Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD).

It was a German physician called Rudolf Berlin who refined our definition of reading problems, using the term “dyslexia”; to describe a “very great difficulty in interpreting written or printed symbols.”

Dyslexia / Specific Learning Disabilities affects 10% of the population. Problems can show themselves in reading, writing, number work, short-term memory, hand control, visual processing, coordination and organisational skills.

Timekeeping, sense of direction and interpersonal skills can also be affected.

These difficulties often result in significant frustration, bearing in mind that dyslexics are usually of average or above-average intelligence. Until recently, people thought that Dyslexia affected more males than females. However, this may not be the case. It is now believed that girls are not being identified in the same way as boys. Many of these children are incredibly bright in lots of ways, always talking and asking questions. And yet, they do not seem to reach their full potential in the academic field.

Definition of Dyslexia 

‘Dyslexia means having difficulty with words in reading, spelling and writing – in spite of having normal intelligence and ability.

by Dr J E Cullis, 1992

It is essential to recognise dyslexia as soon as possible before it impacts a child’s self-esteem. There is no single set of signs that characterise all people with dyslexia.

Have a look at the Indicators of Dyslexia further down the page?

I believe one of the significant advances in dyslexia will be in the area of genetics, and it may not be too long before babies are tested at birth, thereby enabling help to be available at a very early age. Dyslexia is a registered disability under the Equality Act (EA) 2010.

‘Dyslexia and Alternative Therapies’ – Book

‘Dyslexia and Alternative Therapies’ contains information on a wide range of alternative therapies and the way they can help people with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties (SpLDs).

For a fuller description of ‘Dyslexia and Alternative Therapies‘, go Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

There is no single ’cause’ of developmental dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects people in many different ways, from individual to individual, as do the reasons for the specific difficulties experienced.

Children learn language and literacy skills best when they are young. If they have hearing problems (like ‘glue ear’) during this time, this can affect some children’s language abilities. Similarly, visual problems when learning to read can affect their ability to pick up reading skills. Such visual problems (e.g. unstable or blurred vision) can confuse children and make reading very difficult, but this can often be improved by viewing through yellow or blue filters. Also, many children have problems translating the letters into the sounds they stand for because they don’t hear the sounds enough.

The fundamental cause or causes of developmental dyslexia are not fully understood and are the primary focus of our research. It is an inherited condition, which appears to affect more boys than girls. Apparent differences in the way the brain is wired up during development have been found in people with dyslexia. These may result from abnormalities in a particular class of ‘magnocellular’ nerve cells, possibly due to inheriting genes that make them vulnerable to immune factors during the brain’s development and deficiency of the ‘omega-3’ fatty acids EPA & DHA that are found in oily fish.

Dyslexia Research Trust (DRT

4th October 2013

As dyslexia is not a disease, there is no ‘treatment’ for it.  However, you can help a student with dyslexia by using Multi-Sensory Teaching Methods.

What is Multi-Sensory?

 Multi-Sensory means merely, using: eyes, ears, touch, taste and smell.

When you use a combination of these ‘senses’, you increase the strength, mobility and spatial awareness for the student

Furthermore, we are lucky these days that there are so many software programmes to help us with literacy and numeracy skills.  Touch Typing is beneficial for all students to help them get their thoughts down on paper while not concentrating on handwriting.  Plus there are some handy handwriting aids, which will also help.

The following list of games etc. can often help.

Dyslexia Treatment – Playing with things Like:

• Practising letter formation in sand/salt trays. (I use cat litter trays they are very cheap)
• Using chalk or coloured pens, to do letter formation on black/whiteboard
• Shape and pattern copying
• Using ‘Spirograph’ to practice writing – write, shake it and it goes away
• Tracking objects to their ‘homes’, i.e., tracing along the line back to the rabbit hutch etc
• Colouring in ‘mosaics’ or ‘paint by number’ is excellent to improve ‘fine motor’ control, (much better than merely writing)
• Colouring in old-fashioned ‘doilies’ (for cakes) is another way to enhance fine-motor control
• Threading coloured beads
• Jigsaws
• Juggling
• Swimming

Dyslexia – Developing Skills, including:

• Sequencing
• Space organisation
• Directional awareness

It would be an error to think that merely ‘playing’ children do not learn.  There is a wealth of research to show that playing the right type of game can help tremendously with a child’s particular problem.

List of educational games to help students with dyslexia.

On this part of the site, you will find information on reading, writing & Spelling when you have dyslexia. Should reading matter in the modern age? Computers can ‘read’ aloud for you; ‘special pens’ can read aloud, so does it matter? Should we still bother to teach people to read?

Why Read When You Can Listen? – Dyslexia Reading

People with dyslexia often have a problem with reading.  Usually, the first question I ask is ‘are they on the correct level’, because they shouldn’t be struggling too much if it is age-appropriate.

