What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning disability that causes problems with reading, writing, and spelling. This learning disorder is a neurological disorder of the brain stem, the part of the brain that processes language.
However, this problem has nothing to do with a person’s intelligence, as long as it is managed and handled well.
Dyslexia is not only experienced by children but also adults and is a lifelong problem. Dyslexia that occurs throughout life can be a challenge for sufferers every day.
The good news is that there is a lot of support available to improve their reading and writing skills, so they can continue to succeed in school and work.
People with dyslexia have normal intelligence and usually have normal vision as well.
Most children with dyslexia can succeed in school with tutoring or special education programs. Emotional support from loved ones also plays a big role.
Symptoms of Dyslexia
In fact, the symptoms of dyslexia can differ from one sufferer to another.
Well, these symptoms can appear at any age but generally appear in childhood.
Here are the differences between dyslexia symptoms in children and adolescents:
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Dyslexia in children
- Difficulty in learning to recognize the names and sounds of the alphabet.
- The development of speaking skills is slower than that of peers.
- Often writes words backwards, for example writing ‘pit’ when asked to write ‘tip’.
- Having difficulty distinguishing certain letters when writing, such as ‘d’ from ‘b’ or ‘p’ from ‘q’.
In addition, children with dyslexia can also experience problems in several activities such as:
- Understand and process the information heard.
- Finding the right words when answering questions.
- Difficulty in spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic.
- Difficulty remembering letters, numbers, and colors.
- Saying rarely used words.
- Understanding grammar rules and adding affixes to words.
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Dyslexia in adolescents and adults
In adolescents and adults, dyslexia can cause sufferers to frequently mispronounce names or words, and have difficulty reading or writing.
As a result, they tend to avoid activities that involve reading and writing. Dyslexia in this age group can also cause problems such as:
- Difficulty spelling words.
- Difficulty understanding idioms or expressions with multiple meanings, such as “black goat.”
- It is difficult to draw conclusions from a story.
- It is difficult to learn a foreign language.
- Problems remembering things.
- Difficulty in counting.
Causes of Dyslexia
Dyslexia is related to genetic factors. A person is more likely to have dyslexia if they have a parent, sibling, or other family member who also has dyslexia.
This condition stems from differences in the parts of the brain that process language.
Imaging scans of people with dyslexia show that areas of the brain that should be active when a person reads are not functioning properly.
When children learn to read, they first figure out what sound each letter makes. For example, “B” makes the sound “be,” “M” makes the sound “em.”
Then, they learn how to put those sounds together to form words. For example, “KUCING” means “cat”.
Then they have to figure out what the words mean (“cats” are furry animals that meow).
For children with dyslexia, the brain has difficulty connecting letters to the sounds they make, and then blending those sounds into words.
So for someone with dyslexia, the word “cat” might be read as “gnicuk.” Because of this mix-up, reading can be a slow and difficult process.
It’s also important to understand that dyslexia is different for everyone. Some people have a mild form that they can eventually learn to manage.
While others have a little more difficulty coping.
Even if children cannot completely overcome dyslexia, they can still go on to college and succeed in life.
Apart from genetics, dyslexia can also be caused by other medical conditions, such as:
- Brain injury, for example when a child is born.
- Severe injury or trauma to the brain
- Other diseases, such as stroke.
Dyslexia Risk Factors
Several risk factors for dyslexia include:
- Having a family member with a learning disability.
- Premature babies or babies born with low birth weight.
- Babies born to mothers who use drugs, alcohol, smoke, or have had infections that affect the development of the fetus’ brain.
- Having an abnormality in the brain structure that plays a role in the process of thinking and processing words.
Facts about Dyslexia
1. Dyslexia was first identified by Dr. Oswald Berkhan in 1881.
2. In April 1968, the first meeting of the World Neurological Federation Research Group on “Developmental Dyslexia and World Illiteracy” was held at a hospital in Dallas, USA.
3. For people with dyslexia, reading is a challenge that is considered difficult.
Types of Dyslexia
There is not just one type of dyslexia. A person diagnosed with the condition may have problems with sounds.
While others may have difficulty with word order and letter sequence.
To ensure that a person who is diagnosed receives appropriate treatment, a dyslexia specialist will categorize the condition into several types.
Among them:
- Phonological dyslexia. A person who has difficulty placing sounds in the letters that make up a word.
- Surface dyslexia. Difficulty understanding a word after seeing it. Also known as visual dyslexia.
