Tuesday, May 27, 2014

An Overview Of Dyslexia Treatments

By Marci Glover


Dyslexia treatments teach reading, writing, and phonics. They develop comprehension and memorization skills using multisensory techniques and mnemonics. When a child displays normal intelligence, vision, hearing, but just can't seem to master reading and writing, dyslexia may be the problem. It's a learning disability that can't be cured and doesn't disappear with age. With specialized educational techniques and daily practice, dyslexics can succeed at school and at work.

Dyslexic students often think of themselves as stupid. They can't read and all their peers can. Parents may think their child is lazy. What a relief to know it's a neurological processing disorder that has no relationship to intelligence. Dyslexics have difficulties with reading, rhyming, writing, spelling, and phonics. Reversing letters or mirror writing is a common indicator. Identifying directions like left and right is difficult.

Specialized learning strategies include a variety of multisensory techniques. Wooden alphabet letters painted to identify the correct side can help students "feel" the correct form of letters. Tracing letters and creating letters out of clay may help the student feel the difference between similar letters. Similar letters like "d" and "b" are formed differently in cursive so often this style of writing is easier for dyslexics to read and write. Oral spelling may be easier for some. An alphabet card can help dyslexics master writing skills.

Assessment includes testing in reading and writing. The specialist looks for adding, dropping, or changing words, pulling words from other lines, reversing or transposing letters and words, letter reversal, and mirror writing. Testing identifies the specific problem areas, and the techniques that will be most successful.

Schools in the US are required by law to provide specialized education to students with learning disabilities. If your child is dyslexic, ask for an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan, setting specific goals and strategies to measure your child's success. Accommodations can include extra time to take tests, oral assistance with tests, and use of a laptop for writing tests. Audiobooks may be available for some classes.

Some popularly used learning systems are Corrective Reading, Lindamood-Bell Program, Failure Free Reading, Wilson Reading System, and PALS Reading. Testing will identify learning strengths and weaknesses. An educational specialist can recommend a learning strategy for success. New neural pathways must be developed to process visual information, and this is possible at any age. Daily practice is the key to success.

Modern technology has expanded the available coping strategies. Although a severe dyslexic may never be a fluent reader, they can enjoy and learn from audio books. Text to audio software allows a poor reader to work proficiently and accurately. Many dyslexics prefer to record their notes. With computers and spellcheck, poor writers can become prolific and creative writers. Scanning written materials is difficult. Develop an organized filing system with color coding. Use a GPS when traveling.

Dyslexia does seem to be an inherited condition. It does not co-occur with physical disabilities. It's unrelated to intelligence. It's a neurological processing disorder. With specialized education and coping skills, individuals with this learning disability can be successful and thrive in all walks of life. For inspiration, consider the following list of famous personalities with dyslexia: John Lennon, Mohammad Ali, Tom Cruise, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Leonardo da Vinci, and Albert Einstein.




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