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We’ve all heard of a phenomenon like dyslexia. It most often appears in the context of schoolchildren and learning problems. What is dyslexia and how does it manifest itself, which is one of the most common types of dyslexia? Here is a handful of important background information on developmental dyslexia.
Dyslexia – a short presentation of the phenomenon
Developmental dyslexia belongs to a broader category called dyslexia. This, in turn, along with dysorthography and dysgraphia, is one of the common problems in learning such basic activities as writing or reading in children.
The difficulties faced by students in learning to write and read can be divided into several general complexes. These are: general dyslexia, also called proper, concerning disorders in reading ability and learning; dysgraphia – concerns problems in learning to write correctly; dissorthography – disturbance of the ability to use correctly the rules of spelling. What is important, dyslexia may include problems with both reading and reading and writing at the same time.
Dyslexia two main subtypes are distinguished: developmental dyslexia and acquired. The first is when a child’s overall mental development is disturbed. Acquired dyslexia it is independent of the course of developmental processes and most often results from congenital brain damage. The damage may vary in intensity and nature – from slight neurological changes in specific parts of the brain, to general impairment of mental abilities (intellectual disability), and damage to only specific parts of the brain. In the first case dyslexia can be divided into several further types:
- visual dyslexia – occurs when a child suffers from impaired visual perception, remembering visual sensations or problems related to eye-hand coordination;
- auditory dyslexia – associated with disorders of the ability to perceive auditory perception, remembering auditory sensations or with impaired language functions;
- Integrative dyslexia – its main cause is impaired cooperation of perceptual-motor skills.
Developmental dyslexia
Developmental dyslexialike any type dyslexia, mainly concerns problems with the use of language. Often, under its diagnosis, various problems and dysfunctions are hidden. In other words – developmental dyslexia it may show up differently in different people.
The ground developmental dyslexia there are neurobiological disorders occurring in the frontal, temporal and occipital lobes. These are the areas of the brain responsible for information processing, communication and language skills, the ability to read graphic signs and the analysis of sounds. Consequently – dyslexia may, on a case-by-case basis, address slightly different aspects of language use. In addition, in the course of research on dyslexics some clear differences in the structure of the cerebral hemispheres were noted. In a normally developing child, the hemispheres are asymmetrical: the left hemisphere is usually larger than the right hemisphere. In children suffering from dyslexia however, we notice a much smaller difference between the hemispheres, which become more symmetrical.
It should be emphasized at this point that the speech developmental dyslexia most often it is not related to the IQ and other mental abilities of the child. As long as only dyslexia it is not the result of a general mental retardation, it does not affect his mental faculties in any major way. In other words, dyslexic the child has the opportunity to fully develop their competences and mental abilities. Hence, developmental dyslexia it is usually maintained throughout life – also in adults – and does not preclude the possibility of leading a normal, independent life.
Developmental dyslexia – how to proceed?
The most important thing in the case of a child with found dyslexia appropriate behavior of adults responsible for his upbringing and teaching. Parents and teachers should adopt the attitude of facilitators of the learning process. Kid dyslexic likely to have more learning disabilities than a child without such a diagnosis. However, this does not mean that dyslexic is unable to master the material provided for the average student of his class. Well, it can do it, and below we present some introductory tips for parents and guardians.
First of all, motivate children to work and learn. Internal motivation is especially important – seeing, appreciating and praising your progress at work, even when it comes to small steps in learning to read or write. It is also worth spending more time reading: both reading to your child and getting them to read. It is worth reaching not only for school reading, but also interesting books that stimulate the child’s imagination. This will allow him to develop an intrinsic motivation to read, despite his problems with dyslexia. It is also worth reaching for specialized exercises intended for dyslexic kids.