" The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no
bitter whit nibe teottle give it(i.e ttecific lierning ditibility, etc)
iccording to Thilly Thiywitz ( 2003) itt trevillence it ictuilly, one in five
children, which it twenty tercent. "
So,
that´s crystal clear, right? You mean you didn´t understand it? Did trudging
through these words slow down your ability to read? Imagine facing this battle
each time you are presented with a text. This demonstrates the predicament
endured by dyslexics on a daily basis. This is obviously magnified when having
to learn a second language which is not necessary totally based on phonetics.
Many
people with dyslexia are labelled as being lazy or not particularly intelligent
–
Can
they grow-out of it? No, they can´t. It´s a condition they will have to live
with for their entire
life. But that doesn´t mean that they cannot live a fulfilled life and become successful. Many people including
Albert Einstein or Whoopi Goldberg also have dyslexia.
How
do the experts define dyslexia and what is important to bear in mind with
dyslexia?
Emily Lapkin notes the following in Understanding Dyslexia:
" Dyslexia is primarily
associated with trouble reading. Some doctors, specialists and
People with dyslexia can still
understand complex ideas. Sometimes they just need more time to work through
the information. They may also need a different way to process the information,
such as listening to an audiobook instead of reading it....
It’s important to keep in mind,
however, that struggles with reading and other issues can lead to frustration and low self-esteem. The stress of dealing with schoolwork can make kids
with dyslexia lose the motivation to keep trying.
There are lots of tools and
strategies that can help. It might take some trial and error for you to figure
out which work best for your child. But finding the right strategies and seeing
improvement can boost your child’s confidence.
Essential Skills for Reading
Comprehension
For kids with dyslexia, reading a single
word can be a struggle. Dyslexia also makes it hard to understand and remember
what they’ve read.
· Connecting letters to sounds: Kids have to learn that each
letter of the alphabet is associated with a certain sound or sounds. (Teachers
refer to this as “phonics.”) Once your child can make these connections, she’ll
be able to “sound out” words.
· Decoding text: The process of sounding out
words is known as “decoding.” Once your child can decode individual words, she
can start to make sense of entire sentences.
· Recognizing “sight” words: The ability to read a familiar
word at a glance without having to sound it out is called “word recognition.”
The more words kids can recognize by sight, the faster they’ll be able to read.
Average readers can recognize a word by sight after sounding it out a dozen or
so times. Students with dyslexia
may need to see it 40 times.
· Reading fluently: Fluent readers can recognize
most words by sight and quickly sound out unfamiliar words. They also can read
smoothly and at a good rate. Fluency
is essential for good reading comprehension.
· Understanding the text: Strong readers can remember
what they’ve just read. They can summarize it and recall specific details.
Readers with dyslexia can get bogged down sounding out individual words. This
interrupts the flow of information and makes it harder to understand and relate
the new material to what they already know.
Early in elementary school, students
are expected to read a passage of text and answer questions about it. This is
what’s known as “reading comprehension,” and it’s essential for building a
strong foundation for success in school. Students with dyslexia often have
reading comprehension problems because they need to develop several underlying
skills, such as:
If your child has been having
trouble reading, it’s a good idea to find out what’s going on and get her some
extra help. That’s because kids who start out struggling with reading rarely
catch up on their own.
Fortunately, researchers have been
studying dyslexia for decades. They know which teaching methods and tools can
help children with dyslexia succeed. If dyslexia is diagnosed by third grade,
it’s easier to catch up. But it’s never too late. "
Please bear in mind that children, taking a second or at times third
language in school, need extra support when learning vocabulary or writing essays.
This succinct video graphically illustrates what dyslexia is.
How do children with dyslexia feel? Click on " How do children with dyslexia experience life at school?" for an animated short story.
MOTIVATE YOUR CHILD
MINDSET: Encourage your children to move from: This is too hard, I can´t do it to This may take some time and lots of effort, but I´ll make it.
