HOW CAN THOSE WITH DYSLEXIA BE HELPED?... AUTISM STORIES (PART 2)

CONTINUED FROM PART 1

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Help From Parents

Some who are parents of a dyslexic child feel guilt and blame themselves for their offspring's plight. If you feel this way, dispel the gloomy recognizing that none of us are perfect and we are all different. Start by recognizing that just as a color-blind needs help to live with his defect, so does your dyslexic child. You as a parent have a definite role to play in the education of your child.
Although dyslexia cannot presently be prevented or cured, it can be alleviated. How? Professor T.R.Miles, author of Understanding Dyslexia, advises parents to discover first of all exactly what the dyslexic child finds difficult.
How to Recognize Dyslexia in Children
If you answer yes to three or four of the questions below for each age group, it is possible that the children concerned are dyslexic to some extent.

Children ages 8 or less:

Were they late in learning to speak?
Do they still have particular difficulty with reading or spelling? Does this surprise you?
Do you have the impression that in matters not connected with reading and spelling, they are alert and bright?
Do they write letters and figures the wrong way arround?
When doing calculations, have they needed the help of bocks, fingers, or marks on paper for longer than others of their age? Do they have unusual difficulty remembering multiplication table?
Do they have difficulty in telling left from right?
Are they usually clumsy? (Not all dyslexic children are clumsy.)

Children 8 to 12 or More

Do they make unusual spelling errors? Do they sometimes omit letters from words or put them in the wrong order?
Do they make apparently careless mistakes in reading?
Does reading comprehension sees slower than expected for children of their age?
Do they have difficulty copying from the blackboard at school?
When reading aloud, do they leave out words or a line altogether, or do they read the same line twice? Do they dislike reading aloud?
Do they still find multiplication tables difficult to remember?
Do they have a poor sense of direction, confusing left and right?
Do they lack self-confidence and have low self-respect?

Thereafter their work deteriorates. “Regular but limited amounts of study each day are likely to be more beneficial than occasional days of intense effort,” notes Dyslexia at College.“The child should be asked to do as well as he is able,” advises Reading and the Dyslexic Child, “but not better than that.” By being sympathetic and encouraging, and in particular by arranging for suitable teaching, parents can minimize the effects of dyslexia and, at the same time, lessen the strain the dyslexic child feels. Then they will be able to make a realistic appraisal of their child’s limitations and what can be expected..

Help From Teachers

Remember, dyslexia is a learning difficulty. So teachers need to spend time with dyslexic children in their classes and make an effort to help them. Limit the children's frustration by being realistic in what you expect of them. After all, a dyslexic child may well grow into an adult who still finds reading out loud a problem.
Do not become a defeatist. Instead, commend the children for any progress they make—and certainly for all their effort. Then, too, avoid indiscriminate praise. Professor Miles recommends that when teachers note some progress, they say to a dyslexic pupil: “Yes, I agree you have made some mistakes. But I still say you have done well: it is an improvement on last week and in view of your disability, it is a satisfactory result.” But when there is no improvement. He advises saying: “Yes, such-and-such still seem to be causing you difficulty; let us see if we can explore some different way of helping you.”
Beware of making disparaging remarks about the dyslexic child’s reading. Strive to make books and reading enjoyable for him. How? Both parents and teachers can suggest that the child hold a marker, perhaps a small ruler, under the line he is reading, as a very slow reader often allows his attention to slip.

If the problem surfaces in reading the letters of the word in the wrong order, kindly ask, “Which is the first letter?”
Imagine how discouraging it is for the dyslexic child to be frequently told by his math teacher that his answers are wrong. How much better to give him slightly easier problems so that the frustration failure brings is replaced by the satisfaction of solving them correctly.
“The key for dyslexics is,” according to one specialist teacher “learning through all the senses.” Combine sight, hearing, and touch to help the child read and spell words correctly. “The pupil needs to look carefully, to listen carefully, to pay attention to his hand movements as he writes, and to pay attention to his mouth movements as he speaks,” Professor Miles explains. By doing this, the dyslexic child will equate the written form of a letter with both its sound and the hand movements he makes to write it. To help the child distinguish between letters that confuse him, teach him to begin writing each of the letters at a different point on the letter. “Ideally,” recommends Reading and the Dyslexic Child,” each child ought to have an hour a day of tutoring on a one-teacher-to-one-pupil basis.” Sadly, circumstances rarely permit this. Nevertheless, dyslexics can help themselves

Self – Help

If you are dyslexic, aim to do the bulk of your reading when you are at your freshest. Researchers have noticed that dyslexic students achieve good results if they continue reading for about an hour and a half.

If after reading these these questions you believe you are dyslexic, do not hide the problem. Accept it. And take account of it. For example you may be preparing for a job interview. Like many people, you may find that the pressure of the situation makes it difficult to express yourself clearly and concisely. Why not try some practice interview beforehand?

True, it is going to take you longer to read and spell well.But persevere. Persevere in trying to read, write, and spell properly. Doing so will help you to overcome the frustration of dyslexia.
Make use of a portable typewriter or, better still, a word processor with a program that helps you check the spelling of what you enter. Couple this with learning how to organize and manipulate information.

The difficulties dyslexia causes are not easily remedied. But the brain, being the marvelous organ it is, compensates for the problem. Permanent unhappiness is therefore unlikely. Julie, Vanessa, and David have all worked hard at overcoming their frustration. You can do the same. Recognize that your specific difficulty need not stop you from learning

Enjoy books by listening to those recorded in available media. Indeed, this magazine and its companion.The Watchtower, now appear regularly on different media in many languages, as does the whole Bible

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRITAIN(1996)

But there are matters arising from the last two posts.For instance is dyslexia part of autism or not? To answer this an other related questions please go to part three of this write-up.

Thank you.