Specific Learning Disorders: What Are They?
Also known by the acronym DSA, specific learning disorders are those disabilities that affect the skills useful to an individual for learning, such as writing, reading and calculating, and which manifest themselves with the onset of learning. schooling.
In the "list of specific learning disorders", in addition to dyslexia, there are:
- Dysorthography, which is the inability to correctly translate spoken language into written language,
- Dysgraphia, which is the difficulty of writing letters and numbers, e
- Dyscalculia, which is the difficulty of calculation.
Is Dyslexia a Permanent Disorder?
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition, therefore it lasts for a lifetime.
However, thanks to modern methods of support, dyslexic individuals today have every chance to lead a normal existence.
Myths to dispel about dyslexia
It is widely believed that dyslexia is an "expression of low intelligence or laziness.
This idea is completely unfounded and inaccurate: scientific studies, in fact, have shown that dyslexic individuals possess an "average intelligence and have the same probability of success, in school / work, as non-dyslexic subjects.
Did you know that ...
The great film director Steven Spielberg and the well-known actress Whoopi Goldberg suffer from dyslexia.
This confirms what has just been said "on the contrary: dyslexia is not an expression of low intelligence or little propensity to work.
Epidemiology: How Common is Dyslexia?
The exact incidence of dyslexia is unknown; according to some estimates, however, it seems that between 5 and 17% of the general population suffer from dyslexia.
It should be noted that, according to Anglo-Saxon sources, in the United Kingdom, 2 out of 20 individuals are affected by a form of dyslexia.
The diagnosis of dyslexia is more common in males, which would lead us to think that the latter are more predisposed than females to the problem in question; the conditional, however, is mandatory, as there are several researches that report how dyslexia affects men and women equally.
6 of the human genome, while the third on chromosome 15.
What happens to the dyslexic when he reads?
In "facing a reading, dyslexics find it difficult to connect the letters to the corresponding sounds, which involves an" inability to create the words deriving from the aforementioned sounds.
In other words, failing to translate the letters with the corresponding sound, the individual suffering from dyslexia struggles, while reading a text, to spell out the sets of letters making up the words.
Comparing dyslexics with normal people (i.e. non-dyslexic people), when they learn to read, they have no difficulty in relating the letters to the corresponding sound, just as they have no problem mixing the sounds of the letters in order to pronounce the words.
Dyslexia alters:
- The ability to connect the letters of the alphabet to a specific sound. This ability is the basis of reading. The human being learns it when he learns the alphabet of his mother tongue.
- The ability to decode a text. To decode a text, it is essential to be able to make sense of the words that the aforementioned text presents. If this ability is lacking, understanding the meaning of a set of words (even a very simple sentence) can be very complex.
- The ability to recognize words by sight, with a quick glance. This ability concerns familiar terms, which an individual has already encountered in other texts.
By struggling to read individual words, dyslexic individuals cannot create a vocabulary of familiar terms, recognizable with a quick glance. - The fluency of reading. Reading fluently depends on previous skills.
The fluency of reading is a key element to fully understand the meaning of the written text.
Brain Activity in the Dyslexic Person
Depending on genetics or not, dyslexia is most likely related to "unusual brain activity."
The confirmation of this comes from several scientific studies on the brain activity of dyslexics, studies from which it emerged that:
- The left hemisphere of the brain, which is normally the hemisphere that governs the ability to write and read, and the ability to speak, is less active than normal;
- The right hemisphere of the brain is more active than normal, as if it had to compensate for the shortcomings of the left cerebral hemisphere;
- The frontal lobe of the brain is more active than in normal people;
- The left temporal lobe, which is the brain area that directs phonological processing (ie the processing of words) and the perception and interpretation of sounds, is less active than in normal people (which is in line with the first point );
- The corpus callosum has different dimensions from the standard measures;
- There is a reduced capacity of verbal memory and verbal naming.
Difficulties in reading and understanding the text represent the main and most characteristic manifestations of dyslexia; to these can be added, depending on the patient considered, problems in clearly articulating words, in writing, in structuring a linear speech during conversations, in "using the right words to indicate objects or animated beings, etc."
Dyslexia manifests itself clearly, with symptoms and signs, when the patient begins to attend elementary school, therefore in school age; in reality, however, this specific learning disorder demonstrates itself even before the beginning of school, with signals that are not always clear to the inexperienced eye.
How to Recognize Preschool Dyslexia: Typical Symptoms
In preschool, the typical symptoms and signs of dyslexia consist of:
- Reduced ability to recognize and memorize the letters of the alphabet;
- Difficulty with nursery rhymes and rhyming phrases;
- Poor sentence construction skills;
- Poor knowledge of words (reduced vocabulary) and their meanings;
- Difficulty learning new words;
- Difficulty in pronunciation, especially with longer words;
- Delay in language development.
How to Recognize Dyslexia in School Age: Typical Symptoms
As previously stated, upon reaching school age (ie when the attendance of elementary school begins), the dyslexic subject unequivocally manifests all his difficulties with regard to reading and, sometimes, writing.
