Child Dyslexics: the myths and the realities

Dyslexia affects around 10 per cent of the population and is a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD). It does not only concern reading and writing, but can also impact on maths, spelling, memory and organisational skills.

Dyslexia is one of an array of Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs). Others included under this general term include:

  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – this condition includes difficulty sustaining attention, ADD can exist with or without hyperactivity;
  • Dyscalculia – specific difficulty with aspects of mathematics;
  • Dyspraxia/Developmental Co-ordination Disorder – involving difficulty with motor coordination and organising some cognitive skills;
  • Dysgraphia – difficulty with fine motor skills, especially for handwriting;
  • Aspergers syndrome – this includes difficulty with certain interpersonal skills and may be seen as the mild end of the autistic spectrum;
  • Specific language Impairment.

Characteristics
The Rose Review (2009), commissioned by the government in England, ‘Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties’, provided the following working definition of dyslexia and its characteristics: ‘A learning difficulty that primarily affects the skill involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling’.

Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed. It occurs across the range of intellectual abilities and is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, with no clear cut-off points.

Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia.

A good indication of the severity and persistence of dyslexic difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual responds, or has responded, to well founded intervention.’

Acknowledged by the BDA, some dyslexic individuals also experience visual processing difficulties. These can include visual stress, visual tracking problems, binocular visual dysfunction and difficulty with visual-motor perception. They may reverse letters or numbers or mis-sequence, report that letters ‘move’, lose their place more frequently reading across lines of print, be sensitive to the ‘glare’ from the white page/board/screen and their eyes can tire more easily when reading. These difficulties can also affect reading musical notation. Visual stress symptoms can also sometimes be suffered by Non-dyslexic individuals.

Furthermore, dyslexic learners can show a combination of abilities and difficulties that affect the learning process. Some may have strengths in areas such as problem solving, design, creative skills, interactive and oral skills.

Phonological processing problems is widely accepted to be a key difficulty for many dyslexics. Connecting letter shapes to letter sounds, breaking words down into sounds, or building strings of sounds up into words and understanding of the way sounds work within words can be a struggle and can undermine the early acquisition of written language skills. Hearing the difference between certain letter sounds, word retrieval and speed of processing can also be problematic for some dyslexic individuals. These issues can impact on musical skills.

Other issues
Some dyslexic individuals also experience elements of another SpLD. These are referred to as ‘co-morbid’ or ‘co-occurring’ difficulties, though in families where dyslexia is evident there can be a higher amount of individuals with other SpLDs that the dyslexic individual may not have personally as co-occurring.

The present statistic of one in five children leaving primary school unable to read or write is contributed to by those who fall behind in their reading at school, not being correctly identified if they are dyslexic and given appropriate intervention programmes until they are two or more years behind their expected levels. This can make the transition to senior school traumatic for them. It is during this time that the child may begin to become anti-social and their behaviour may deteriorate dramatically. For these young people, the future is potentially blighted and they are at serious risk of becoming disaffected and in some cases involved with the criminal justice system.

Of course there are exceptions and there are schools which are very good at recognising dyslexic children and who can provide the appropriate support and assistance. Students who have had their dyslexia recognised at school find their learning development less troublesome and tutors are more knowledgeable as to their learning difficulties and possible strengths.

Possible signs of dyslexia
Throughout their school career a dyslexic child may display certain tell-tale signs. These may include appearing to be bright and able, but unable to write their thoughts down on paper; having areas in which they excel, particularly in drama, art and debating; be clumsy; act as the ‘class clown’ to mask what they see as their academic failure; become withdrawn and isolated, sitting at the back and not participating; be able to do one thing at a time very well but can’t remember an entire list; look ‘glazed’ when language is spoken too quickly; go home exhausted at the end of a normal day because they have had to put so much effort into learning, and succeptibility to being bullied.

There are also more age specific signs.Pre-school children may show:

  • Persistent difficulty in learning nursery rhymes or the name for things, like ‘table’ or ‘chair’;
  • Difficulty with clapping a simple rhythm;
  • Enjoyment of being read to but no interest in words or letters;
  • Delayed speech development;

Primary school children may show a poor sense of direction and confusion between left and right; pronounced reading difficulties, specifically hesitant or laboured reading, omitted lines or repetition of the same line or loss of place in the text and difficulties in saying multi-syllabic words.

