What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is quite common, and many successful individuals have dyslexia. Around 10% of the population have dyslexia, ranging from mild to severe.
Signs of dyslexia change with age. Its biological origin remains the same, but individuals' behaviours change over time. A diagnosis and changes in teaching style, content and delivery make a big difference too.
Research has proven that there are different ways of teaching that can help people with dyslexia succeed. There’s a lot you can do as a parent or student as well.
A good way to understand dyslexia is to establish what it is not. It’s not a sign of low intelligence or laziness. It’s also not due to poor vision ( although some individuals with dyslexia have visual processing) difficulties). Dyslexia is a condition that affects the way the brain processes written and spoken language.
Dyslexia is often associated with reading difficulties. However, many individuals with dyslexia manage to read well but can experience difficulties with areas of writing, spelling and even speaking. Their reading may remain slow or disjointed.
People with dyslexia can still understand complex ideas. Sometimes they just need more time to work through the information. They may also need a different way to process the information, such as listening to an audiobook instead of reading it.
If your child has dyslexia, they won’t outgrow it. It’s a lifelong condition. But that doesn’t mean your child can’t be happy and successful. There are many effective teaching strategies and tools that can help your child. In fact, many people with dyslexia have successful careers in business, science and the arts.
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There’s a long list of famous people with dyslexia. This list includes director Steven Spielberg, investor Charles Schwab and the actress Whoopi Goldberg.
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People with dyslexia are often very creative. It’s unclear whether such creativity comes from thinking outside the box or from having a brain that’s “wired” a bit differently.
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It’s important to keep in mind, however, that struggles with reading and other issues can lead to frustration and low self-esteem.
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The stress of dealing with schoolwork can make children with dyslexia lose the motivation to keep trying.
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There are lots of tools and strategies that can help. It might take some trial and error for you to figure out which work best for your child. But finding the right strategies and seeing improvement can boost your child’s confidence.
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Coast Dyslexia Diagnostic Assessments always have plenty of realistic recommendations for students, parents and teachers to help make teaching and learning more effective. Because all students differ in their profiles, recommendations are always tailored for each individual. We also know that children (and adults) learn best when there is an element of fun, so we remember to put that in too!