- Rapid naming deficit. Inability to quickly name letters or numbers.
- Double deficit dyslexia. A combination of phonological dyslexia and rapid naming deficit.
What Do Studies Say About Dyslexia?
According to a study entitled An Overview of Dyslexia: Definition, Characteristics, Assessment, Identification, and Intervention published by the Sciences Journal of Education (2019), dyslexia is a neurological condition that can be inherited.
A recent study found that there are several genes that may put someone at higher risk of developing dyslexia. If someone has certain genes, they may be more likely to develop difficulties with reading and spelling words, although other factors may also play a role.
Recognizing dyslexia early requires paying attention to specific signs, such as difficulty associating sounds with letters, reading disfluencies, spelling difficulties, challenges with written expression, and poor handwriting.
Dyslexia Diagnosis
In the initial stage, the doctor will conduct a medical interview to diagnose dyslexia.
This interview covers symptoms, speech ability tests, family medical history, and letter or number recognition tests.
Not only that, the doctor will also perform a test to understand the meaning and content of the reading. In some cases, psychological tests may also be performed.
These tests aim to understand the child’s mental condition. These tests can also assess the following:
- Oral language skills (both listening and speaking).
- Word recognition.
- Quick naming.
- Auditory verbal working memory.
- Letter parsing.
- Spelling.
- Phonological processing.
- Reading level or fluency.
- Reading comprehension.
- Vocabulary.
A proper diagnosis is essential, as this condition will not go away, and cannot be treated.
In fact, in some cases it can cause complications. Children may fall behind in school and have difficulty catching up.
In addition, identification of alternative learning disabilities is important, so that appropriate treatment can be recommended.
Dyslexia Treatment
Basically, dyslexia cannot be cured. The therapy that can be done aims to train children to behave normally in society.
So, here is the treatment for dyslexia based on age group:
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Handling dyslexia in children
To help children in the recovery process, parents can do the following things:
- Read aloud to your child. This step is more effective if done from the age of 6 months or younger. If your child is older, invite him to read together.
- Encourage children to dare to read. Eliminate children’s fear of reading activities. Reading regularly can improve their abilities.
- Cooperate with teachers at school. Discuss your child’s condition with his/her teacher and find the right way to help your child succeed in school. Communicate regularly with teachers to monitor your child’s progress at school.
- Provide an understanding of the child’s condition. Explain to the child about the dyslexia he is experiencing and encourage him that his condition can be overcome, so that he is motivated to learn.
- Limit TV time. Reduce the amount of time your child watches TV and give them more time to learn to read.
- Join a support group. Find a community of like-minded people. Hearing from other parents who are dealing with dyslexia can provide insight and tips for helping your child.
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Handling dyslexia in adults
Treatment for dyslexia in adults includes:
- Regular practice for reading. Train and guide sufferers regularly so that their reading skills improve.
- Occupational therapy. Helping people cope and manage dyslexia issues in the workplace through this therapy.
- Read written instructions. To avoid misunderstandings, read written instructions.
- Leverage technology. Use technology features such as meeting recorders or apps that convert text to speech, or vice versa, to make your work easier.
If parents suspect their child has this condition, the first step is to talk to the teacher and coordinate special education needs at school.
The school may be able to offer additional support to help the child if needed.
Complications of Dyslexia
Dyslexia that is left without effective treatment can cause various complications, for example:
- Problems with learning and understanding subject matter at school that have an impact on educational levels.
- Social disorders resulting from low self-esteem, behavioral problems, anxiety, aggression, and withdrawal from friends, parents, and teachers.
- Problems as an adult resulting from the inability to read and understand things.
- Difficulty in getting a job later on due to inadequate level of education achieved.
- Having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), making it difficult to maintain attention, hyperactive, and behaving impulsively.
Dyslexia Prevention
Unfortunately, until now there has been no proven way to prevent it, especially if it is caused by a genetic disorder inherited from family members.
If you have family members with a history of dyslexia, it is best to have premarital counseling before planning a pregnancy.
The aim of this counselling is to find out how likely it is that the child will experience dyslexia.
Although dyslexia is a lifelong condition, early detection and treatment can help the learning process of sufferers.
Some independent steps that can be taken to help children with dyslexia include:
- Get children used to reading books from an early age.
- Read books to children regularly.
- Involve children in interacting or singing while reading books together.
- Discuss the contents of the book that has been read with the child.
- Make reading fun and interesting.
