DYSLEXIA AWARENESS

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DYSLEXIA AWARENESS

• JULY 2008

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DYSLEXIA

• Difficulty with words.
• A Specific Learning Disability

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Specific Learning Difficulty

• Affects the development of Literacy and Language
  related Skills.
• Likely to be present at Birth.
• Likely to be Lifelong in its effects.

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• Tends to be resistant to conventional teaching
  methods.
• Effects can be mitigated by
• appropriate intervention
• development of compensatory strategies

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CHARACTERISTICS

• DIFFICULTIES WITH
• PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSING
• RAPID NAMING
• WORKING MEMORY
• PROCESSING SPEED
• AUTOMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS NOT MATCHING
  OTHER COGNITIVE ABILITIES.

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Language difficulty

• Differences in brain organisation lead to
  problems in handling verbal codes or signals.
• Language processing.
• Occurs at any level of intellectual ability

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BRAIN

• LEFT
• Logical
• Linear
• Language
• Number
• Analysis

• RIGHT
• Creative / Imaginative
• Practical
• Spatial ability
• Holistic
• Music
• Emotional/Daydream

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POSSIBLE STRENGTHS AND DIFFICULTIES

• Lateral thinkers (Innovative)
• Excellent trouble-shooters
• Intuitive problem-solving

• Slow reading
• Slow at producing written work
• Reluctant to read aloud
• Misreads words
• Erratic spelling

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Other frequent difficulties

• Using sequences
• Organisation
• Time
• Memory instructions, information, order
• Reading spread-sheets/ timetables
• Visual disturbances
• Proof reading
  Handwriting

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• Problems with open-plan offices
• Easily distracted
• Filing difficulties
• Meeting deadlines, especially with reports
• Cant see own mistakes in text / numbers
• Slow to adapt to changes in systems
• Often get lost, take wrong turnings
• May confuse left right