| The Dictionary defines dyslexia as "an impaired ability | | | | speak, difficulty comprehending and implementing |
| to read" or "difficulty in reading when experienced by | | | | mathematical operations, difficulty learning a foreign |
| persons with normal vision and normal or | | | | language, etc. A person could easily have one or more |
| above-normal intelligence. It is a developmental reading | | | | of these symptoms. |
| disorder (DRD) which is caused by the brain's inability | | | | So How Do They Learn? |
| to recognize and process symbols. Common | | | | Dyslexic people are visual, multi-dimensional thinkers |
| symptoms of this DRD include reading words with the | | | | who are intuitive and highly creative. They excel at |
| letters in reverse order (as in 'fyl' for 'fly'), have trouble | | | | hands-on learning, think in pictures, and benefit from |
| rhyming and separating the sounds in spoken words, | | | | multi-sensory approaches to teaching and learning. |
| etc. The International Dyslexia Association defines it as | | | | Multi-sensory approaches are quite simply, focused on |
| a difficulty with phonemic awareness, short-term | | | | as many of the five senses as possible - i.e the |
| memory, and processing issues with a neurological | | | | teaching methods that target the auditory, visual, |
| origin. | | | | kinesthetic, and tactile modes of learning. However, we |
| It can affect writing, reading and the pronunciation of | | | | are aware that people who have dyslexia are not |
| words. The result of this learning disability is that | | | | typically strong in the area of the auditory, therefore a |
| academic success could become a challenge, | | | | pure lecturing style will not be to their greatest benefit. |
| however, with the correct teaching methods, it can | | | | For further details please see my page called How is |
| become manageable which will enable dyslexics to | | | | Your Child Smart? |
| learn successfully. | | | | The Upside |
| Symptoms of Dyslexia | | | | The brain seems to compensate for areas that are |
| Studies show that up to fifteen to twenty percent of | | | | lacking - and in many cases, it has been proven that |
| the US population have some symptoms of dyslexia | | | | irrespective of this learning disability people can be |
| which include mixing up words that look alike, poor | | | | talented in several areas that are listed below; |
| reading, spelling and writing abilities, re-arranging the | | | | Inventive - many inventors have been known to have |
| letters in the words, etc. Bearing in mind that this | | | | been sufferers (ex. Einstein and Edison) of this learning |
| learning disability has little or even nothing to do with | | | | disability. |
| one's intellectual ability, a sufferer can still be extremely | | | | Able to see the birds eye view of any situation |
| smart. In fact a person can have a very high IQ and | | | | Innovative thinking |
| still be a sufferer. This learning disability is said to run in | | | | Great acting abilities |
| families, yet it is not unusual for someone to be gifted | | | | Able to think in three-dimensions as do architects. |
| in other areas or academia and yet be significantly | | | | Entrepreneurial Skills (Henry Ford Richard Branson and |
| dyslexic. | | | | William Hewlett) |
| The typical signs of this learning disability vary from | | | | Good at "hands on" tasks and able to mend things. |
| one person to another. Some of the symptoms include | | | | So academics may not always be their strongest point |
| difficulty learning the letters and sounds, difficulty | | | | (it often is), but they may have many other areas that |
| memorizing numerical facts such as times tables and | | | | they can use to showcase their talent. So parents, help |
| telephone numbers, difficulty determining the meaning | | | | your child focus on their strengths - and they WILL be |
| (idea content) of a simple sentence, difficulty learning to | | | | successful! |