Dyslexia help: Read(y) when you are

It is estimated that between three and 10 percent of children will struggle with the acquisition of literacy skills.

My first encounter with dyslexia was in my first year of teaching A’ Levels. I had a pupil who had child-like handwriting, weak spellings, was unable to finish written work in prescribed time and faced difficulty in writing notes that were dictated in class. Without any prior knowledge of dyslexia, I assumed she was dyslexic and this was confirmed by one of her teachers. But despite being armed with this judgment, I was clueless on how to proceed. My inexperienced solutions included some extra time outside of lessons and allowing her to photocopy the class notes which she was unable to complete during class. Although she was extremely skilled in Art she did not manage to score well in my subject.

It is estimated that between three and ten percent of children, who are otherwise intelligent and can perform other tasks well, will struggle with the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia is a separate entity, independent of IQ level.

It can be defined as a “processing difficulty” as a result of which the person’s reading, writing and spelling are affected. But it can also have an impact on cognitive processes such as memory, speed of processing and even time management.

See how one student Ali describes his experience: “Ever since I was a little child I knew that I was not the same as every other boy or girl in my class. I had a tougher time reading, writing and sometimes even speaking coherently. There were times when I just wanted to crawl into bed and stay there forever. Most teachers and peers doubted my abilities and thought I was unwilling to put in the effort. However this was not the case.”

It cannot be predicted with certainty which children will encounter reading problems. As stated above, dyslexia is a developmental anomaly. However children with a risk of dyslexia are those with a genetic predisposition and speech and language difficulties in pre-school years.



A specific deficit in phonological awareness is the first sign that the child is having reading problems. In simple words, they find it difficult to match alphabets to their sounds. Because it is difficult to identify words, the reader spends all their energy trying to read the word but they cannot get its meaning from the text. This grows frustrating and as a result the child reads less, which makes the problem worse.



There are some tell-tale signs that a secondary school student has dyslexia. They do not read accurately. They make spelling errors and find it hard to use the timetable efficiently. You need to repeat instructions. They find it hard to pronounce long words and struggle to plan and write long essays. They also have lower confidence and self-esteem. The problems with Math are similar to those experienced in other subjects.

Furthermore, dyslexic learners will struggle to remember what they learned. They are unable to write notes down quickly or complete work on time. Such complications mean that the student easily gets tired and starts avoiding work or starts to act out. Of course, don’t forget, dyslexic learners may excel in performance-related activities such as debates or art, which may make their dyslexia harder to identify.

SOURCE: Prevalence of Dyslexia in Secondary School Students in Lahore, 2011 Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research

Shaina Alvi, CEO of the Remedial Education & Assessment of dyslexics (R.E.A.Dyslexics), has been working in this field for over two decades. The majority of the students who are enrolled at R.E.A.D have been sent through their schools. First all their biological data (name, age etc.) is collected along with information on the difficulties they face in school (eg weak spellings, poor handwriting). Next Alvi will informally screen the child to check whether they can do age-related tasks. She recommends that parents and educators should be aware of developmental milestones and where they are not being met the child should ideally be referred to an expert.

Test for Dyslexia

Bangor Dyslexia Test

Standard Progressive Matrices

Slosson Intelligence Test

No label or diagnosis is given at this point as often children are underperforming in school because of a developmental lag. Early intervention for at-risk children has only positive outcomes. If they have been underperforming because of a developmental lag, remediation can provide them a boost. If they are not doing well because of dyslexia, the child can learn to develop coping skills.

Dr Erum Maqbool, a clinical psychologist who has specialised in dyslexia, agrees that a dyslexia diagnosis cannot be given without a complete battery of tests also known as Psychoeducational evaluation. Once the evaluation is complete and a diagnosis has been given by a clinical psychologist, then R.E.A.Dyslexics and IDARE are institutions who can then assign a tutor and design a remedial programme to help the child.

The Dyslexia-Friendly School

A dyslexia friendly school is one which is equipped to meet the unanticipated needs of its learners. Students and faculty are under strict scrutiny. No student goes unnoticed or is allowed to fail. Teachers and parents work together to identify and meet the diverse needs of children.

The most common way that a teacher can help dyslexic students is by reading out information, providing support materials, repeating instructions and highlighting key parts.

Stressful situations such as reading aloud in class and negative comments on marked assignments should be minimised.

Subject teachers should be aware that dyslexic difficulties can appear at times of exams or the start of a new course. When preparing for lessons, subject teachers should minimise dependence on texts and allow extra time for students to plan and organise their assignments.

Homework tasks should be explained in class as dyslexic students often have trouble with time management. When presenting new material, teachers can give hand-outs using bullet points and highlight key parts of the text rather than using italics or underlining as this makes words run together, making reading harder for dyslexic students.

Skeleton notes can be given with topic headings to support note taking and focus on key points as dyslexic students often have trouble copying from the board or writing during dictation. A partner can be identified whose notes can be photocopied after class.

Any new terminology being used in the lessons can be pre-taught. Furthermore extended discussion time to ensure tasks are well understood and illustration through diagrams of subject material will help all students.

Word processed homework assignments should be accepted. The use of a homework diary which involves parents will also be useful.

Schools, centres and teachers to help

R.E.A.Dyslexics (Pvt) Limited

Shaina Alvi

Call: (9221)3547-7323, 3587-9358, 3586-8276

Email: [e-mail], [e-mail]

Web: www.readyslexics.com

Currently operating in Karachi, R.E.A.Dyslexics plans to reach out to children in other parts of the country as well.
Dr Erum Maqbool:

Medilink Consultant Clinics, Suit # 103, 1st Floor, The Plaza, Do Talwar, Main Clifton Road, Karachi AND A-K Centre, Flat # 102, 2nd Floor, Zeenat Terrace, Askari Bank Building, Main Bahadurabad Road, Karachi.

 

IDARE in Gulshan, Karachi: http://www.etaleem.com/subsites/education/idare/

 

Lahore Children’s Centre

Call: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Web: lahorechildrenscentre.com

 

Avantage Learning

Call: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Web: http://www.avantagelearning.com

Avantage Learning is a brain gym for children who are dyslexic, have ADHD or ADD or borderline autism and Down’s syndrome.

 

PADIL

Web: www.freshfoundation.com.pk

A nonprofit organisation by the name of FRESH (Foundation for Rehabilitation & Education of Special Children). In Rawalpindi and Lahore. Schools opening in Sargodha and Islamabad (October 1).

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 15^th, 2013.