A DIFFERENT WAY OF PROCESSING INFORMATION
ALL kids are unique and develop at different rates, and it’s not unusual for little ones to find it challenging when getting to grips with writing, reading and numeracy at some point or another.
But if learning these skills becomes an ongoing struggle, and you notice they’re falling behind their classmates, for example, or it’s causing distress, it could be an indication of dyslexia.
According to the British Dyslexia Association, around 10% of the population has dyslexia, making it the most common learning difference in the classroom environment. Despite being very prevalent however, there’s often still a lot of misunderstanding around it.
WHAT EXACTLY IS DYSLEXIA?
DYSLEXIA is a neurological difference that affects the skills involved in reading and spelling. Children with dyslexia can have a hard time deciphering new words, or breaking them down into phonetic chunks they can sound out in their head.
“It’s a specific learning difference that brings both positive and negative characteristics,” explains Helen Boden, CEO of the British Dyslexia Association (bdadyslexia. org.uk).”
Dyslexia occurs across all sectors of society, independent of ability and socio-economic background. There’s also no connection between dyslexia and intelligence. “RESEARCH tells us that dyslexia stems from differences in the way the brain processes certain types of information – particularly, it is thought, language-based information,” says Helen.
“The key point here is that it is these physiological differences in the brain that lead to the challenges that dyslexic individuals experience. It is not lack of ability, poor parenting or poor education. Essentially, there is an underlying cause. All too often however, the indicators of dyslexia are written off or attributed to negative behavioural or personality traits.”
Helen explains that it’s not unusual for dyslexia to occur alongside other specific learning difficulties, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), developmental coordination disorder (commonly known as dyspraxia), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), dyscalculia (difficulty with maths), or speech, language and communication difficulties.
“Dyslexia is genetic in origin and therefore is inheritable,” adds Helen. “This inheritable factor should also be considered, as it can mean that the parents of dyslexic pupils may also have experienced or may still be experiencing similar difficulties to their children.”
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
“DYSLEXIA isn’t normally diagnosed until around seven years old, and every person is different,” says Helen. That said, there are a few key signs of dyslexia to look out for. These include a child that appears bright and able, but can’t get their thoughts down on paper – which can often present itself during school time.
“Look out for children that have areas in which they excel, particularly creativity and problem