Specifically, the list of typical symptoms and signs of dyslexia in early schooling includes:
- Difficulty reading and spelling words (the so-called "spelling');
- Uncertainty in the use of syllables;
- Difficulty in using the appropriate grammar;
- Slowness in reading and difficulty in reading aloud
- Inability or reduced ability to learn the names of letters and the sounds that represent them;
- Difficulty in writing or slowness in writing;
- Substitutions or elisions of letters (eg: confusion between "b" and "d");
- Difficulty in learning new words;
- Extreme difficulty in following written instructions;
- Visual disturbances when reading (to some dyslexics it seems that, while reading a text, the letters move);
- Bad handwriting;
- Errors in counting numbers from 0 to 20;
- Errors in the passage from pronunciation to writing numbers from 0 to 20;
- Difficulty in calculating in mind.
Difficulties in reading cause the dyslexic child to stop reading; this compromises his learning and academic achievement.
Dyslexia in Adolescent Age and Dyslexia in Adulthood: the Symptoms
As reported at the beginning, dyslexia is a lifelong disorder, so it is not limited to the first years of schooling.
In adolescence and later in adulthood, the dyslexic individual manifests, in addition to reading difficulties and any writing difficulties, such as:
- Difficulty taking notes or copying a written text;
- Poor ability or actual inability to plan the drafting of a theme, a letter, a working relationship, etc .;
- Difficulty in writing personal knowledge (eg dyslexics are unable to answer questions in writing, although they know exactly what the answer is);
- Spelling problems;
- Difficulty remembering PIN codes, phone numbers, and the like
- Extreme difficulty in learning foreign languages
Furthermore, with the growth, the person suffering from dyslexia becomes aware of his disabilities and this leads him to adopt, in public, a series of behaviors, which avoid him the embarrassment of showing his problems openly; for example, he avoids reading in front of other people; avoid all those situations that could force him to read in public; avoid having to write something that he can safely report verbally.
Readers are reminded that, intellectually, people with dyslexia are completely normal.
Disorders Associated with Dyslexia
For reasons still unknown, dyslexia is often associated with:
- Dyscalculia (difficulty in writing letters and numbers);
- Dysgraphia (difficulty in calculating);
- Poor short-term memory capacity;
- Central auditory processing disorder;
- Dyspraxia (essentially consists of physical coordination problems);
- Poor ability to organize the time available;
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The reasons for the common association between dyslexia and one or more of the above problems are being studied.
For further information: ADHD: What is it? Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and TherapyComplications
In the absence of adequate support, individuals with dyslexia can develop a form of depression, resulting from the fact that they feel, in some ways, "different" from normal people, who can read and write without problems, who are more easily able to find a job etc.
This depression can have a considerable negative impact on the dyslexic's life; for example, it can lead to isolation, to give up looking for a job, etc.
If sight and hearing are normal, the dyslexia hypothesis becomes even more concrete.
- Second stage (or step 2). It consists of consulting a specialist in specific learning disorders.
This specialist submits the suspected case of dyslexia to some specific tests, to actually understand which abilities are compromised and which are not; in practical terms, it evaluates the abilities of the candidate, through tests of reading, writing, comprehension of a text, intelligence and calculation.
Much of the definitive diagnosis depends on the outcome of these tests.
It should be noted that, in the case of young patients (in most circumstances), the specialist also involves the parents, asking them for an assessment of the strengths and shortcomings of the children, in order to have a term of comparison with respect to his findings. . - Third stage (or step 3). It consists of the overall consideration of everything that previous tests have brought to light.
In this phase, doctors and specialists collaborate, exchange opinions and draw up the diagnosis of dyslexia, in the event that it is indeed this specific learning disorder.
Furthermore, it is always at this stage that they assign a judgment regarding their abilities to the examined person and establish the most suitable support program for the problems in progress.
Dyslexia: Tests for Diagnosis
- Assessment test of reading and writing skills;
- Evaluation of known words and the degree of development of language properties;
- Memory assessment;
- Evaluation of logical reasoning;
- Estimation of the speed of assimilation of visual and sound information;
- Evaluation of learning methods.
Diagnosis of Dyslexia: at what age does it occur?
For specific learning disorders, doctors have set a minimum age for diagnosis. This age represents a kind of limit, before which any conclusion could be inaccurate or inappropriate, due to a series of factors, including for example a developmental delay of a non-pathological nature, etc.
In the case of dyslexia, the minimum age for diagnosis is 8 years, ie at the end of the second grade.
Did you know that ...
In Italy, except for special agreements between the State and certain regions, the only professionals with the qualification to formulate the diagnosis of dyslexia are doctors and psychologists.
Diagnosis of Dyslexia in Adults
Adults who believe they suffer from an undiagnosed form of dyslexia can undergo specific tests, which help to definitively clarify the situation.
To find out how to undergo these tests, they should contact their doctor.
Did you know that ...
Today, elementary teachers have a much greater attention than in the past towards children with disabilities such as dyslexia; this explains why, currently, there are more diagnoses of dyslexia than in the past and why there are adults who do not know to be dyslexic.
'.In Italy, the use of compensatory tools, as support for people with dyslexia, is also required by law (to be precise, law 170/2010).
Important note
Compensatory instruments are neither a facilitation nor an advantage; in fact, they do not make the study of a subject less onerous and do not place the dyslexic who uses it in a privileged condition compared to others (who do not use them).
Support Strategies for Adults with Dyslexia
Unlike what happens in other European countries (eg England), in Italy, adults with dyslexics have more difficulty in accessing support measures, which, moreover, correspond to those provided for young age dyslexics.
This has implications for an adult dyslexic's ability to find and keep a job.
Adult dyslexics who have followed an appropriate support program since childhood find themselves having improved an important part of their disabilities.
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