By Hugo Elliot
Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects children and adults, alike. This disability leads to trouble breaking down and thus understanding words. People are unable to pronounce and comprehend words, which makes them slow at reading. Their comprehension of the language suffers as well.
Symptoms of dyslexia vary from person to person. People cope according to the severity of the disease. It is mostly identified during childhood, yet many children have to suffer through the ordeal of dyslexia.
There is no brain scan or blood test that can diagnose this issue. Moreover, most schools are not vested in diagnosing learning disabilities. Often, parents are unaware of the problem faced by their children, who themselves are unable to grasp why they cannot comprehend reading and writing resources.
It is, therefore, pertinent for the parents to be vigilant about the performance of their child at school. If they are struggling to cope with schoolwork, it is suggested that parents seek the help of the Best Child specialist in Lahore to get their child evaluated.
Signs of dyslexia tend to vary as per the age group as well.
Signs during preschool years
Children who have trouble making sounds, and especially those unable to say phrases till 15-24 months of age, have a higher risk of dyslexia.
Similarly, having a family history of dyslexia also increases the propensity of the child towards this condition.
Dyslexic children also present signs like trouble remembering names of alphabets and letters, not recognizing the rhyming patterns, not being fluent in the common nursery rhymes that their peers are.
Moreover, children who are not familiar with letters of their own name, or are not able to pronounce familiar words also have a higher risk of dyslexia.
Early school
Kids who are in kindergarten or so, present slightly different signs of dyslexia. Since children of this age are expected to be more fluent in reading, therefore, the learning disability becomes harder for the children to cope with.
Signs include difficulty breaking down words into their composite sounds, making reading errors that are not related even to the words, inability to read basic words. Furthermore, children also cannot make out the sounds associated with the letters.
Their phonetics are especially weak. They also tend to write letters and figures incorrectly. They often do not write the words in the correct sequence, alongside spelling inconsistently. While some children do well orally, their written skills continue to suffer.
Dyslexic children are slow at reading, and they often make errors when reading out aloud, or otherwise. Their ability to follow instructions and directions is also weak as a result. Dyslexia also causes children to be slower at completing their work, alongside having poor handwriting.
Moreover, dyslexic children’s ability to learn sequence, like days of the week, is especially weak. Since they struggle so much with school, children start to resent school. They complain about not understanding basic coursework and are not excited about the prospect of going to school.
Primary and middle school
An undiagnosed case of dyslexia can continue through middle school as well. Since dyslexia has no relationship with intelligence, it can be the case that your child is doing well otherwise in school, which makes it harder to recognize the signs.
Dyslexic children at this stage present signs like slowed reading, difficulty making out new words. Their ineloquence covers their lack of appropriate vocabulary. They are also not fluent in speaking.
Similarly, dyslexic children also have messy handwriting, they frequently mispronounce words and are hesitant in answering questions.
If you observe these signs in your child, it is important to get an evaluation from the Best Child specialist in Islamabad, so your child can get timely help.
