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As a parent
and like many other parents, we want our child to
do well and reading is a skill essential to succeed
in this present day. But what happens when a problem
arises in the reading process?
There
is the process of reading, and in addition to being
able to read there is also reading comprehension.
Put
simply, reading refers to the cognitive process of
understanding a written linguistic message and understanding
meaning from a piece of text.
These
reading difficulties could include:
- How reading
is taught in school;
- An attention deficit disorder;
- Another memory difficulty;
- Trouble sounding out or recognising words out of
context;
- A slow reading rate;
- Confusion between letters and sounds;
- Reading without expression;
- Responding to punctuation in an inappropriate way;
- Low intelligence;
- A physical disability such as poor vision or hearing;
- A lack of knowledge of the English language;
- Lack of important pre-reading skills; or
- Lack of exposure to printed material.
Some
of these problems are easily identifiable and treated,
but where a reading difficulty persists then a diagnosis
of a more complex reading problem may be identified.
A
more complex problem is one that may appear to be
brain based, whether inherited or not, it will follow
a more specific reading disability such as dyslexia.
What
Is Dyslexia?
Educator and researchers are still learning and identifying
what dyslexia is themselves.
Perhaps
we could say dyslexia is an overwhelming difficulty
to learn to read and write by normally intelligent
children. A language based problem.
If
we were to take the word itself it can be broken down
into 'dys', meaning not able or having difficulty
with, and 'lexia' which is Greek for language.
The problems associated
with dyslexia are:
- The reversal of letters;
- A tendency to be ambidextrous;
- Unable to remember sounds or names of letters;
- Unable to break words into component sounds;
- Writing
from right to left;
- Reading words
backwards;
- Substituting words for another related words; or
- Making new words by mixing letters from other words;
Support
Mechanisms
There are some simple activities one can do to support
a child with reading difficulties, such as choosing
stories with:
- A reduced number or words (or difficult words);
- Shorter passages and a clear message; and
- Clear and engaging illustrations.
There is also the option
of attending a course providing information about
how to build a child's pre-reading skills.
Most importantly, it
is fundamental to promote a positive attitude and
boost self esteem.
At the end of the day
the above is a very general list and one should not
panic if their child has one or two of these signs.
It is a culmination
of many factors that will contribute to a reading
difficulty that will give you cause for concern.
Early
Detection
Whether you are the parent or the teacher, early identification
of any reading difficulty is essential. Don't hesitate
and leave it, thinking the child will grow up and
it will go away after a year.
Early detection means
the child is likely to have greater success at overcoming
their reading difficulty. As educators we need to
deal with such problems as effectively as possible.
For parents, don't wait,
contact your teacher and discuss your concerns and
work towards contacting a professional reading specialist.
A reading specialist
can assess and discuss a future plan on how to tackle
the problem effectively. A reading specialist can
also provide the intensive instruction necessary to
support your child!
Whatever is diagnosed
don't despair, as these reading difficulties may be
corrected and improvement visible, but you must act
sooner rather than later!
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