An Overview Of Dyslexia Treatments
When a child with normal vision, hearing, and intelligence can’t learn to read or write, a learning disability may be the problem. The first signs of dyslexia are difficulties learning basic reading and writing skills. Adults have difficulties spelling, memorizing, summarizing, and reading aloud. Dyslexia treatments use multisensory techniques to teach reading, writing, and mnemonic devices. When dyslexia is recognized and specialized education provided, students succeed in school and in the workplace.
Early diagnosis prepares students for success. Students with undiagnosed dyslexia often feel frustrated and stupid. Signs of this learning disability include letter reversal or mirror writing, poor spelling, difficulty knowing left from right, difficulties with rhyming, difficulty with phonics, problems understanding and remembering what is read. The delayed learning curve doesn’t match intelligence estimates made from other observations.
Multisensory learning techniques helps the brain develop new pathways to process reading and writing information. With audio learning techniques students may learn to spell orally. Letter formation in cursive writing is often easier for dyslexic students to master. An alphabet card is a visual reminder during writing assignments. Sensory techniques can help students feel the correct formation of letters. This can be done with wooden letters painted on the correct side so “d” and “b” and “6” and “9” won’t be confused. Other sensory learning tools include tracing letters and forming letters from clay.
Assessment includes testing in reading and writing. The specialist looks for adding, dropping, or changing words, pulling words from other lines, reversing or transposing letters and words, letter reversal, and mirror writing. Testing identifies the specific problem areas, and the techniques that will be most successful.
Schools in the US are required by law to provide specialized education to students with learning disabilities. If your child is dyslexic, ask for an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan, setting specific goals and strategies to measure your child’s success. Accommodations can include extra time to take tests, oral assistance with tests, and use of a laptop for writing tests. Audiobooks may be available for some classes.
Some popularly used learning systems are Corrective Reading, Lindamood-Bell Program, Failure Free Reading, Wilson Reading System, and PALS Reading. Testing will identify learning strengths and weaknesses. An educational specialist can recommend a learning strategy for success. New neural pathways must be developed to process visual information, and this is possible at any age. Daily practice is the key to success.
It’s hard to comprehend reading materials when it’s a struggle to read. A severe dyslexic may never be a fluent reader but there’s no reason to despair. With a laptop and spellcheck, dyslexics can be prolific and creative writers. Text to audio software translates written information for oral learners. Taping one’s notes and audiobooks are valuable coping strategies. Other coping techniques include mnemonic devices to memorize numerical information, color coding types of information, a GPS for travel.
Dyslexia does seem to be inherited. It’s not a physical disability but a neurological processing disorder. It is not an indicator of intelligence. Successful people in all walks of life have coped with dyslexia. Some well known names include Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Cruise, Mohammad Ali, and John Lennon.
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