Educating Children with Learning Difficulty Dyslexia

Introduction

 

If we are to teach real peace in this world,

and if we are to carry on a real war against war,

we shall have to begin with the children.

 

…M.K.Gandhi

 

 

If hope and salvation are to come,

they can only come from the children,

for the children are the makers of men

…Maria Montessori

 

            We know ‘Today’s children are tomorrow’s citizens’. It is necessary to take care about children. Education is the solution for all types of problems. Through education we can solve all types of problems in the society. Education gives strength, power, character, courage and knowledge. So, it is necessary to give education for all in the world without considering castes, religions and regions.

 

Ø      Specific Learning Disabilities

Ø      Reading Disability

Ø      Writing Disability

Ø      Nonverbal learning Disability

Ø      Disorders of Speaking and Learning

Ø      Auditory processing Disorder

DYSLEXIA

 

            Dyslexia is a learning disability that manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language, particularly with reading and spelling. It is separate and distinct from reading difficulties resulting from other causes, such as a non-neurological deficiency with vision or hearing, or from poor or inadequate reading instruction.

Evidence suggests that dyslexia results from differences in how the brain processes written and/or verbal language. Although dyslexia is the result of a neurological difference, it is not an intellectual disability. Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence; sub-average, average, above average, and highly gifted.

According to the findings of a University of Hong Kong study, dyslexia affects different structural parts of children’s brains depending on the language they read. The study focused on comparing children that were raised reading English and children raised reading Chinese. Using MRI technology researchers found that the children reading English used a different part of the brain then those reading Chinese. Researchers were surprised by this discovery and hope that the findings will help lead them to any neurobiological cause for dyslexia.

The word dyslexia comes from the Greek words  dys and lexis . People with dyslexia are called dyslexic or dyslectic.

Causes of Dyslexia

 

Dyslexia has not been generally recognized as a learning difficulty until the last decade or two. John Bradford presents an overview of the latest research on its causes, and suggests further reading.

            Dyslexia is brought about either though inherited traits (developmental dyslexia) or by early ear infections such as ‘glue ear’, which cause hearing loss (acquired dyslexia). Its cause has not been fully established, but the effect is to create lifelong neurological anomalies in the brain. These anomalies bring about varying degrees of difficulty in learning when using words, and sometimes symbols.

 

Symptoms of Dyslexia

 

Children or students who are dyslexic have phonological difficulties, that is, they find it difficult to sort out the sounds within words. This means that they have problems with reading, writing and spelling. The majority of dyslexic children have difficulty with text, memory and the sequencing processes of basic mathematics.

At what age does it become a problem?

Children are either born with dyslexia, or they acquire the difficulty during early childhood through hearing loss, but it is when they begin to learn using words and sometimes other symbols at school that it becomes a noticeable problem.

What level of intelligence does it affect?

Dyslexia can occur in children and students of all abilities, and dyslexic people are frequently of average or above average ability. It is found in all socio-economic groups and in every country in the world. If no help is given, it often results in low self-esteem.

Can Dyslexia be cured?

Each dyslexic person’s difficulties are different and vary from slight to very severe disruption of the learning process. There is no total cure, but skilled specialist teaching of phonics, sequencing and techniques to raise the person’s self-esteem can alleviate the effects of dyslexia.

The neurological differences also give some dyslexic people visual, spatial, physical co-ordination and lateral thinking abilities that enable them to be successful in a wide range of careers. One famous architect’s practice gives preference to employing people who are dyslexic because of their strong spatial awareness and lateral thinking abilities.

 

How many people are affected by dyslexia?

It is estimated that between 4% and 7% of the population are dyslexic.

Are boys affected more than girls?

Roughly equal numbers of boys and girls are affected.

Does dyslexia affect a child’s self-esteem?

            As literacy skills are so strongly emphasized during the schooling process, dyslexic children experience a great deal of failure which can easily lower their self-esteem and make them feel that they must be stupid.

This is why it is important for dyslexic children to receive as much praise, credits, certificates, gold stars, etc. as the other children. To complete a piece of written work in class is twice as hard as for a non-dyslexic child.

It is also important for a dyslexic child to have art, crafts, physical education and sports during their week in school, as these are the only areas in which they may excel and experience a feeling of satisfaction in learning.

Having to learn a foreign language – like French – is a virtual impossibility for a dyslexic child, and a sure route to failure: schools need to be flexible and take account of this.

