Dyslexia

 

A guide for parents & teachers

At home …

Rahul is so good, he tries so hard, but why can't he learn?

When will Shoba learn the days of the week, her multiplication tables, and the months of the year in sequence?

Abdul has such creative ideas and can talk about anything in the world, but why are his marks so poor?

Ravi is so bright but why can't he read?

Why can't my son sit still for 5 minutes?

When will my 12-year-old daughter learn to tell the time from the clock?

Why can't my child follow instructions? Why is he so confused between left and right?

Why is he so careless, forgetful and irresponsible with his work and his belongings?

... does your child show any of these symptoms? As a parent have you felt exasperated, helpless and depressed?

At School ...

He is an intelligent child but fails in his exams

He reads 'saw' as 'was', writes b as d and p as q, 14 as 41 and can't remember the correct spellings for most common words.

He misplaces his books, loses homework, forgets the date, gets confused with the time

He can do math in his mind but makes mistakes when he writes it down.

He hates to read and more so to write but loves to talk.

He is the hyperactive child who gets into trouble at school and is often punished.

He may also be the quiet child in the classroom but learns nothing.

... does your student show any of these symptoms? As a teacher have you felt exasperated, helpless and depressed?

Chances are, he or she may be showing a learning difficulty.

Most children by age 6 are ready for formal education. The child can sort, classify, categorise, and organize information in his mind. He is ready for teaching.

What is LD?

The learning disabled (LD) child is not ready on time. He is disorganized and immature rather than abnormal.

The LD child can't make sense of what he receives through his senses, even though all his senses, sight, hearing etc are still intact.

The messages he receives are jumbled and scattered. He is distractible and people think he is not paying attention, but in fact, he maybe paying too much attention to too many things.

The term LD includes dyslexia (reading difficulty) dysgraphia (writing difficulty) dyscalculia (math difficulty). These difficulties may be further complicated by ADHD {attention deficit hyperactive disorder} or ADD{attention deficit disorder}. If by the third grade a child is really not able to do well and a good deal of the symptoms described above are present, then it is worth seeking professional help.

Recommended books for reading

1.  ‘No Easy Answers’ by Sally Smith.
2.  ‘Overcoming Dyslexia’ by Beve Hornsby.
3.  ‘Out of Sync Child’ by Carol Stock.
4 . ‘Out of Sync Child has Fun’ by Carol Stock.
5.  ‘The True Gift of Dyslexia’ by R.D.Davis.