Dyslexia - a common learning barrier
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people suffer from dyslexia.
Dyslexia is characterised by difficulties with phonological processing, rapid naming, working memory, processing speed, and the automatic development of skills that may not match up to other cognitive abilities. Dyslexia tends to be resistant to conventional teaching methods, but its effect can be mitigated by specific and appropriate intervention, including the use of technology and positive learning experiences. |
Identification Identifying Dyslexia early is important. There are lots of reasons why someone can fall behind at school so start with getting hearing and eyesight checked first.
A Dyslexia assessment should analyse neurodiversity, an individual’s learning strengths and weaknessses, and should be carried out by a school, clinical or educational psychologist . A weakness in specific learning skills will indicate the type of dyslexia and can be used to identify the most effective strategies to build a student's knowledge base and confidence. |
Types of Dyslexia
Many assessments that identify dyslexic difficulties do not use the word ‘dyslexia’. Words like ‘Auditory Processing Disorder’, 'Low Working Memory' and ‘Visual Memory Deficit’ (among others) diagnose the specific type of dyslexia.
Dyslexia is neurodiverse – it affects people in different ways.
Dyslexia has different sub-types: sensory, deficit, onset and non-reading. The folllowing types are categorised within each sub-type.
Auditory Dyslexia Visual Dyslexia Attentional Dyslexia
Phonological Dyslexia Surface Dyslexia Deep Dyslexia
Developmental Dyslexia Acquired Dyslexia Directional Dyslexia
Math Dyslexia (Dyscalculia)
Dyslexia is neurodiverse – it affects people in different ways.
Dyslexia has different sub-types: sensory, deficit, onset and non-reading. The folllowing types are categorised within each sub-type.
Auditory Dyslexia Visual Dyslexia Attentional Dyslexia
Phonological Dyslexia Surface Dyslexia Deep Dyslexia
Developmental Dyslexia Acquired Dyslexia Directional Dyslexia
Math Dyslexia (Dyscalculia)
The real fear that I have for dyslexic people is not that they have to struggle with jumbled input or that they can’t spell, but that they will quit on themselves before they get out of school. Parents have to create victories whenever they can, whether it’s music, sports or art. You want your dyslexic child to be able to say: ‘Yeah, reading’s hard. But I have these other things that I can do."
- Stephen J. Cannell, Emmy-winning TV producer on Newsweek