Dyslexia Essay

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Dyslexia is a disorder that affects all forms of communication, spoken and written. People with Dyslexia have trouble with reading fluently, and may also have difficulties with language and verbal comprehension. Dyslexia is a common learning disability that can be treated, and the sooner it is diagnosed, the more favourable the outcome tends to be.
Possible Signs of Dyslexia
There are a range of difficulties a child could experience that may be indicators of Dyslexia. Signs that may show in pre-schoolers and primary school children include problems with:
Learning to talk.
Pronouncing longer words.
Rhyming.
Learning the alphabet sequence, days of the week, colours, shapes, and numbers.
Learning letter names and sounds.
Learning to read and write …show more content…

Handwriting and fine-motor coordination.
Older kids, teenagers, and adults might have these same signs of dyslexia, but in addition will also be likely to read and spell far below their year level, tend to avoid reading where possible and work slowly on assignments or tests of reading or writing.
Diagnosing Dyslexia
Dyslexia is usually formally diagnosed by a Psychologist, or for children, by an Educational Psychologist. However, diagnosis requires supporting information from a multi-disciplinary team of professionals. For example, in order for an Educational Psychologist to diagnose a five-year-old with Dyslexia, he or she will be likely to collect a thorough background history from the parents, reports from school teachers, assessment results from a Speech-Language Therapist and possibly additional information from other professionals such as an Occupational Therapist. As our part of the assessment process, a Speech Language Therapist will carry out tests of the areas of language that are likely to be affected by Dyslexia. These include the following:
Listening comprehension.
Semantic flexibility (i.e. the ability to adapt language, identify synonyms, antonyms and …show more content…

The earlier it begins, the better! Starting treatment when a child is young can improve their reading and may even entirely prevent reading problems in the early years of school. One of the core roles of Speech-Language Therapists is to develop or re-train a person’s language skills – accordingly, they are one of the primary professionals involved in treatment of Dyslexia. Another important professional in New Zealand is a Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO). SENCOs work within schools. When a school-aged child is identified as having Dyslexia, it is important that their school’s SENCO is made aware. When this happens, the SENCO can then work with teachers to create an individual education plan for the child, detailing appropriate teaching methods, goals and objectives for the child’s schooling. Additionally, a SENCO will collaborate with Speech-Language Therapists and other supporting professionals.
Teenage girl with Dyslexia thinking about literacy
How Speech-Language Therapy

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