Dyslexia in children
Dyslexia (dys·lex·ia) in children is a neurological learning disability that can cause a child to have difficulty with reading, writing, math or other areas of learning.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a neurological disorder, meaning that it originates from the brain. Unusual wiring of the brain causes dyslexia. Children with this condition have difficulties with word recognition, may have trouble spelling or may have challenges in working mathematics problems. Children with dyslexia will likely have normal cognitive (thinking) abilities, and will not necessarily be more or less intelligent than their peers.
According to the International Dyslexia Association one in ten individuals has dyslexia, although many are undiagnosed. While there is no cure for dyslexia, children can learn effective coping strategies that enable them to learn to read, complete math computations and more.
What are the signs and symptoms of dyslexia in children?
- Exhibiting a large difference in listening comprehension versus reading comprehension for the same text
- Having difficulty with handwriting
- Having difficulty with spelling
- Having trouble recalling words that he or she knows
- Making decoding errors, particularly with the order of letters
- Having trouble with math problems
- Having trouble with written language
- Reading slowly and uncomfortably
- Substituting a small word for another, such as:
- “a” versus “I,”
- “he” versus “the”
- “there” versus “was”
What are the causes of dyslexia in children?
Dyslexia is often hereditary, meaning that it runs in families.