Learning Disability (Dyslexia)

Introduction

Learning disability refers to the condition that brings about the difficulties observed in the acquisition of both knowledge and skills to the optimum level expected for the persons of the same age. However, it should be noted that the learning disability should never be associated with the physical handicap. Learning disability is usually brought about by a disorder known as dyslexia, whereby an individual fails to fully comprehend words in a book or a learning material even despite having above average levels of intelligence.  Early signs of the disorder are often noted when an individual is enrolled to a learning institution. Usually, the signs expose an individual with a normal desire to learn but is let down by the involuntary difficulty in doing so.

Learning disability is a disorder in one or more fundamental psychological process used to comprehend language use; both written and spoken. The speech impairment prevents the affected person from communicating efficiently. Their articulation of words is blurred and so are their voices. Visual disability is associated to eyesight. The inability of a child to see adversely affects their understanding and comprehension of the world around them.

Definition of Terms Associated with Learning Disability.

There are terms used in reference to children with a disability- which ease understanding of the entire disorder. These terms include the following:

1.      Autism

Autism refers to a disability which affects children under three years and hinders them from effective verbal and non-verbal communication. Often, autism is associated with impairment in social life and the abnormal behavior of repetitiveness and restriction. Generally, the signs are noticed during early years of child’s growth and development. However, most children will outgrow these disorders if administered on medication earlier.

2.      Cognitive Disability

Cognitive disability generally leads to the alteration of the smooth running of the brain activities and functionality, hence hindering adaptive behavior. It is quite evident during the development period of a child. Cognitive disabilities also broaden to deafness, hearing disability and both deaf and blindness.

Diagnosis of a Learning Disability in Children.

Determining disability in children is difficult. Children mature differently and at different rates depending on their environment. Observation of children while at school may not create an accurate assumption. An accurate study on learning disability for toddlers requires time for various assessments to be done and sidelining of normal behavior among children from children with disability.

Education for Children with Learning Disability

i)                    Special Education

The education sector is reasoned the most important part of an individual’s life. Every learner should be educated regardless of their intellectual abilities. Educators must handle each student professionally bearing in mind their actions shape the lives of their learners. As much as learning disability hinders comprehensive learning, educators and parents at large must plan out the learning process of students if the very students are to attain high grades (Christo et al., 2009).

ii)                  Conducive Learning Environment

Special schools ought to be constructed to cater for students who suffer from a severe learning disability. The deficient students are bright in their way only that they require longer to understand concepts. The environment around students with a learning disability should be custom-made toward the needs of specific learners. Detailed examples based on the surrounding and available resources enable learners with a disability to understand explanations. For instance, when a tree is said to be alive, the learners -- who can gain access to actual trees-- can see for themselves why a tree is considered to be living

iii)                Moral Support

Learners with a disability should not be ridiculed and mocked. Schools are the sites of a lot of bullyings. Students with higher academic abilities frequently look down on the lesser able students. The insults are taken up to be facts by weak hearted disable learners. In the long run, the affected students portray withdrawal symptoms terming themselves as unworthy. Punishment of such bullies will serve as a warning to like-minded students with unethical behavior.

Common Misconceptions Regarding Dyslexia

i)                    Opposite Reading Methods

Dyslexia hinders children from reading efficiently. It is a chronic problem that significantly deters children from solving problems in class. For instance, a student who suffers from dyslexia is unable to solve Mathematical questions in front of the classroom. Dyslexia is more common in boys more than girls. There are many misconceptions about dyslexia, among them, stating that an individual suffering from dyslexia reads from the left side to the right side then reverse the words. According to experts, individuals suffering from dyslexia are simply wired different which reduces their phonological awareness. Nevertheless, it has little to do with the recognition of words (Davis, 2010).

ii)                  Low Levels of Motivation

At first students and children at large may appear to their teachers and parents respectively as though they are not motivated. This assumption is incorrect as dyslexia disorder may cause behavioral problems as well as lack of motivation. The disorder requires educators to handle students professionally and parents to handle their children with care and understanding. The affected individuals are to be acknowledged and regularly monitored.

