What is dyslexia? What are the characteristics of dyslexia?

Our minds and body are superbly interwoven to meet the demands of today’s world. The feelings, thoughts, and actions we experience occur through the complex actions of the brain. The human brain is unique in its ability to think, remember, reorganise and speak. The slightest change in our brain processes can influence how we manage our daily living skills, academic progress, and social interaction.

In such cases, a special education school in Mumbai is the best option.

Dyslexia:

It is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to read, speak, spell and write.

Some features of children with dyslexia:

• Difficulties with written expression – Reversals of a sequence of words or form. (e.g. He may read “There once was'' for “There was once.” Reversals of letters or numbers for e.g b/d, m/w or 41/14. Substitutions “retter” for “letter”, additions – letter for letter. Distortions of words- “burst for birds, reversals of vowel order boat for boat. Omissions of letters for e.g |” and” for “end”. Mixes up upper and lower case letters for e.g. “beTTer”

  Paragraphs are inadequately developed, ideas are unsupported, not specific, and unrelated to the subject, and introductions and conclusions are poorly stated. Sentences are fragmented and lack variety, have problems with syntax, and vocabulary is inappropriate. May over depend on context clues to understand the material. Handwriting is generally illegible, may be poorly formed, have irregular characters, and lacks a free-flowing style. (Dysgraphia). Early fatigue in reading a lesson- makes long pauses while reading, loses place, does not understand what has been read. They have a short memory for printed words and instructions. Students may not complete assignments on time.

• Difficulty with directions – is often confused with left/right, or east/west.
• Has a poor sense of time – They have deficits in time perception,the ability to judge the duration of time intervals (poor time management)
• Difficulty copying from the board.
• Confusion with Math concepts – Have difficulty solving arithmetic problems. (Dyscalculia)
• Distractibility/ Hyperactivity
• May have auditory/visual perception difficulties
• Short attention span
• Impulsiveness
• Difficulty to discipline

An excellent way to help students with these problems is to appreciate their strengths, boost their confidence and motivate them.

Dyslexia is different for each student . Though some may have problems overcoming it, most students will eventually go to college and lead successful lives.