What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning difficulty with processing words and reading. Still, it does not affect the general intelligence of an individual. For example, a person can face challenges with reading but have average or above-average intelligence.

People with dyslexia have a differently wired brain than the average population. In many cases, it is hereditary but can also be acquired due to a brain injury or dementia. Dyslexia can vary in range and degree, but it generally impacts the ability to recognise and process the relationship between sounds and letters.

Sometimes, even a short and familiar word can be challenging, and people try very hard to sound out a word. Spelling, writing, or speaking can also be affected in some cases. Therefore, a language processing difficulty is the most precise definition of dyslexia.

Signs and Symptoms of Dyslexia

People with dyslexia often have trouble with organising written and spoken language. This implies memorising letter symbols for sounds and coding memories for words. Other challenges that a person with dyslexia might cope with include:

Language and speech delay
Relating letters and their sounds
Challenges with reading, despite average intellectual capabilities
Trouble with spelling words
Struggle with memorising names for abstract and concrete concepts
Challenge with finishing tasks and tests within a given time frame

Difficulty remembering phone numbers and written lists
Trouble with reading maps and following directions
Challenge with learning foreign languages
Trouble with comprehending longer reading texts
Remembering number facts
Synchronising written and spoken language

However, not all people with one or more language difficulties mentioned above have dyslexia. The accurate assessment includes standardised tests of language, reading and writing abilities to establish the specific diagnosis.

Signs and Symptoms of Dyslexia in Children

Parents cannot precisely recognise the signs of dyslexia before school age. Typically, your child’s school teacher will be the first to notice the learning difference. However, certain traits might indicate that your loved one may be facing challenges with reading and language expression at preschool age. The following checklists reveal the earliest indicators of dyslexia according to children’s age:

Before School

Delayed speech or language development
Learning new words at a slower pace
Difficulty memorising or naming letters and numbers
Trouble with learning nursery rhymes and playing rhyming activities
Struggle with learning to sing or tell the alphabet
Substituting words and letters
Family history of reading difficulties

School Age

Signs of dyslexia may be more easily noticed once children start attending school. The most common differences that indicate dyslexia in school-age children include the following:

Difficulty learning to read
Learning to read later than peers of the same age
Difficulty understanding and comprehending what is heard
Trouble with selecting the right word or giving answers to questions
Trouble with spelling or writing
Trouble with the sequence and arrangement of words and things
Struggle with spotting the similarity and differences in words
Trouble with the sequence and arrangement of words and things

However, it is important to highlight that every child develops at a different pace. Some of these symptoms may appear due to many different causes that do not include dyslexia. Therefore, consult a GP or a learning specialist for a precise assessment if your child shows one or more learning differences.

Signs and Symptoms of Dyslexia in Teens and Adults

Teenagers and adults share similar signs and symptoms of dyslexia with preschool and school-age children. The symptoms include:

Struggle with learning a foreign language
Challenging pronunciation of words and names
Significant delay in completing reading and writing assignments
Trouble summarising things
Evading reading activities

Formal dyslexia assessment can be made with a comprehensive evaluation by a psychologist and learning (reading) specialist at any age.

Causes of Dyslexia

Whilst scientists are working hard on determining what causes dyslexia, the precise genesis is still not clear. Most studies based on MRI results show a difference in the anatomical and functional features of the brain in people with dyslexia. However, the most common factors of this reading learning difficulty include:

This reading difficulty does not indicate a lack of intelligence or motivation to learn. With the proper assessment and adequate teaching approach, people with dyslexia can significantly improve their reading skills.

Can Trauma Cause Dyslexia?

Yes. Physical and mental trauma can be potential causes of developing dyslexia. This is also known as acquired dyslexia, and it can affect people of all ages but is most common in adults. Trauma dyslexia is mainly related to traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Types of trauma that can trigger the onset of dyslexia include:

Motor vehicle crash
Fall from a height
Brain or progressive ear infections
Stroke or other conditions that cause oxygen deprivation
Drowning or strangulation
Some brain tumours

Emotional trauma is also seen as a potential cause of dyslexia. Whilst there is still no substantial evidence to sustain this type of dyslexia, specific situations that cause severe stress can lead to developing language learning difficulty. For example, emotional maltreatment, verbal or physical assault, neglect, or witnessing death might lead to dyslexia and related learning differences.

Can You Develop Dyslexia Later in Life?

Studies show that the reading skills of people gradually decrease with age. Whilst this is a biological and natural process, experiencing significant learning difficulties as an adult implies that you might have dyslexia.

In some cases, this is just childhood dyslexia that wasn’t diagnosed on time. In other, it can result from a specific neurodegenerative condition affecting the individual, brain injury or severe emotional trauma.

Types of Dyslexia

Learning and cognitive specialists identified five common types of dyslexia among people. This classification helps better understand the specific learning issue and improves the treatment’s success. Knowing the different types of dyslexia helps reading experts create efficient strategies based on the individual’s needs and helps them achieve the best improvement possible.

