Why can't my child read?
Type of Special Need
D y s l e x i a
means difficulties with words
Dyslexia sometimes cannot legally be mentioned in most school systems because it’s a medical term and evaluation.
School Term: (SLD - Specific Learning Disability) or
Specific Literacy/Learning Difficulties SLD/ (Dyslexia)
· Three times as many males as females affected
· Three types of dyslexia; motor, visual and auditory
It is likely that there will be marked deficits in their achievements despite being of average or above ability.
(Common, unknown and misunderstood)
Many people with SLD are very creative. SLD causes significant problems with reading writing and spelling, and sometime math. Short-term memory, concentration, personal organization and sequencing can also be affected.
Things to look out for: problems with phonics, poor short term memory and problems with distinguishing right and left. The child might seem bright in some ways but with a ‘block’ in others. The child may have difficulty with carrying out a sequence of three or more instructions. He/she may write letters and numbers the wrong way round, e.g. 17 for 71, 9 for 6, b for d etc. He/she may write a word in several ways without recognizing the correct version. There can be confusion with left and right and he/she may have a poor sense of rhythm. Learning about time and tense can also cause problems.
In older children he/she may make unexpected errors reading aloud, have difficulty copying and taking notes and spelling. He/she may have problems planning and writing essays and with mental arithmetic. It might take him/her a very long time to read a book with understanding. A lack of self-esteem is often apparent.
Dyslexia: Is It All in Your Mind? describes the physical differences that develop in the brain of the fetus that results in dyslexia.
Further Information
Identifying Dyslexia
Dyslexia Check list
Teaching Strategies
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/dyslexia-and-brain-what-does-current-research-tell-us
What are Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs)? | Ability Central
***Scotopic sensitivity syndrome - a form of dyslexia which makes it very difficult for a person to read black text on white paper, particularly when the paper is slightly shiny. Contrary to how it seems to be defined, this is not an optical problem. It is a problem with how the nervous system encodes and decodes visual information.
Semantic dyslexia - a form of dyslexia characterized by an inability to properly attach words to their meanings in reading and/or in speech
Remember: Genetics, pre-disposed, heredity and environment.
Begin with:
Understanding that I have a Child(ren) who has special needs.
Progress Steps:
Acceptance, Acknowledge, Embracing, Education and saying