They may also confuse similar letters, like ‘b’ and ‘d’, ‘p’ and ‘q’ and ‘w’ and ‘m’– resulting in some bizarre spelling.

Secondary school pupils may continue to experience the same problems as at primary school, such as continuing to read inaccurately; confusing places, times and dates; have difficulty planning and writing essays, and suffering poor confidence and low self esteem.

Further challenges

In addition, secondary school offers a new set of challenges which place a huge amount of pressure on dyslexic pupils, who already have problems with their short-term memory and organisational skills.

These may demonstrate themselves through difficulty organising life around a timetable; failing to remember which books to bring to class; misunderstanding complex instructions; problems making notes at speed and completing work on time; having memory impediments which affect the marshalling of learned facts in exams.

One area that needs to be addressed is how school and colleges spend their Special Education Needs budget. A dyslexic student may be allocated time with a learning support teacher and some may receive targeted assistive technology. More often, if support is provided within state schools, it may well be from a teaching assistant (supporting in the classroom and/or delivering a recommended written language programme, such as in a small group). It is crucial that all of these staff have appropriate levels of dyslexia training, but often this is not the case.

The BDA accredits courses for teachers and teaching assistants working in this field (see www.bdadyslexia.org.uk for details).

A prime example of how dyslexia specialist support can allow a child to reach their potential is the case of Ben. Ben is a twelve year old dyslexic boy who had been given learning assistant support for the past six years yet made no improvement in his reading, writing or spelling. Ben was then given twenty hours of dyslexia specialist support and his reading, writing and spelling improved by two years.

There is not a cure for dyslexia but by using appropriate coping strategies dyslexics can overcome their difficulties, as Ben has, allowing them to achieve good qualifications and suitable employment in the future.

Dyslexia training
In response to the immense demand for dyslexia training, the B.D.A. has developed an INSET (in-service) dyslexia awareness training day to help teachers, in all areas of education, support their dyslexic students.

The four specific areas of the training are: dyslexia awareness, how to identify dyslexia, how to support the dyslexic student and how to choose appropriate assistive technology. The training day also includes specific teaching techniques and the impact of dyslexia on the individual. With every teacher place there is a free place for governors.

Overloading pupils with instructions or criticisms can have a negative impact. Dyslexic pupils benefit from multi-sensory teaching methods that are clear and broken into brief sections. This principle is central to the course, which teaches that difficulties with reading and writing need not lead to dyslexic pupils feeling alienated from school if teachers use an approach that recognises that dyslexic individuals process information differently.
Keys to a ‘dyslexia friendly’ classroom include the removal of any necessary barriers to learning and enhancement of strengths; the determination of all individual learning needs, and teaching in such a way that these individuals can learn from.

Teachers often comment that what works well for dyslexia pupils also benefits other pupils as well. This is an important point as being ‘dyslexia friendly’ actually means being learner friendly for everyone.

Crucial to a child’s education is appropriate use of ICT and assistive technology. Some of the popular computer programmes used in today’s classrooms were originally designed for dyslexic children. When ICT is used effectively, many of the barriers to and differences in learning can be reduced or overcome. Assistive technology, used in conjunction with multi sensory teaching, can enable the dyslexic child to access the curriculum and learn more successfully.

Dyslexia friendly classrooms
As part of the mission to achieve ‘dyslexia friendly’ classrooms, the BDA run a certification scheme, the Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark, which encourages schools to make themselves more responsive to the needs of dyslexic pupils; the BDA’s training courses can form a part of the process for achieving this status. Several local authorities and many schools have achieved the Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark certificate, benefiting their pupils. (Further information is available from: qualitymark@bdadyslexia.org.uk or 01344 38 1551).

For general help and enquiries about dyslexia go to the BDA’s website where you will find a wealth of information about dyslexia, or call the national helpline (0845 251 9002) between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, and between 5pm and 7pm on Wednesdays.

For more information
Tel: 0845 251 9002
admin@bdadyslexia.org.uk
www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
For video clips of famous dyslexics:
http://www.xtraordinarypeople.com