What is Dyslexia and Who will Have It?

Professionals have fought over the meaning of dyslexia for quite some time. Dyslexia comes from the Greek root word meaning "days" (trouble) and "lexia" (word) = Trouble with words.

Dyslexia is not a disease, it is a learning disability. A dyslexic is a person who is neither brain damaged nor emotionally disturbed. It is a person who is having trouble usually in the language area (i.e. reading, spelling, grammar, and writing) and who, sometimes, has difficulty organizing and managing his life. His sense of direction or time may often get mixed up. He also may have a short attention span or memory problems.

Poor vision may cause reading problems and a vision examination is recommended. However, it is more likely that dyslexic's brain's are unable to correctly interpret images received by the eyes.

If this isn't difficult enough, there are dyslexia related learning disorders such as:

Dysgraphia - trouble with writing letters and words

Dyusgraphia - trouble with writing sentences

Dyscalculia - trouble with math or number facts

Dysoratio - trouble with verbalizing ideas

The dyslexic person has more trouble at school, home, and emotionally, because he is frustrated and discouraged with his apparent inability to understand language. Often you hear statements like these:

"I get mixed up with my b's and d's. Yesterday the teacher marked 2 words on my spelling test wrong--'claer' and 'left' (clear and felt) I saw them as being right."

"I feel like a dummy, the other kids say I can't read and I'm stupid."

"I know what the word is. I just can't say it."

"I put down the wrong numbers in math, but see them as right."

"I can think okay. I just can't put the words on paper." "Noise really bothers me. I can't concentrate."

"I forgot--you know, the thing you write with."

"I can see the words in my head, I just can't say them....

'Spaghetti' comes out 'bascetti' and 'hurry up, please' comes out liplease, up hurry'."

"I'm clumsy. I trip over everything."

"No one wants to play with me on the playground, they tease me."

"I don't like to read."

Parents Say

"He is so bright, why can't he read? I tell him he has to apply himself more."

"His handwriting is so messy. He runs every word together, no one can read it."

"We thought he would never begin to talk."

"He can talk your ear off, but he can't write what he says on paper."

"His dad had the same problems when he was growing up."

"He reverses everything, especially 'b' for 'd' and 'was' for 'saw'."

"Directions seem to go in one ear and out the other."

[Home]