fingers instead of doing calculations on paper. They will also show difficulty dealing with money. Many times they may make careless mistakes which leads to their frustrations and feelings of being inadequate.

“Dyslexia is not a pigeonhole to say you can’t do anything.
It is an opportunity and a possibility to learn differently.
You have magical brains, they just process differently.
Don’t feel like you should be held back by it.”
-Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice

Some dyslexics tend to compensate by being the “class clown” or on the other end may be considered too quiet. They may show a social immaturity making them awkward in social interactions. They also have difficulty reading social cues so sometimes they seem insensitive to the body language of others.

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Dyslexia is a lifelong condition. Unlike some other conditions which can be treated with medication or therapy, dyslexia is something an individual has to deal with throughout his/her lifetime. The exact causes of dyslexia are still not clear but scientific studies have shown that there are actual differences in the brain of a dyslexic vs. a non-dyslexic brain. Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels. It must be pointed out that many people with dyslexia are very bright.

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“If children can’t learn the way we teach, then we have to teach the way they learn”
-Robert Buck

How can parents and teachers help?

Parents and teachers need to give the dyslexic child consistent encouragement and support. They need to listen to the child’s feelings (i.e. anger, depression, anxiety issues) keeping in mind that dyslexics have language problems so it may be difficult for them to express themselves.
Reward the child’s efforts not the outcome or product produced. Focus on the fact that the child made the effort to perform or do something.
When there is a behavioral problem, parents and teachers should try not to discourage the child by using words that may hurt him/her like lazy, bad, incorrigible, stupid, etc. Such labels can hurt the child’s self-esteem.
Parents and teachers must also help the child set goals that are realistic for them, something attainable. By doing this, they may help the child to encounter more success than failure.
Parents and teachers should give the child more opportunities to volunteer to help others because these experiences help the dyslexics feel more positive about themselves. These feelings of helping others leads to more successful outcomes for the child which in turns helps them deal better with their pain and frustrations.
Teachers should set up a quiet area for the child with dyslexia for activities that involve reading, testing, & comprehensive work. By controlling the environment it can help the child to focus on the tasks at hand without distractions.
Sometimes it can be very helpful to use books that are on tape as opposed to written text or if using books, the ones with larger print and spaces between the lines would assist the child in his/her learning.
Because the dyslexic child may frequently misspell words, if possible, don’t grade on spelling errors but focus on the content of what was intended.
When teaching, try to incorporate multi-sensory methods which use more than one sense to learn. Frequently the best technique to use is using visual or auditory senses. For instance, use words with corresponding pictures to facilitate better absorption of learning information.
Provide a copy of the lesson plan for the parent so they can help to reinforce what was covered in class.

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There are many resources on the internet that parents and teachers can use to facilitate better learning and outcomes for the child.

Teacher Resource Sites

Nessy- http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/professionals/dyslexia-school/strategies-for-teachers

We Are Teachers- https://www.weareteachers.com/8-things-every-teacher-should-know-about-dyslexia

Special World - http://www.specialworld.net/2016/10/07/classroom-strategies-to-support-dyslexic-students

Parent Help Sites

Dyslexia Help Success - https://www.nessy.com/us/parents/dyslexia-information/6-ways-parents-can-help-dyslexia

Education.govt.nz for Parents – https://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-at-school/how-to-support-a-child-with-dyslexia

PBS – http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/dyslexia/resources.html

I highly recommend that you search the internet to tap into all available resources. Even on Pinterest there are a lot of different pins that may be helpful. Of course looking under dyslexia or dyslexics are the primary areas but another helpful area is looking under learning disorders or learning disabilities. Good luck on your research!

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Famous Dyslexics

Did you know that there are a lot of well known people who have had dyslexia and despite their difficulties, have all become very famous and successful? All children need role models to look up to whether it is their parents, teachers, brothers or sisters. But sometimes it is also helpful to know that there are very famous people in history and in these present times who have gone far beyond anyone’s expectations and have made significant contributions to the world. These role models should inspire these children with dyslexia, to know that anything is possible if they try. The following is a list of some of these historic and famous people who overcame their learning disabilities:

Albert Einstein – famous physicist who developed the theory of relativity and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. It has been said that Albert Einstein didn’t talk until the age of four because of a language disability.
Leonardo da Vinci – famous Italian Renaissance painter who is known for his Mona Lisa and The Last Supper paintings. He was known for writing his notes backwards from right to left.
Thomas Edison – an American inventor who invented the phonograph, motion picture camera and the light bulb. He was reported to be dyslexic.
Pablo Picasso – a famous art icon who had dyslexia and developed a technique where he would draw pictures in the way he saw or felt them. Such paintings demonstrated the power of the dyslexic imagination.
Tom Cruise – a successful actor in films who has dyslexia, but because of his determination to overcome his learning disability, he was able to tap into his gifted acting ability to become a star of many films.
Richard Branson – founder and chairman of Virgin Group became a very successful business man, despite his dyslexia by using his skill as a business guru and incorporating his gifted interpersonal skills.

Other notable dyslexic individuals include Steven Spieberg, Director, Henry Winkler, Actor, Mohammed Ali, World Heavyweight Champion Boxer, Anne Bancroft, Actress, Magic Johnson, Basketball Hall of Famer and Bob May, Golfer.

So using these talented & famous people as role models, one can inspire any young child with dyslexia, to be successful and good at something they want to do with hard work, determination and the belief that they can. Every child is important and needs to be facilitated & nurtured to become the best that they can be.

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"I was, on the whole, considerably discouraged by my school days.
It was not pleasant to feel oneself so completely outclassed
and left behind at the beginning of the race."
-Sir Winston Churchill

In closing, everyone in the child’s life has an important role to help them achieve success and accomplishments. A young child is very fragile and susceptible to so many influences that depending on the experience, it can affect their lives in good or negative ways. Each child deserves a chance to be on a path to success and happiness, so shouldn’t we at least try to help them find their way?

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
-William Butler Yeats

I hope this article will help you understand the lives of children with dyslexia and how we can help them along their life's journey. Using some of the activities and approaches may help them to overcome some of their obstacles. I hope you will give it a try. Every child is special and important!

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Article Resources:

Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia: http://www.ldonline.org/article/19296

Test for Dyslexia: 37 Common Traits: https://www.dyslexia.com/about-dyslexia/signs-of-dyslexia/test-for-dyslexia-37-signs

The Difference Between Dyslexia and Visual Processing Issues: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues

Dyslexia: https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/dyslexia

Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities: http://www.dyslexiaonline.com/basics/famous_dyslexics.html