Learning disorder - Dyslexia

Introduction

For those who do not know, dyslexia is a term used for a spectrum disorder and it is one of the most common types of learning difficulties which affect the skills required for reading and spelling in a proper manner. Those who suffer from dyslexia are commonly characterized as people who have problems with verbal processing speed, verbal memory and phonological awareness. Verbal processing speed is the time required to process and properly recognize all the familiar verbal information such as digits and letters. In case one does not know what verbal memory is, that is actually defined as a person’s ability to remember a sequence which contains certain verbal information over a short period of time. Phonological awareness is one of the main factors when it comes to the development of early spelling and reading skills. Phonological awareness is actually the way of identifying the making up of words from phonemes.

Contrary to the popular belief, dyslexia is not connected to the intelligence of a person, so it may affect children with all different intelligence levels. Not many people know that dyslexia is actually one of the most common learning difficulties as it affects a large number of children everywhere around the world. Approximately 6 in one hundred children are affected by dyslexia, at least to a certain degree. It is a peculiar fact that dyslexia affects boys much more than it affects girls. In fact, it affects boys up to three times more than it affects girls. Dyslexia may also affect children from all different types of ethnic backgrounds and it is important to add that the native language of a person may also have a significant role. It is a well known fact that languages which are characterized by unclear connections between the sound and the written form are much more challenging for the person who suffers from dyslexia.

Causes

It is largely unknown what exactly causes dyslexia but numerous scientific studies have shown that it may be associated with certain genetic factors which may be held responsible for affecting normal development of some areas of the brain. It is very likely that a person who suffered from dyslexia will have kids who will also suffer from this medical condition.

Treatment Options

There is no cure for dyslexia, but there are programs which can be helpful in improving the writing and reading skills of children affected by this medical condition.