Factors that Causes Dyslexia

i). Genetic Factors

A number of factors cause dyslexia as a disorder. Although the actual cause of dyslexia is unknown, it is inherited from parents. Children are innate parents whom in their younger age suffered from dyslexia are prone to contract the disease. Experts have discovered that structural differences in the left hemisphere of an individuals’ brain causes dyslexia. Since the disorder affects the linkage of words and their phonetic content a new born will evidently acquire and portray this disorder later in life (Pennington, 2009). 

ii). Hereditary Factors

Dyslexia could be stimulated by environmental factors, for instance, complications experienced during pregnancy and birth trauma. A newborn is susceptible to dyslexia if not handled with care.  The trend of giving birth at home is highly discouraged by doctors. Children who suffer from birth trauma are at risk of contracting the disorder even if their parents were not affected (Nicolson& Fawcett, 2010). 

Exposure to toxins and infections may damage the left hemisphere of an individual’s brain. Extensive damage to this part of the brain may cause shortened memory and difficulty in concentration for a long time. The brain damage subsequently limits the efficiency of an individual.

Dyslexia Symptoms

There are several symptoms that are usually associated with dyslexia. Symptoms of dyslexia are easy to identify while an individual is still young. Parents are better places to identify the dyslexia disorder in their children before they begin they are enrolled in school. Some of the most evident symptoms of dyslexia are as discussed below:

i). Gradual Speech Development

The most evident symptom is the slow development of speech. Children who are left behind by their age mates in terms of language development should be diagnosed to ascertain if they have developed dyslexia since it is not the only cause of delayed speech in children.

ii). Hardship in Self Expression

Hardship to express oneself is also a symptom of dyslexia. Classroom activities are a nightmare for students who suffer from dyslexia. The affected students tend to shy away from active involvement in any class endeavor for fear of being ridiculed by fellow students. The stigma brought about by harassment pushes the affected students from socializing with their counterparts.

iii). Minimum interest in Alphabet Learning

School going children suffering from dyslexia show little interest in learning the alphabet. The affected students pronounce letters of the alphabet slowly to avoid making errors. If the task of pronunciation proves too difficult, the affected students develomp a disagreeable attitude.Consequently, the process of learning is hampered due to the confusion of subsequent words formed by lots of alphabets.

iv). Slow and Poor Writing Skills

Dyslexia causes students to write poorly and slowly. Educators have raised concern over the alarming number of students who do not complete their examinations in due time. Mathematical questions are left unattended in most poorly performed examinations. Literature examinations are hard hit. Students suffering from dyslexia are unable to write clearly. Their handwriting is commonly referred to as sketchy. Experts have cited poor handwriting as the cause of low grades handed out for literature essays (Swarbrick& Marshall, 2008). 

v). Difficulty in Meeting Deadlines

Meeting deadlines is important in for every learner. Students are suffering from dyslexia struggle to beat time limits set for various class activities example taking of notes, as well as handing in assignments. Students who suffer from dyslexia also find it hard to revise comprehensively for examinations’. They lack the proper reading material like the notes that were read in class since their note taking skills are very poor.

vi). Poor Planning Skills and Personal Organization

Teens suffering from dyslexia are poor at organizing their everyday schedules. Their ability to remember key aspects of their lives hinder them from being productive. Dyslexia reduces the potential of teens to multi-task within fixed school schedules. The affected teens take a lot of time to divert from one activity to another and easily lose interest in disciplines that require motivation such as sports.

vii). Difficulty in Memory Recall

As the teens grow older, they are unable to remember various aspects of their lives. Common scenarios are individuals who cannot recall their own phone numbers and the pin of their online accounts. A lot of time is taken by such individuals to carry out one activity at the expense of others.

