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There are so many
people all over the world who are afflicted with
the condition of dyslexia. Yes, this condition is
indeed widely recognized by many medical specialists
and parents worldwide. However, this does not mean
that the condition is already fully understood.
This is because there is still so much to learn
about the condition itself. However, a lot of people
believe that there is a connection between the condition
and how people perceive language sounds and written
symbols. How people process letters and numbers
are thought to have an effect on the condition.
There is not much significant evidence to prove
the relationship. However, so many cases strongly
imply the relationship, so this should be considered
as well. It has also been observed that more boys
are afflicted with the condition than girls. In
fact, the ratio here is four boys to one girl.
However,
as a parent of a dyslexic child, you should not
lose hope right away. Many experts agree that with
the appropriate teaching methods, any dyslexic child
is still able to achieve the same sort of progress
as his peers who are not dyslexic. But how do you
determine for sure of your child is indeed dyslexic?
It is so easy to confuse the symptoms with the usual
maturation that comes with a child's development.
Studies also show that the condition might be genetic.
So, if you have a dyslexic person in your family,
then you should be wary of the symptoms as well.
Here
are some symptoms that you need to look out for.
1). For
the most part, dyslexic children are late when it
comes to learning how to walk and talk. Children
do vary in the particular age at which they learn
to walk and talk. The age range that is considered
normal for learning to walk is between twelve months
and two years of age. As for talking, it could be
anywhere up to three years. Dyslexic children, however,
tend to wriggle on their stomachs or just shuffle
around on their buns instead of crawling.
2) Dyslexic
children also exhibit poor coordination and clumsiness.
This is actually a bit difficult to gauge because
all young children do exhibit such qualities. After
all, they are still struggling to perfect motor
skills that are very much needed in walking, feeding
themselves, and playing with toys and playmates.
Your gauge here should then be on whether or not
the lack of progress here is marked or emphasized.
Also, the existence of other symptoms can help determine
the onset of the condition.
3) Dyslexic
children find it hard to master the simple skills
of closing and opening buttons, tying shoelaces,
and learning to ride a bike, catch a ball, or swim.
This is still difficult to gauge so the thing to
look out for is a marked lack of progress.
4) It
is normal for non-dyslexic children to have slight
speech problems. However, dyslexic children would
have more difficulty. The normal child's speech
becomes more distinct and clearer with the coming
of age. This progress is not present in dyslexic
children at all. Confusion of words is also rampant
in dyslexic children. Some even say tebby-dare instead
of teddy-bear. Word substitution is quite common
in dyslexia.
5) Dyslexic
children find it difficult to adhere to proper sequencing.
Children love having songs and nursery rhymes sung
to them. As time goes by, normal children learn
to sing along with the songs. Dyslexic children,
however, would find it hard to sing the words in
their proper order. Even if they hear the song all
day and all night, they would still find it difficult
to sing the song properly.
6) Interestingly,
research shows that a lot of dyslexic kids are actually
left handed. There are even some who are ambidextrous,
which means that the kid can write and do other
tasks with both his left and right hands. Why this
is so is yet to be determined. Although this may
be an advantage, this can also be an indication
of the symptom.
7) Dyslexia
is often mistaken for ADHD, because both exhibit
the symptoms of mediocre listening abilities and
short concentration and attention span. Because
of these symptoms, the dyslexic child would often
seem restless and incapable of keeping still for
a period of time. The main cause of this behavior
is the fact that the dyslexic child's short-term
abilities are quite poor. Because of this, the child
has to concentrate very hard to process information,
which is quite hard on the kid himself.
8) Being
able to tell the correct time of the day is an easy
task for a normal child. But for a dyslexic child,
this simple task becomes laborious. If you find
your child having difficulty telling the correct
time, taking longer than his peers, then he just
might be dyslexic.
9) The
child's drawing and writing abilities should be
observed as well. Look for difficulties in holding
crayons, pencils, and such. Also, watch out for
letters that are poorly formed. This is quite expected
from a child, but after a few times of instruction,
any child could do this successfully already. The
dyslexic child, however, would still find it hard
to create these letters in question. Watch out if
your child writes your letters backwards, or draws
pictures in a right-to-left direction.
10) As
mentioned above, research shows that dyslexia can
be genetic. So, if you have a certain member in
your family who is dyslexic, then you should pay
extra attention to the usual symptoms that come
with the condition.
However,
just because your child exhibits one or two or even
a lot of these symptoms, you do not have any reason
to panic right away. The best thing to do here is
to have a child psychologist evaluate your child,
so that the right diagnosis can be determined.
Children
with Special Needs -> Dyslexia symptoms in
Children
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