Limited career prospects

            Given proper support, dyslexic students are perfectly able to go on to achieve degrees at university and pursue successful careers. Many dyslexic people find success and fulfillment in:

Creative areas,
In areas which allow them to use their physical co-ordination skills, and
In areas that allow them to use their ability to empathize with others.

How can a parent help their dyslexic child?

The most important thing you can do is to build up the damaged confidence and self-esteem of your child. Make sure s/he knows s/he is loved for himself, and that this love is not dependent on how well s/he does at school.

·         Make it clear that the child’s difficulties are not his fault. Be very encouraging and find things he is good at.

·         Praise him for effort – remember how hard he has to try to achieve success in reading, writing and math/s.

·         Help with homework from school, or from any special needs lessons.

·         Help him to be organized.

Encourage areas in which he can experience success, such as creative areas and activities such as sports, which involve physical co-ordination.
Encourage hobbies, interests and out of school activities.

Treatment and intervention

Poor academic achievement can be addressed with a variety of interventions. Although the underlying processing difficulty is usually considered to be a lifelong disorder, academic skills themselves can be improved with targeted interventions. Some (adjustments, equipment and assistants) are designed to accommodate or help compensate for the disabilities while others (specialized instruction) are intended to make improvements in the weak areas. Practice is a particularly important component in developing competence, regardless of the starting point. Children who start out with a weakness in a basic skill, such as reading, may miss out on the necessary practice because of the need to catch up with their chronological age peers. Thus a small weakness can snowball into a larger problem.

 Interventions include:

Mastery model:

·         Learners work at their own level of mastery.

·         Practice

·         Gain fundamental skills before moving onto the next level.

Note: this approach is most likely to be used with adult learners or outside the mainstream school system.

Direct Instruction:

 

Ø      Highly structured, intensive instruction.

Ø      Emphasizes carefully planned lessons for small learning increments.

Ø      Scripted lesson plans.

Ø      Rapid-paced interaction between teacher and students.

Ø      Correcting mistakes immediately.

Ø      Achievement-based grouping.

Ø      Frequent progress assessments.

 

Classroom adjustments:

 

Ø      Special seating assignments.

Ø      Alternative or modified assignments.

Ø      Modified testing procedures.

Special equipment:

 

Ø      Electronic spellers and dictionaries.                                               

Ø      World processors

Ø      Talking calculators

Ø      Books on tape

 

Classroom assistants:

 

Ø      Note-takers

Ø      Readers

Ø      Proofreaders

 

Special Education:

 

Ø      Prescribed hours in a special class

Ø      Placement in a special class

Ø      Enrollment in a special school for learning disabled students

 

           Sternberg has argued that early remediation can greatly reduce the number of children meeting diagnostic criteria for learning disabilities. He has also suggested that the focus on learning disabilities and the provision of accommodations in school fails to acknowledge that people have a range of strength and weaknesses, and places undue emphasis on academic success by insisting that people should receive additional support in this arena but not in music or sports.

Conclusions:

          Some critics of the concept of learning disabilities and of special education take the position that every child has a different learning style and pace and that each child is unique, not only capable of learning but also capable of succeeding. These critics assert that applying the medical model of problem solving to individual children who are pupils in the school system, and labeling these children as disabled, systematically prevents the improvement of the current educational system.

References:

Patil L. Harrison; Flanagan, Dawn P. (2005). Contemporary intellectual assessment: theories, tests, and issues. New York: Guildford Press.
Aaron, P.G. (1995). “Differential Diagnosis of Reading Disabilities.” School Psychology Review 24(3): 345-60.
Marcia A. Barnes; Fletcher, Jack; Fuches, Lynn. Learning Disabilities: From Identification to Intervention. New York: The Guilford Press.
Sternberg, R.J., & Grigorenko, E.L. (1999). Our labeled children: What every parent and teacher needs to know about learning disabilities. Reading, M.A. Perseus Publishing Group.

5.      Bandian, N.A. (1999) Reading disability defined as a discrepancy between listening and reading comprehension: A longitudinal study of stability, gender differences, and prevalence. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 32 (2) 138-148.

*****

Related posts

• What Is Dyslexia in Adults? (0)
• Vision, Learning & Dyslexia – All-Pro Arizona Cardinals Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald Sets the Record Straight (0)
• The Sunflower Therapy – for dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and learning difficulties (0)