Dyslexia Awareness 354 South Road
, Walkley
, Sheffield
, S6 3TE, United Kingdom
info@dyslexiaawareness.com 079449 10016
info@dyslexiaawareness.com 079449 10016
|
Dyslexia Awareness 354 South Road
, Walkley
, Sheffield
, S6 3TE, United Kingdom
info@dyslexiaawareness.com 079449 10016 |
|
DyslexiaTaken from the Greek "dys" (meaning difficulty) and "lexis" (meaning words) Definition: ‘Dyslexia is best described as a combination of abilities and difficulties that affect the learning process in one or more of reading, spelling, and writing. Accompanying weaknesses may be identified in areas of speed of processing, short-term memory, sequencing and organisation, auditory and/or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills. It is particularly related to mastering and using written language, which may include alphabetic, numeric and musical notation’. (The Dyslexia Handbook 2002, p67.) There are of course numerous definitions of what constitutes dyslexia. Often the definition has derived from a particular theoretical perspective and is therefore quite narrow in the description it provides. The definition given above has been selected as a working definition because it avoids such restrictions. Furthermore, the inclusion of possible motor skill difficulties implies the coexistence of dyslexia with dyspraxia, and therefore the suggestion of a common underlying cause. How many people does it affect? The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) estimates that 4% of the population are severely affected and a further 6% suffer mild to moderate symptoms. It is not possible to give actual figures due to the fact that the large majority of individuals never seek support for their difficulties (an article in TES suggested that only 11% those affected were receiving any kind of specialised help, 10/9/99). Even when using the conservative estimates of the BDA, it is apparent that there are upwards of 5,000,000 people who could benefit to some degree from participation in a Learning Activity Programme.  The Symptoms: The dyslexic person will most likely demonstrate a cluster of weaknesses that affect performance to varying degrees. Conversely, they may also have strengths in other areas (often creative or sporting fields) which add to the paradox and leave parents feeling confused as to whether they should seek help or advice. In our experience, parental intuition has often been a reliable indicator that a child is not performing to their full potential. Nicholson & Fawcett observed that, ‘those who have round the clock experience of living with dyslexic children often form a very different view of their skills than do researchers’ (Dyslexia & skill: theoretical studies 1994). See common symptoms for a description of the common problems faced by those with dyslexic tendencies. Please bear in mind that it would be very unusual for a child to have a weakness in all of these areas and that weaknesses may vary at different stages of development. However, persistent difficulties in several different areas may well indicate that a child is at risk regarding dyslexia. Please contact us at the Sheffield centre if you would like further information about dyslexia. |
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