Understanding Kids With Dyslexia And How To Cope With Them

By Author: Jo Alelsto
Total Articles: 405
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Dyslexia is a condition that describes a certain dysfunction in learning due to a disorder of the central nervous system. The manifestation is difficulty in reading and spelling. This condition has something to do with how the brain interprets language and numerical symbols. Children with dyslexia are not necessarily dumb but the abnormal brain interpretation function hampers learning. Though teaching kids with this special condition is tough, it does not have to be impossible.

The matter with dyslexics is all of them don't display the same symptoms, so one technique that works for one may not work for the other. The condition is known to be inherited, so parents with dyslexia have a high possibility of having children with the same condition. Some kids with the condition experience inability to read the way normal kids do. Some display confusion even with simple words, such that WAS may be read as SAW. In many dyslexic children, there is an obvious and exaggerated confusion with words with similar construction. When reading of words is impaired, so follows writing. At a critical period of language development ...
... when children usually learn a wide variety of words, dyslexics are left behind. When the child is left without the proper learning aids and tools, he or she could have difficulty developing his or her language. This impairment affects learning in all scales and all subjects.

Another problem experienced by people with dyslexia is they are incapable of understanding speech because the brain is incapable of processing verbal stimulus. Thus, even if they listen to a well spoken story or poem, they will have difficulty understanding what they have heard. The result is their speech department is also impaired to some extent depending on the degree of their dyslexia.

As a whole, the language facility of these children is impaired, with all the faculties (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) affected. Thus, it is difficult for them to convey their thoughts as much as it is hard for them to understand others.

However, it is not the end of the world for these kids because with proper training and special education methods and approaches in instruction, they can do as good as kids their age. A properly facilitated learning scheme can greatly aid children with learning disabilities. Handling children with special conditions is out of the hands of typical teachers. Only trained special education teacher can handle kids with dyslexia because the wrong instruction could cause frustration among dyslexic children. However, the condition should be detected early for proper assistive methods to be conducted. Children with dyslexia can still learn but not in the same manner that typical children can.

Appropriate education and training for dyslexics are everywhere and there are centers devoted for children with this special condition. A multisensory learning milieu (where the aural, visual, and touch faculties work together in harmony) can stimulate learning in the right way. One of the important aspects of special training for dyslexics is spelling training, which concentrates much on vowel and consonant sounds. Learning phonetic sounds is basic in learning to read. Once the relationships between vowels, consonants, diphthongs, and clusters and their corresponding sounds are established, learning to read and spell becomes easier for these children.

Also applicable for typical kids, repetition and drills for mastery are also important for dyslexics. But for them, instruction and training is more intense, often including much of relationships between letter combination and their sounds in different words. This teaching includes learning materials, such as flashcards and games. Visual tools and audio drills are also significant tools for effective learning. Dyslexia spelling help improves the language ability of children. A good way of motivating them is by allowing them to see their improvement. As much as possible training should be fun and not stressful.
Jo is an author and publisher for 'Grammar Gamecards' (http://www.grammargamecards.co.uk), a company in UK which manufactures game cards meant to provide a great array of supplement for English language and mathematics worksheets created to aid teachers and parents in making studying amusing for the children. If ever you are looking for good quality but reasonably priced dyslexia spelling help for children to help reinforce their spelling comprehension and allow them to study new spellings and words in a relaxed and fun environment then you ought to check out Grammar Gamecards.