Helping Children with Dyslexia Reach Their Full Potential

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that typically develops at a very early stage in life. It persists throughout an individual's life, affecting the person at varying degrees at different stages of their life. The International Dyslexia Association describes Dyslexia as a disability with a neurobiological origin, characterized by difficulties in recognizing, spelling, and decoding words. It is labeled as a “Specific Learning Disorder” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The characteristics identified in DSM-5 include effortful word reading, difficulty in understanding the meaning of what is being read, and difficulty with spelling. Dyslexia is identified as a “Learning Disorder” due to its effects on the child’s academic performance, making it extremely difficult for the child to stay on par with non-dyslexic peers. Therefore, Dyslexic children require special education and extra support to improve academically.  

What is the cause of Dyslexia?

This question has puzzled researchers throughout the past century. The first comprehensive description of Dyslexia was constructed by Pringle Morgan in 1896 through a case study of a child named Percy. Percy was an intelligent 7-year-old boy who excelled at games; however, Percy had trouble in learning to read and write. The boy did not showcase any visible signs of brain damage, therefore, Morgan assumed that the disability was hereditary.

Medical practitioners who encountered similar cases assumed the cause might be visual or perceptual deficiencies. However, this theory was disproved after further examination. For instance, Hinshelwood, an eye doctor, described a similar case in 1900 involving a 10-year-old boy brought to him due to reading difficulties. Like Percy, this boy was also described as bright and intelligent. Hinshelwood concluded that the problem was not due to lower visual acuity, rather it was innate disability which made it difficult to remember the words of the visual images.

To elaborate on this further, it is helpful to explore the reading process itself.

Reading is basically about turning written letters into sounds. In the alphabet, each letter or group of letters represents a sound in a word. Early researchers tried to figure out if the problem was with understanding the letters and words on the page (a visual issue) or if it was more about how the brain connects what we see (letters) with how we say them (sounds).

Vellutino (1979) wrote that the delay in brain’s development of “hemispheric dominance” (one side of the human brain is more specialized for certain tasks) affects the child’s learning. Hence, if the dominance is not established early, the child would struggle to differentiate letters that mirror each other such as “b” and “d” or “p” and “q”, observe the letters as reversed or flipped and, experience difficulty in recognizing the direction or order of the letters.

Children develop a system to decode letters (graphemes) into sounds which the letter represents (phonemes), when they learn to read. The development of this structure is essential to learn how to fundamentally read. Children with Dyslexia struggle to match letters to their corresponding sounds, making it difficult to sound out words using those letters. Further, they find it difficult to maintain the short-term phonological representations, which is why Dyslexic children encounter difficulty remembering names or items quickly.

What is the likelihood and consequences?

Dyslexia has a prevalence of 5-17% among school children. It is common for Dyslexia to co-occur with a language disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD have a high likelihood of having Dyslexia. Dyslexia can affect a child's day-to-day interactions and education. If left untreated, it can have negative consequences on the child's mental health and self-esteem. If a child with Dyslexia is expected to study in a school with non-dyslexic children, the child might appear to be a slow learner. If the teachers are unaware of these symptoms, the child could be heavily criticized and neglected.

Everyone gets stressed or anxious about situations which they do not have control over or worry about outcomes of future events. Dyslexic children worry about day-to-day academic tasks such as reading, writing and math. If adults are not aware of the learning disability, they are likely to blame the child for being lazy or unintelligent, which is not the case, as most Dyslexic children have average or above-average IQ and are far superior in certain areas. However, the constant fear of being ridiculed or blamed would lead to the development of social anxiety, social phobias, self-doubt, or low-self-esteem, where the child would constantly worry about going to school or attending social events, and distance themselves from peers. This would reduce the child’s tolerance level for future challenges in their lives, making them more stressed and anxious.

What are the treatments?

Children with Dyslexia should receive specialized attention and support to improve their reading and language skills. Identifying the risk factors of Dyslexia at an early age would provide the child with a head-start and significantly improve their abilities and self-confidence. Key educational interventions involve structured literacy programs that focus on improving the child’s ability to decode the sounds of the letters into written words, allowing them to recognize and spell the words accurately.

Dyslexic children perform better under multisensory learning approaches, which involve using multiple senses to make connections, such as tracing letters on a sand box or repeating words aloud along with the teacher. Moreover, Dyslexic children are required to undergo bespoke educational plans that are tailored to support the child’s specific needs and learning abilities.

If you know a child who is experiencing symptoms of Dyslexia, get in touch with a trained professional who specializes in the area and can provide tailored assistance for the child. Remember that parental support is crucial for children experiencing Dyslexia. Making the child feel that they are not at fault and that they are not any less intelligent than their peers is essential to ensure the child grows up with a positive attitude and strong self-esteem. Many smart and prominent individuals, such as Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, and Pablo Picaso, were Dyslexic, yet it did not stop them from achieving great heights.

Author

Sasitha Edirisinghe (Aspiring Psychologist, Adv. Diploma in Psychology and Counselling)

www.serenelotuspsychology.com

References

Hettiarachchi, D. (2021). An overview of dyslexia. Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 50(3), 529–534. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v50i3.9741

IMSE. (2017, November 21). 12 famous people who struggled with dyslexia before changing the world. https://journal.imse.com/12-famous-people-who-struggled-with-dyslexia-before-changing-the-world/

International Dyslexia Association. (2015). Dyslexia in the classroom: What every teacher needs to know [Handbook]. Retrieved January 4, 2025, from https://dyslexiaida.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DITC-Handbook.pdf

National Center on Improving Literacy. (2017). Which is more appropriate for students with dyslexia: An IEP or a 504 plan? Ask an Expert. Retrieved January 4, 2025, from https://www.improvingliteracy.org/ask-an-expert/which-more-appropriate-students-dyslexia-iep-or-504-plan.html

Schultz, J. J. (n.d.). The dyslexia-stress-anxiety connection. International Dyslexia Association. https://dyslexiaida.org/

Snowling, M. J., Hulme, C., & Nation, K. (2020). Defining and understanding dyslexia: Past, present and future. Oxford Review of Education, 46(4), 501–513. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1765756

Vellutino, F. R. (1979). Dyslexia: Theory and research. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.