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Children
with Special Needs -> Dyslexia symptoms in Children
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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