There is nothing quite frustrating to a parent like when your child is not doing well in school; when they do not seem to comprehend what is taught and seem to be lagging behind their peers.
When this is the case, two things happen: either the child is labelled as stupid or lazy or the child is thought to be dyslexic. So then, how is a parent to tell when the child just needs some extra tuition or actually has a learning disorder?
The truth is, a parent has no way of knowing unless they take their child to a professional who will use a formal evaluation kit to determine whether or not the child has dyslexia.
It is important to do this because dyslexia is not a word we should be throwing around carelessly. It is actually a neurological disorder that causes the brain to process and or interpret data differently than what is considered normal.
Nonetheless, even without this test, it is possible – especially if you have other children – to notice that all may not be well with your child.
This is because dyslexia does not just exhibit itself in the classroom but also in day to day activities. A dyslexic person will generally have a hard time expressing himself and understanding what has been expressed by another person.
This is because they have a challenge in using and processing vocabulary which greatly limits their verbal skills. They also have a problem structuring their thoughts and do not seem to comprehend abstract thought or non-literal language.
For example, a dyslexic does not get jokes and sarcasm is lost on them. With this individual, it is best to clearly state what you mean without using cryptic language.
The American National Centre for Learning Disabilities gives the following warning signs as key indicators that there is need to have the individual tested for dyslexia.
The centre also notes that these symptoms need to have been observed consistently over a long period of time, that is, they are not a one-off occurrence that can be tied to a specific event – especially traumatic – in the child’s life.
Young children
These are pre-school or nursery school going children who have trouble with:-
· Recognising letters, matching letters to sounds, and blending sounds into speech
· Pronouncing words, for example saying "mawn lower" instead of "lawn mower"
· Learning and correctly using new vocabulary words
· Learning the alphabet, numbers, and days of the week or similar common word sequences
· Rhyming
School age children
These are primary school children (seven years plus) who have trouble:-
· Mastering the rules of spelling
· Remembering facts and numbers
· Handwriting or with gripping a pencil
· Learning and understanding new skills - instead, relying heavily on memorisation
· Reading and spelling, such as reversing letters (d,b) or moving letters around (left, felt)
· Following a sequence of directions
· Trouble with word problems in math
Teenagers and adults
These are mature individuals who exhibited all the above symptoms as they were growing up and now have obvious trouble with:
· Reading at the expected level
· Understanding non-literal language, such as idioms, jokes, or proverbs
· Reading aloud
· Organising and managing time
· Trouble summarising a story
· Learning a foreign language
· Memorising
The child who has dyslexia is usually greatly frustrated with the learning process which leaves a big dent on their self-image. If left unaddressed, this child will loose all motivation to apply themselves in school which only serves to make the situation worse and creates an even bigger dent in the child’s self-esteem.
To end this vicious cycle, once a child has been diagnosed as being dyslexic, treatment should commence immediately. The way to do this is have the child interact with a ‘special needs’ teacher.
This is a teacher who is professionally trained to apply various techniques in his or her teaching that will, among other things, help the child develop print knowledge, recognitions skills and linguistic awareness through use of multi-sensory structured instruction when introducing new ideas.
To complement this, a parent can seek help to aid the child deal with the emotional issues that are as a result of the academic difficulties.
Carole Kiamah's 'Diary of a mum' resumes next week
