What is Dyslexia?

Please read the below lines carefully –

We are certain; most of you may have skipped it, didn’t you? Please go back and try reading it again!

It is difficult to understand, right? A person with dyslexia goes through a similar situation when we ask them to read in a language they have learned or being taught.

Does that mean they don’t understand that language? No, that’s not the case. A person with dyslexia can be excellent in using language orally. The problems arise when they are asked to ‘Read’.

Dyslexia is generally known as a learning disorder characterised by difficulty in reading. People with dyslexia only have difficulty in reading and does that not mean that they are dumb or stupid? People with dyslexia can have average or above-average intelligence.

Do people with dyslexia make errors in reading due to poor vision? No. Despite a clear vision, they often misinterpret what they read. Also, such reading problems are seen despite adequate education and literacy.

Speaking in medical terms, ‘Dyslexia’ is a neurobiological condition. It comes under a wide term called ‘Learning disability'. The condition causes difficulty in reading. It simply means that the child/person with dyslexia does not understand the meaning of what is being read. All the people with dyslexia mostly show similar patterns of errors in reading and comprehension. 

Common patterns of errors in reading amongst dyslexic people –

• They may omit a letter or a word, e.g. in the word ‘part’, they may omit ‘r’ and read it as ‘pat’. This misinterprets the meaning. Also, they might add letters or words unnecessarily, for e.g. ‘like’ may be read by them as ‘liking’.
  

•  Similar looking letters might be inverted upside down, for e.g. ‘p’ may be read as ‘b’ and ‘n’ may be read as ‘u’, etc.

• They may reverse the spellings from left to right or right to left, for e.g. ‘Pot’ may be read as ‘Top’.
• They may substitute the spelling with unrelated letters or words, for e.g. ‘Blackboard’ may be read as ‘Black gourd’. They may also substitute the words with another word of similar meaning, for e.g. ‘Car’ may be interpreted as ‘Vehicle’.
• They may interpret what they read in a wrong sequence of words in a sentence, for e.g. they may read ‘Tim is a good boy’ and interpret it as ‘Good boy is a Tim’.

From the above examples, does it mean that a person with dyslexia can never excel in learning? That’s not the case. With suitable learning methods, one can be able to attain success in education. A teacher, parent, or any interested individual can learn about Dyslexia and its management through courses available on Learning disabilities.

The point to be noted is, persons with dyslexia have normal intelligence and no other sensory disability, and still, they face difficulty due to wiring of the brain. Dyslexia is not something that can be ‘cured’ by any treatment but it can be suitably ‘managed' through certain strategies and techniques.

Thu Dec 24, 2020