What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects reading and language skills. People with Dyslexia have difficulty reading and spelling due to brain processes impacting on how to identify speech sounds and how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Dyslexia is not a disease. People have the ability to learn, however they learn differently. It is more appropriately termed “ a language learning difference”.

The difficulty is converting letter symbols to the correct sound and converting sounds to their correct symbol (spelling).

What causes Dyslexia?

Dyslexia has a high hereditary component. The brain is wired differently in people with dyslexia and there is a problem with the development of phonological awareness.

Symptoms

Signs of dyslexia vary from person to person. Often people learn to ‘compensate’  by using higher level language skills which masks the underlying problem. There are although often signs at different developmental levels.

Early years prior to schooling

•       Late talking and picking up new words
•       Difficulties forming words correctly
•       Reversing sounds
•       Difficulty distinguishing words that sound alike
•       Difficulty remembering letters, numbers and colours
•       Difficulty with rhyming

School Years

•       Difficulty reading
•       Being well behind level of reading expected for that age
•       Difficulty processing what is being said
•       Difficulty find the correct word
•       Difficulties sequencing
•       Difficulty seeing similarities and differences in letters and words
•       Difficulty sounding out words
•       Difficulty spelling
•       Avoidance of activities the child finds difficult
•       Taking long times to complete tasks that involve reading and writing
•       Teenagers and adults
•       Difficulty reading
•       Slow to read and write
•       Spelling difficulties
•       Avoidance of activities that involve reading and writing
•       Mispronouncing words or finding words
•       Difficulty summarising stories
•       Difficulty learning other languages
•       Difficulty solving maths problems

Diagnosis

There is no singular test that can diagnose Dyslexia, rather  a number of factors are taken into consideration such as :

•       History of child development
•       Education history
•       Medical and familial history
•       Performing questionnaires
•       Vision, hearing and neurological tests
•       Psychological assessment
•       Academic skill tests ie reading, writing

Some specialist examinations may include:

•       Ophthalmologist (eye doctor)
•       Audiologist (hearing specialist)
•       Neurologist
•       Neuropsychologist
•       Developmental paediatrician

It is not uncommon that concerns are brought to attention by the child’s early learning teachers

Treatment

There is no actual treatment currently for Dyslexia, however early diagnosis is crucial in supporting the person to learn and flourish. There are a number of educational approaches and interventions that can be used to support learning such as:

•       Assisting the child to use technique using other senses
•       Taping lessons so that the child can listen to at a more appropriate pace
•       Tracing words with the finger
•       Giving extra time for processing
•       Learning in short bursts
•       Reading out loud to build accuracy, speed and fluency
•       Remove barriers such as interruptions, noise

Treatment is focused on learning to recognise and use small sounds that make up words, understanding letters and representing them as sounds and words, comprehension and building vocabulary.

As a parent, what can I do to support my child with Dyslexia?

•       Seek early diagnosis and interventions
•       Be supportive and patient
•       Talk to your child regularly about daily things and encourage verbal expression
•       Encourage daily reading out loud, make reading time fun and enjoyable with topics your child enjoys
•       Ask the child questions throughout the story to encourage expression
•       Work with the child’s teachers
•       Set an example by being an avid adult reader
•       Join a support group
•       Find strengths in your child and encourage activities that engage them

Supporting the young person with Dyslexia from an early age is essential in developing skills around learning and building confidence.

Behavioural Problems and Learning Disorders

Studies have shown that children with learning disorders are more likely to have problems with problem behaviour. This can be attributed to a number of factors:

• Understanding- people with learning disorders often have difficulty understanding what others say to them e.g. instructions, indirect requests. This may come across as the child is being uncooperative, disobedient or oppositional, however they have just not understood the conversation. This is often due to not having enough time to process the information.
• Expressive language- people with learning disorders can have a multitude of difficulties with expressive language such as stuttering, stammering, difficulty finding words and difficulty constructing sentences. This can mean that their communication may be interpreted negatively.
• Memory and concentration- people with Dyslexia often have poor working memory. They can be prone to distractions which can often be seen as laziness or disinterest.
• Emotional dysregulation- it can be extremely difficult for a child with speech difficulties to describe their emotions. Being unable to put feelings into context makes it difficult to understand the child’s own feelings and those of others.
• Social Interaction- People with Dyslexia are often unable to understand jokes, idioms, references etc. This can be perceived as not being “fun”, taking things out of context or too literally. It is also common to have difficulties understanding other social cues.

Common Behaviours

Due to the difficulties people with Dyslexia experience, it is not uncommon to see behavioural changes such as aggression, avoidance, anxieties, depression. As children are transitioning through life stages these can change or intensify. Whilst there is growing recognition of the inherent needs for changes in learning, the majority of mainstream and private schools do not cater effectively to accommodate these needs. It is not uncommon for children to fall behind expected education milestones. People with dyslexia need time to process information to make sense of it and then express it in the written word or verbally. As children fall further and further behind, not only does this affect their learning but also age appropriate behaviours especially socially and also their confidence. Processing information is cognitively labour intensive, therefore attention span is impacted, overall energy levels depleted and therefore communication and behaviour can be impacted.

 Myths

People with dyslexia have problems with intelligence

This is totally untrue. They just process information differently. Many brilliant people have Dyslexia.

 They are just boys and boys learn slower

Whilst dyslexia is thought to affect boys at a higher ratio that girls, there are many variables to learning and children “maturing”. These include genetics, environmental factors such as home environment, hormones, psychological profile and physical factors such as poor hearing and visual problems. Whilst there are variables in expected milestones for children to learn skills, any ongoing concerns should always be investigated.

 The person is lazy or disinterested

This is often not the case. Processing information for people with dyslexia is cognitively tiring which impacts on attention span. It is extremely difficult to complete tasks when cognitive processes are wired differently. Completing tasks, even simple ones, requires cognitive sequencing, filtering, reasoning, analysing and problem solving. Often these processes are being used quickly and in conjunction with each other. When people cannot navigate these processes they can appear to “give up”. It is also not uncommon for people to avoid certain activities especially those requiring mental executive functioning. This can all be complicated by anxieties and depression that are often experienced.

They are just naughty or undisciplined

Children with dyslexia often experience frustration, isolation from classmates, poor self worth and low confidence. They often have difficulties with expressive communication. They hit their “coping” ceiling earlier and this is one of the ways they can express themselves.

Where can I get help?

• You paediatrician can arrange for testing to out rule any other physical conditions
• It is not uncommon for your child’s early childhood teachers to pick up that your child is having troubles. School based learning  support services can point you in the right direction for diagnosis.
• Speech therapists, Occupational therapists and developmental psychologists are often a part of the diagnostic team. Along with behavioural optometrists they are crucial in ongoing diagnosis and developing appropriate strategies.
• Organisations such as Auspeld (The Australian Federation of Specific Learning Difficulties) are an online service that promotes effective literacy and numeracy for all age groups. Their services include advice and support to families and educators, strategies, learning support and education.