CHILDREN’S DYSLEXIA: SYMPTOMS, HOME CARE AND MEDICAL TREATMENT
Signs and symptoms
Dyslexia varies in severity. Some of the problems dyslexics may have include: confusion about whether they are right-handed or left-handed; difficulty learning to tell time or remembering the order of days, months, or seasons; hyperactivity; problems with language; difficulty telling left from right and up from down; coordination and balance problems; problems with memory; and seeing letters and numbers reversed.
Dyslexia is diagnosed by a series of tests of visual perception, memory, and space and time perception, and by medical and psychological evaluations. A child who has the symptoms of dyslexia may have a disorder or disease of the central nervous system, problems with hearing or vision, or emotional problems, rather than a learning disability. The possibility of a physical or psychological cause for the problem must be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made.
Home care
A child with dyslexia needs special support and help from the family. However, the child does not need to be over-protected. The child should be challenged as well as encouraged. Finding a balance is not an easy job. The child’s teachers and doctor may be able to help parents work with a dyslexic child. The situation can be hard on the whole family, so a parent needs to be sensitive to how the problem may affect the dyslexic child’s brothers or sisters. They may need extra attention or professional help.
• If your child seems to be intelligent but has unexpected problems with reading, the child may have dyslexia. The sooner the problem is identified, the easier it will be for the child, so get professional help as soon as possible.
• Rather than consider the child a failure, encourage him or her to develop new skills.
Medical treatment
There is no cure for dyslexia. If the child has physical or emotional problems as well as dyslexia, these will probably be treated first. Then a treatment plan will be made to work on the reading problem. The plan may be developed by a team of educational professionals, in consultation with the child and the child’s parents, doctor, and teachers. The plan will include special education and training for the child based on his or her particular problems and strengths.
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