Phonological Dyslexia

This is the most common type of dyslexia. It affects the individual’s skills to relate sounds to letters. People with phonological dyslexia have difficulty sounding out words. Common signs of phonological dyslexia include:

Difficulty processing letters and sound relationships
Trouble with decoding unfamiliar words
Reading at a slower pace than the average reading speed
Trouble with spelling words
Avoiding reading tasks and activities
Spelling the same word differently in the same text
Trouble with recognising familiar words in different texts

Rapid Naming Dyslexia

Rapid naming dyslexia describes difficulty naming specific things like a letter, number, colour or object. Dyslexic people may need more time to remember the names of those terms. In addition, rapid naming dyslexia impacts an individual’s processing reading speed. People with this type of dyslexia may experience the following:

Slow oral responses
Completing reading and writing tasks at a slower pace than others at the same age
Trouble retrieving words
Replacing gestures with words
Inventing non-existing words instead of actual words
Tendency to change or to miss out on words

Surface Dyslexia

Surface dyslexia, also known as orthographic dyslexia and visual dyslexia, affects the ability to read by sight. Children with surface dyslexia might have trouble reading as they cannot recognise words by sight. This subtype of dyslexia involves difficulty recognising familiar words at a glance but decoding new words without a problem. Many people can have surface and phonological dyslexia. The main characteristics of surface dyslexia are:

Slow reading ability
Avoiding reading activities
Challenge in recognising whole words
Spelling difficulty
Trouble reading words that sound different than they're spelt
Trouble reading unfamiliar words by sight

Visual Dyslexia

Visual dyslexia is a learning difficulty that impacts the ability to memorise words written on a page. This is connected to visual functioning and short-term memory. Children with visual dyslexia often struggle with learning how to spell and form words, as these concepts require visual processing and memorising the letter sequence. People with visual dyslexia might experience the following:

Trouble keeping track of the line within a text
Blurred looking text
Losing and regaining focus while reading
Interchanging between single and double-looking text
Reading headaches or sometimes eye-strain
Tendency to change or to miss out on words

Double Deficit Dyslexia

This learning difficulty combines the naming speed and phonological challenges within a person. Double deficit dyslexia may have a more significant impact on people’s reading skills. The incidence is common, and the common symptoms include:

Dyslexia Treatment

Whilst Dyslexia is a life-long learning difficulty, proper evaluation and early interventions can improve people’s reading and writing skills. In many instances, the proper treatment can help and encourage children to read efficiently.

Educational methods are based on the person’s needs and requirements and have the greatest success when started as early as possible. Family education about dyslexia is also essential, as children spend most of their time with their parents and relatives.

The treatment typically includes a team of professionals, such as reading and learning specialists, who will design a specific action plan for your child. Individual learning strategies generally provide:

Learning how to identify and operate with the smallest sound units (phonemes)
Understand the concept of phonics- the relation between sounds and letters
Comprehend the process of reading
Practice loud reading to stimulate reading speed and fluency
Create a lexicon of acknowledged and comprehended words

The key to successful treatment is frequency and consistency. The exercises should be practised gradually and regularly. In some cases, children would benefit from tutorials with a reading expert.

For more prominent dyslexia, schools may have to implement an individual action plan for the child within the school programme.

FAQs

Guide for Parents and Family of Children with Dyslexia

Parents and family are the primary support and the safe place for a child. They represent the source of motivation, encouragement, love and belonging at the same time.

The most important thing for people with dyslexia is to be entirely accepted and respected in their homes and community. Therefore, the parents first need to embrace their child’s differences and learn how to help the child build the best version of himself.

Here are the steps you can take:

Early assessment- If you spot any difference in your child's learning skills, consult the general health care provider. Early intervention is the key to a successful outcome
Practice reading aloud with your child- The more you read with your child, the better results they will accomplish
Regularly cooperate with your child's school team- The parents and teachers can make the most fruitful team in helping your child cope with dyslexia
Create a reading time ritual- Build a daily reading routine to encourage your child to read. This will also help the child to accept their difference and not perceive it as an obstacle in further life
Read to your child- The reading time can also include a piece of your favourite book to inspire your child to read

Also, you can become a member of the Dyslexia Association in your community to understand better the learning difference and how to cope with one.

Learning Difficulties Associated with Dyslexia

Sometimes dyslexia goes hand in hand with other learning difficulties in the related domain. However, it’s important to distinguish that other learning disorders and vice versa do not cause dyslexia. Common learning difficulties associated with dyslexia are:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Dysphasia
Short-term memory

Living With Dyslexia

Early evaluation and intervention is the key to living a successful and rewarding life for people with dyslexia. Professional training and proper care can significantly improve the reading skills of people with dyslexia. Sometimes, hard work can make your child a competent reader.

Having dyslexia does not limit people’s academic and employment opportunities. People with dyslexia often have outstanding math, art, creativity, sports and similar skills. Most educational institutions provide appropriate accommodations for people with dyslexia, tailored learning programmes, trained educators, and exam preparation.

Emotional support is essential for people with a different ways of thinking and learning. People with dyslexia may often feel excluded and less capable than their peers. Sometimes, no matter how hard they try, the issue persists, leading to demotivation and, in some cases, frustration.

Family, friends, and the community should accept and embrace the differences and focus on a person’s strengths. Many people with dyslexia, including historical figures and all-time artists, have had outstanding achievements in invention, discovery and creativity. Some of them have even changed the world.

Leaf Complex Care is Supporting People With Dyslexia

At Leaf Complex Care, we embrace and appraise people who learn and think differently. Our company culture is focused on respect, acceptance and equal human rights for everyone in society. We celebrate our diversity and strive for everyone to be treated equally and without discrimination.

Our team of highly trained professionals provides a bespoke care plan for every child and adult with dyslexia. We are fully dedicated to the individual’s teaching strategies. Our goal is to motivate people to be the best versions of themselves.

We provide a human-based approach, empathy and a positive attitude to every individual with a learning diversity. Leaf Complex Care provides academic accommodation for your child, primarily focusing on a person’s emotional well-being and self-awareness.

Support Individuals with Dyslexia with Leaf Complex Care

Looking for a career in helping people with learning difficulties? You have landed in the right place. At Leaf Complex Care, we work and thrive as a family, and our core values are based on humanised care and respect.

We treat our employees with dignity and respect, provide free training and celebrate the success of every one of us. With us, you can build a rewarding career by improving people’s lives. If you want to make an impact and make the world a better place, join us now.