Strategies for Assisting People Suffering From Dyslexia

Students suffering from dyslexia should be handled professionally. Each affected child’s abilities are limited differently. The following are some of the strategies that can be used to help students suffering from dyslexia.

1. Constant Supervision

 While some can cope quickly, other takes considerably longer to understand simple concepts in class. Frequent supervision of affected students helps nurture their academic abilities. Mathematical problems should be handled step by step giving elaborate examples. The more the affected student is exposed to a pattern of solving problems, the more efficient them out (Pennington, 2009).

2. Conducting Intelligence Quotient Tests Periodically

The intellectual capability of students should be measured. Records of academic capabilities of learners ease identification of students suffering from dyslexia. Seclusion may be employed in cases where students have showcased adverse effects of dyslexia. The intellectual ability of a student can be boosted by positive motivation. The attitude “I can do it too” propels the affected learners to face their challenges.

3. Allocation of roles according to the mental capacity of learners.

Following the analysis of each student’s intelligence, the roles given to low achievers in ought to be easier than higher achievers. The tasks have to nurture the little talent available in the mind of an affected student. The assignments elevation must be based on the pattern of progress showcased.

4. Family Support

Parental support is essential to countering the effects of dyslexia. Low self-esteem and depression in affected children can be countered by friendly parental care and love. Bedtime stories relax the minds of children before they go to sleep.

A child who sleeps without conflicting thoughts sleeps through the night peacefully and increases the rate of concentration in class. Consistent supervision of affected students’ both at home and at school assures the student that help is available. Formation of a pattern for the student to abide by creates uniformity in the life of the students. The standardized lifestyle reduces instances of memory loss and low levels of concentrations in the classroom as well as home activities. The biological parents who raised an affected child are better placed at handling their affected child even though expert assistance is highly recommended.

5. Employing the Effectiveness of Technology

Generally, electronic gadgets and diaries can be used to keep track of time. Alarms, although noisy, can be used to wake affected students while the diary outlines a list of activities for the day. A child affected by dyslexia will be better placed to partake in all the day’s activities after going through the sections of their diary (Ott, 1997).

6. Paring Affected Students with Higher Academic

Children may learn better when their counterparts assist them. There is no tension between classmates and the affected child is free to ask questions and receive answers instantly as compared to asking a question during class sessions. Students suffering from dyslexia take longer to understand a concept than their healthier fellows. The questions posed by dyslexia affected students must be answered comprehensively along with relevant reasoning and explanations. Such sessions should not take unreasonably long because the minds of the affected students cannot comprehend a lot of assessments at a time.

7. Creative assessment of students suffering from dyslexia

 Students suffering from dyslexia are not stupid; they only require creating new ways of learning concepts. If note taking is not efficient for a particular group of dyslexia affected students, then the composition of songs to elaborate explanations should be used.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people suffering from dyslexia need proper care and assistance. This should be accorded by both parents and teachers in the school. All the caretakers should always be on a lookout for the early signs of such a disability so that the victims can get the necessary medical assistance as soon as possible. Notably, the earlier the disability can be diagnosed, the higher the chances of being outgrown by the victim. Furthermore, self-motivation by the victims can be made possible if they get proper encouragement from both family members and the teachers at the school.

                                                References

Christo, C., Davis, J. M., & Brock, S. E. (2009). Identifying, assessing and treating dyslexia at school. New York: Springer.

Davis, R. (2010). The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some of the Brightest People Can't Read and How They Can Learn. London: Souvenir Press.

Nicolson, R., & Fawcett, A. (2010). Dyslexia, learning, and the brain. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

Ott, P. (1997). How to detect and manage dyslexia: A reference and resource manual. Oxford: Heinemann.

Swarbrick, J., & Marshall, A. (2008). The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Dyslexia: All You Need to Ensure Your Child's Success. Avon: Adams Media.

Pennington, B. F. (2009). Diagnosing learning disorders: A neuropsychological framework. New York: Guilford Press.