Despite all the technical advances and learning support systems, dyslexia is still a cause of frustration for many children and parents writes Angie Mezetti
'WE ARE all dyslexic in some way" according to Alice Quinn, former principal of specialist dyslexia school Oliver Plunkett's, Monkstown, Dublin.
"I got off at the wrong Dart stop recently because I misread a sign."
This is not unusual, she believes. "Pupils often get dyslexic late in exams when they are stressed about time."
Mis-spelling or misreading the odd word is normal and understandable, but what do you do if your child is going through stress every time they approach words on a page?
Dyslexia is an umbrella term for many kinds of reading and writing difficulties, according to Quinn. One of the key indicators is an obvious gap between the child and their peers, Quinn says.
"There are kids who are slow to mature - some can read at 11 not seven - but the system doesn't particularly cater to them. I often tell parents that this child will read but we're not sure when. They are all individuals and don't all get their teeth at the same time.
"To be able to read, a person needs visual, hearing and sensory integration, that is you need to be able to connect what you see with what you hear.
"Often what some children need is someone to spend time and energy helping them to read. Some kids need 125 repetitions of a word to process it, others need 500."
In many cases, there can be solutions such as coloured lenses, as some children are supersensitive to light.
"It could be a balance or even diet problem, where the child is allergic to something."
Quinn says that sometimes a child could be looking at a pattern where it appears to move simply because of something they ate or smelled.
There are several methods of assessing dyslexia and the Department of Education uses WISC - the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
"Your child could be intelligent yet not be able to progress at the basic reading skills," says Quinn.
WISC looks at sub-skills for vision, audio or language difficulties to see where the problem lies.
While the department is doing a lot, they could do more, according to Rosie Bissett, director of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland.
"The difficulty with learning support tests is that they are quite limited, so some slip through the net.
"Significant problems are being caught, but moderate or mild forms often go unnoticed unless a parent or teacher is pro-active," she says.
"Schools are allowed two assessments per 100 children but really you need more, given the general figure of about 10 per cent of children with dyslexia alone."
Martin Murphy, author of Dyslexia an Explanation, says that typically a school might apply for 18 assessments and only be granted two. "That's like six people in AE with broken legs being told: 'We can only treat two of you'."
Bissett says that if parents suspect their child is having difficulty, the first thing they should do is talk to the child and their teacher.
"A teacher will usually know quite quickly if the child is picking up issues around words. Parents should read through all the literature available as there are as many kinds of dyslexia as there are people with dyslexia.
"The more they read, the more they may, or may not, recognise the signs," she says.
If parents have genuine concerns, they should get a professional assessment to find out exactly what kind of learning style the child or young adult may have.
"After that, it is a matter of tailoring solutions to individual needs," says Bissett.
According to Martin Murphy, "at secondary level a classic sign of dyslexia is where the teacher tells parents they don't understand a child underperforming in exams because their schoolwork and homework are fine. Difficulties with eye tracking become more obvious in puberty too because of hormones, and the child may complain of blurry vision and headaches."
According to Alice Quinn, "muscle imbalance between the eyes can be helped by exercises to build up the visual system. Some children are more sensory and it will help them to make letters with Plasticine that they can touch and feel.
"Kids commonly mix up 'b's and 'd's, or put them back to front. Some hear both letters the same. If the child's hearing is slightly off, it could be due to scarred auditory tissue.
"Parents are often astounded to learn that their hearing child has some impairment, so we advise hearing and sight tests within six months of diagnosing dyslexia."
According to Bissett, phonics can be a real struggle for a child with auditory difficulties.
While other areas can be worked on, she says, "you can't forget about them altogether because phonics help a child to approach and make sense of a word they have never seen before."
New developments in technology are helping students at all levels, she says. "Particularly with severe cases where specialist software is a lifesaver. Doing exams on a computer is now allowed in many universities."
Some people see dyslexia as a gift, Bissett says, as they tend to see the bigger picture. "It's been called the MIT disease because of the numbers of engineers and computer people who have it. Such perceptions, however, don't take from the frustration felt by dyslexics," she says.
"There is still a stigma around dyslexia, even with some teachers who think the child is just lazy or messy. Reading and writing is still huge in our society. Dyslexia is a difficulty now only because of where society is now," she says.
For further information . . .
Catriona Martyn of the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) is currently researching the role of audio and visual processing in dyslexia in Ireland and welcomes participants in a study on specific language impairment.
All participants must be school going and have a solid diagnosis carried out through the school system. For more details, e-mail caitriona.martyn@nuigalway.ie
Books and websites:
The Gift of Dyslexiaby Ronald D. Davis
Dyslexia An Explanationby Martin F. Murphy
www.dyslexia.ie - Dyslexia Association of Ireland, Suffolk Chambers, 1 Suffolk Street, Dublin 2
www.dyslexia-at-bay.com Tel: 01-2840563
www.learning4learning.com
www.cluas.ie
Tomatis Therapy for auditory-based dyslexia.