Understanding Dyslexia – Part 1

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Understanding Dyslexia Part 1

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I want to write to help people understand
Dyslexia. To define it, to conceptualize it, and
to perhaps recognize it.  I believe this type of
writing will also help to reduce some of the
stigma that can occur around the label Dyslexia.
http//speak2read.ca/
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583-7883
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I am composing a 2-part blog series around this. 
I think this may be some of the most important
writing I will ever do.  Tell your friends!  And
please watch for Part 2!   In Part 1, I will
provide you with a definition of Dyslexia what
it is, and what it isnt.
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In Part 2, I will unpack the definition a bit,
and shine a light on some of the problems that I
encounter in practice when dealing with Dyslexia,
and also draw some attention to where our
education system is behind the times!   Without
further ado, lets dive in and explore a
definition of Dyslexia.
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Part 1 Defining Dyslexia   Many people
mis-conceptualize dyslexia.  They may think of it
as some severe inability to read, where the
letters and words appear backward or jump all
over the page.  They think that kids see the word
was and read the word saw.  And most people
think, thats not MY kid.  
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Thats not what dyslexia is.  Not at its core. 
Dyslexia is difficulty with recognizing and
spelling words its a simple as that (more or
less). The word is derived from the Greek root
dys, meaning bad or difficult and lexia
means reading.  In its original root, the term
dyslexia simply referred to difficulty with
reading. 
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However, the term Dyslexia has evolved morphed,
coloured by connotation, misperception, and
misunderstanding.   Some people feel there is a
stigma to dyslexia, and as such have moved away
from using the diagnosis. 
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In schools, you may hear the terms Dyslexia,
Reading Disability, and Learning Disability used
seemingly inter-changeably but without anyone
REALLY knowing what they mean they are generic
terms.
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Typically, Students are described as poor
readers and struggling readers.   Remember,
dys means bad, difficult.   poor
bad.   struggling difficult.
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Isnt a poor reader or a struggling reader
simply dys lexia?   In fact, in 2014 Elena
Grigorenko and Julian Elliott published a book
titled The Dyslexia Debate, arguing that the term
dyslexia had lost its meaning and referred to
too many things
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and proposed using the term reading disability
instead (is the new term any less broad?). The
International Dyslexia Association strongly
advocates for using the term Dyslexia, as it is a
common unifier to bring together research and
best instructional practices, and basically get
us all talking about the same thing.
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Further, proponents such as Maryanne Wolfe remind
us that with the term Dyslexia comes the
knowledge that the reading difficulty is
biological  it is a direct result of the way the
brain is built.  Why is that important?   The
message behind this line of thinking is priceless
it tells the child its not your fault.
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I default to the definition of dyslexia provided
by the International Dyslexia Associations
definition as revised and adopted in
2002   Dyslexia is a specific learning
disability that is neurological in origin. 
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It is characterized by difficulties with accurate
and/or fluent reading word recognition and by
poor spelling and decoding abilities.  These
difficulties typically result from a deficit in
the phonological component of language that is
often unexpected in relation to other cognitive
abilities and the provision of effective
classroom instruction.
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Secondary consequences may include problems in
reading comprehension and reduced reading
experience that can impede growth of vocabulary
and background knowledge.  
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I think it is important to draw attention to the
fact that Dyslexia is neurological in origin. 
This means that Dyslexia has a biological root
and reflects a biological difference. Dyslexia
occurs in the brain, and specifically in the way
that the brain processes information.
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  For a child to read, they must visually process
a word on a page when they look at it.  Brain
imaging research tells us that the next thing
that happens is that the sound processing part of
the brain activates.  Sounds are processed in the
speech centres of the brain even thought we
arent speaking, we need an intact sound system
to read. 
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This makes sense, as a child must be able to look
at a letter or group of letters and decode or
extract the sound that those letters
represent.   Once the sounds are extracted, the
brain orders the sounds and recognizes a word. 
This activates the language meaning processing
part of the brain.
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You can see the speech sound and language
fundamental and foundational skills that are
required here, and this is often where things get
derailed.  It is also why a comprehensive
assessment by a SpeechLanguage
Pathologist should be your FIRST STEP if your
child is below grade level or behind in reading,
spelling, or reading comprehension.  
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As part of this processing, the visual, sound,
and meaning parts of the brain must all activate
accurately and efficiently.  However, they also
must COMMUNICATE with each other.   This neural
connectivity the informational pathways of
neurons must be complete, connected, and
efficient. 
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Information moves in a feed forward from older
and deeper structures to the neocortex or new
brain, where information is more consciously
processed.  Information is also sent back down
from the cortex for example, it may say that
doesnt make sense, look again! to the visual
system.
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In this way, the brain is continually passing
information from the bottom-up as well as the
top-down down to process, coordinate, and
synthesize information.  As such, we can see
difficulties in children with Autism or ADHD who
do not transmit information between brain areas
well or do not coordinate pieces of information
well. 
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These children may demonstrate adequate skills at
the sound and language meaning levels (they
possess discrete skills) but then have difficulty
in the performance or application of these skills.
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Theres a lot that goes on in the brain, and
every childs brain is unique!  Thats why
careful assessment of foundational skills as well
as interacting with a student during the process
of reading, writing and spelling is necessary to
learn how they learn to discover their
individual and unique Learning Profile that
allows us to design an individualized,
custom-tailored Instruction Learning Plan.
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If your child is behind other children of the
same age or not reading at expected grade level,
a comprehensiveassessment with a SpeechLanguage
Pathologist is the most informative thing you can
do to learn about your child.  
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If your child has ANY difficulty in expressing
themselves with speech sounds, finding the
right words, forming sentences it is never too
early to get started!  
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Feeling unsure? I offer a free consultation
for parents to ask their questions and discuss
their concerns.  In fact, you can book online
without leaving our website! Click here or follow
the link at the top of the page.   Source -
http//speak2read.ca/understanding-dyslexia-part-1
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