Monday March 16, 2009

Hope for dyslexics

By WONG LI ZA

Dyslexia is a medical condition, not a disease. With proper help, dyslexics can learn to read and write well.

WHAT do Albert Einstein, Lee Kuan Yew and talk show host Jay Leno have in common? If Tom Cruise was also mentioned here, then more people might know the answer: dyslexia.

Other famous personalities with dyslexia include Agatha Christie, Walt Disney and Sir Richard Branson.

Reading time: Children with dyslexia who are undergoing the remedial programme at the Dyslexia Association of Malaysia, learning to read.

According to the Education Ministry, about 314,000 school-going children in Malaysia have dyslexia. In fact, more children may be dyslexic than asthmatic.

Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that affects a person’s ability to read. It is the most common learning disability in children but what exactly causes it remains a medical mystery.

Despite having normal or even above-average intelligence, a person with dyslexia reads at a significantly lower level than expected.

The common characteristic of dyslexia is difficulty with phonological processing, or the manipulation of sounds. People with dyslexia can also face problems with spoken language and find it difficult to express themselves clearly, or fully understand what people are saying.

Spelling, writing and word pronunciation are also problems associated with dyslexic students, who may also face snags in comprehending rapid instructions or remembering the sequence of things.

Dyslexia Association of Malaysia (DAM) president Sariah Amirin said that 80% of children with dyslexia cannot read well.

“Normally, those who can read have difficulty understanding what they read because of either poor short-term memory or understanding,” she said.

“However, most kids can speak well. In fact, they often ask a lot of questions and are not afraid to speak their mind,” said Sariah, referring fondly to some of the students at DAM’s classes.

Parents can detect symptoms of dyslexia in their children as early as five years old. However, Sariah said some parents were too busy to notice, or played the waiting game, thinking their children would eventually pick up reading skills.

“It’s wrong to take a gamble on your child’s education. Some parents only come to us when their child is in Year Four. They should ask earlier why their child is not on par with other children of the same age,” she said, adding that early intervention is more effective and cheaper.

The association feels that kindergarten operators should also take the lead and look out for signs of dyslexia in children.

“We are now in the process of educating kindergarten teachers to identify kids who may have dyslexia, for early intervention. Our main aim is to get the kids ready for school because in Year One, there are no more reading lessons. That is our main concern,” she said.

However, it is never too late for people with dyslexia to learn to read, write, process information and express themselves more efficiently. Dyslexia treatment is by remedial education, which involves a multi-sensory programme utilising hearing, vision and touch.

DAM holds three-month programmes for dyslexic children to learn Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mathematics. For the language lessons, emphasis is placed on reading, spelling, writing, comprehension and sentence construction. The ratio of teachers to children at the centre is one to four or five.

The programme also includes activities like swimming, horseback-riding and public-speaking to build confidence. The children also engage in drawing and music as these are areas they often excel in.

As an association concerned with the education and welfare of dyslexic children and adults, DAM feels there is a lack of schools with special classes for children with dyslexia throughout the country. There are currently more than 40 of such schools.

“It would be good if there was at least one such school in every major town. Statistics show that one in 20 children have dyslexia, which means that there would be dyslexic children in every school,” said Sariah.

She also feels that teachers do not have enough knowledge about the learning disability. The association hopes that teachers’ training courses will include dyslexia in its curriculum.

“Once these children go through remedial programmes, they can go to university, work and contribute to the economy and society. They are very clever children but just because of their disability in reading and writing, they are penalised.”

Dyslexia can also affect a person’s self-image. Students with dyslexia may become discouraged at school due to learning problems.

“Many people with dyslexia who are not treated become frustrated and develop emotional problems. Some may fall into depression or even get involved in vice,” said Sariah.

Dyslexia runs in the family and affects people of all intellectual levels. People with dyslexia are often capable or even gifted in areas that do not require strong language skills, such as art, design, drama, music and sports.

Dyslexia is a life-long condition, not a disease, so there is no cure in that sense. With proper help, however, dyslexics can learn to read and write well. Early detection and treatment is the key to helping them achieve in school and in life.

The Dyslexia Association of Malaysia can be contacted at 03-4025 5109 or dyslexiaft@time.net.my

Symptoms of dyslexia

Common symptoms of dyslexia include problems with:

Reading, spelling and learning to speak
Organising written and spoken language
Learning letters and their sounds
Learning a foreign language
Memorising number facts
Confusion with number order
Solving basic math equations

Others may include:

Problems learning to tell time
Difficulty grappling with concepts of yesterday, today and tomorrow
Poor motor skills
Limited understanding of non-verbal communication
Easily distracted
Disruptive behaviour or withdrawn in class. (Not all students who have these difficulties are dyslexic. Formal testing is needed to confirm suspected dyslexia.)

Signs of dyslexia in young children:

Talking later than expected
Slow in learning new words
Difficulty rhyming
Problems following multi-step instructions

After a child starts school, indicators include:

Poblems reading single words
Difficulty connecting letters and sounds
Confusion with small words such as “at” and “to”
Letter reversals such as “d” for “b”
Word reversals such as “dog” for “god”

Many children naturally face problems with letter reversal before the age of seven. However, if the reversal persists, reading problems continue, other signs exist, or there is a family history of dyslexia, seek professional evaluation.

Related Story:
Need for early intervention