However, another way of ‘reading’ is by listening to books.  Which is often overlooked as people think the student is not ‘reading’.  While this is technically correct.  Reading can take different forms and there is some research to suggest that ‘listening to books’ can be just as educational as actually reading them.  And yet another way of reading is to use a special ‘reading pen’.  The ‘C-Pen Reader pen scanner‘ is brilliant and can now be used even in most exam situations (in the UK) if that is written in a student’s education plan.

How Can I help my Child Read?

There is an excellent website, ‘Dyslexia Assist’, which has a lot of handy ideas to encourage your child to read.
Dyslexia Assist

Do Repeating children’s stories boost their vocabulary?

Children who demand the same story be read to them over and over maybe learning more than those who choose a different tale every time, according to academics.
Research at the University of Sussex has found that repetition in reading storybooks is more likely to help a child acquire a broader vocabulary.

Psychologist Dr Jessica Horst and her team devised an experiment in which three-year-olds were exposed to two new words. Over the course of a week, one group heard three different stories with the same original words.

Another group heard only one of the stories with the same new words. When tested after a week, those who had heard just one story were much better at recalling the words than those who had been exposed to three different stories.

The study was published in ‘Frontiers in Psychology’, 17th February 2011.
Daily Telegraph, Monday, 21st Feb 2011.

Libraries – Dyslexia and Listening Books

In the UK, we have many excellent libraries; and librarians, that are always very helpful. I think all of them now have both ‘e-books’ and ‘audio-books’, which you should be able to download to your device.

Barrington Stoke
Barrington Stoke publishes books for children with dyslexia or visual stress.  The books are excellent because they are really funny and children, including teenagers, (who don’t want to read ‘baby’ books – not my words! ) The books are super-readable, accessible books that help every child experience the joy of reading.
Barrington Stoke

Do we need to read every letter?

And, if reading correctly is essential, how come many of us can understand what is written below?

Do you have a Strong Mind? (Just for fun!)

F1gur471v3ly 5p34k1ng

If you can read this you have a strong mind:

7H15 M3554G3
53RV35 7O PR0V3
H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N
D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG
17 WA5 H4RD BU7
N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H 0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N P30PL3 C4N
R3AD 7H15.
PL3453 F0RW4RD 1F
U C4N R34D 7H15.
Do you have a Strong Mind? (Just for fun!)

I do not think there is any science behind this. However, I do find it interesting.

Spelling & Dyslexia

Does spelling matter in the modern age? Has ‘text speak’, taken over from spelling? Should we still teach spelling?

I think it is still important to be able to spell correctly.  Most people with good spelling appear to be reasonably good readers.  It seems to go hand in hand, albeit no with everyone.

Many teaching programmes work by slowly building up, one letter a time until the student understands the ‘sound’ that each letter makes.  This can be quite difficult, as with the letter ‘c’ can be a hard ‘c’ as in ‘city’ and a hard ‘c’ sounds like ‘class’.

This section is being updated at the moment and will be completed shortly.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience.

Wobbly Spelling
I just came across a book called ‘Wobbly Spelling’, it looks really good and lots of fun.  I am sure the children will love it.
Wobbly Spelling

This section is being updated at the moment and will be completed shortly.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience.

Kindle makes reading a little easier for dyslexics

Many people are still not aware that Kindle has a ‘dyslexia font’ to add to your device.

Indeed, the Dyslexia font – was rolled out a while ago now, so you can add this, to your device and it will make it much easier for people with dyslexia to read.

Anything that makes it easier for people with dyslexia to read has got to be a good thing.  I had been using the Kindle for years before some kind-hearted person told me about this function.  I am really pleased that these companies are trying their best to help people with learning disabilities.

The Kindle is designed to make it easier for individuals with dyslexia to read, and many people with dyslexia agree they do actually find it more accessible.

Font for Dyslexics

The font used is called ‘Open Dyslexic’. The typeface, includes standard font styles, such as regular, bold, italic, etc.

FAQ’s

Q.   ‘How do I find the dyslexia font?
A.    Go to the settings page, pick out ‘font’, and you will see ‘Open Dyslexic’ on the right-hand side.

Q.    ‘I have an older Kindle, can I up-date it?’
A.    Yes, If you have older Kindle’s, you can get an update here:
Kindle Update v5.7.2 Adds Open Dyslexic Font, New Home Page (Screenshots) | The Digital Reader

Q.   ‘I have an ‘e-reader from Amazon’, can I up-date that?’

A.    Amazon rolled out a significant software update a while ago for all its e-readers, called a ‘Dyslexia Font’. And apparently, this works on all current models, including the basic Kindle, the Voyage, and the latter two paperwhites.

Update available here https://the-digital-reader.com/2016/02/02/kindle-update-v5-7-2-adds-open-dyslexic-font-new-home-page-screenshots/