Understanding Dyslexia In Children
Dyslexia is a term that is commonly heard of, but not understood. It is often subjected to curiosity and it might take a toll on you if you’re trying to learn how to deal with someone who has it. With children, it is an intricate job to understand the needs and requirements, especially in the case of dyslexia.
So, let us scroll down to know a little more about dyslexia and how to go about it in terms of taking care of your child.
The first step to understanding dyslexia is to observe it in your child. Medical diagnosis only follows once the observational scanning is done. In case you aren’t really familiar with the signs and symptoms of dyslexia and don’t know what exactly to observe, here is what you need to check for.
Understanding signs of dyslexia before your child begins play school
1. You might notice your child facing a significant difficulty in his/her speech. Their ability to speak properly might see a delay and the speed might be sluggish. In such cases, mixing up words or jumbling sounds is common.
Take for example the word “pumpkin”. If your child pronounces it as “punkpin” despite you correcting him/her repeatedly, he/she may be dyslexic.
2. If your child is unable to form proper sentences around the time they are learning to speak (That goes for short sentences too. Whatever is within their capacity.) you might need to pay attention. Their hesitancy in expressing themselves verbally must alarm you.
3. If they seem anxious during reading and writing lessons and if it makes them cry and run away, you need to give it a thought. Don’t ignore when they tell you they see the letters and words flying around like dragons on the paper. He/she isn’t lying, and it is a prominent sign of dyslexia.
4. Can’t remember numbers or solve 1+1 = 2? It’s called Dyscalculia.
5. Is she unable to remember things you taught her just yesterday? A child with dyslexia will have short-term memory loss.
6. If he/she seems to be dizzy and daydreams most of the time, you need to get it checked as these are signs of dyslexia.
Understanding it further
Dyspraxia is another prominent symptom of dyslexia. In simpler terms, dyspraxia is a certain kind of deviance in the ‘gross motor skills’ a child possesses. These gross motor skills are explained below.
Gross motor skills are basic muscular activities on a large scale that require your brain and muscles to have mutual coordination and timing in order for you to function.
Now, when the same coordination has a disturbance, it affects a child and his/her organizational and behavioural skills, where they might not know the order of certain activities in order to achieve a particular goal. This, in formal words, is called Development Coordination Disorder (DCD). For example, does your child struggle to hold the grip of a pencil while you teach him/her to write? If yes, you need to understand that there is a problem here that they need help with.
For example, does your child struggle to hold the grip of a pencil while you teach him/her to write? If yes, you need to understand that there is a problem here that they need help with.
Another way to understand or find out if your child has dyslexia is to observe his/her social behaviour around people. Check if they are too fidgety or restless? Do they get distracted too easily or are they unable to focus on a particular thing for long? If yes, he/she might be a case of
If yes, he/she might be a case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). You can confirm it by observing if he/she is too hyperactive and self-centred.
If they refuse to follow social norms such as listening to others when they speak and interrupt them too many times, they may be dyslexic. Such kids sometimes get violent if not tended to when they demand something. Look for the mentioned signs and care for your child accordingly.
Dyslexia is often associated with a kind of abnormality and the kid is wrongly labeled as mentally challenged. Remember, if someone calls your child that, be strong enough to give it back to them with proper information and not hatred.
Dyslexic children are highly intelligent, with their IQ sometimes higher than a lot of other kids. They might experience difficulty in reading and writing, but they are also talented in other extracurricular activities such as music, dance, art and so on. They’re also extremely emotional and sensitive.
Yes, they might find it hard to read and write, but you always have solutions to bring them back on track. Get in touch with your pediatrician or a renowned psychologist and you will overcome the situation.