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Dyslexia
Contributed by
Purnima Mirchandani
Amit's World
Would you expect a 10-year-old boy
to keep still in his chair for more than 5 minutes? Amit, with his mischievously
twinkling eyes, endearing smile and outgoing personality seemed to be an
intelligent, active boy, just like any of his peers. However, he had been
recommended for testing by his pediatrician since he was having difficulty
in coping with his schoolwork.
He was administered a battery of
tests to gauge his capabilities. These tests included tests to determine
his Intelligence levels (IQ), Visual Perception, Achievements in written
work as well as diagnostic tests for dyslexia. When his results were
put together, we found that his IQ was above average at 126 (An average
IQ is 90-110), but there was a discrepancy between his potential as seen
by his IQ and his achievements. This discrepancy along with other diagnostic
tests indicated that he was dyslexic.
Amit knew everything orally, but
when it came to reading & writing he faced difficulty - a classic case
of a learning disability. At the age of 10, he was still reversing some
of his letters and had difficulty with directions, doing puzzles, etc.
Since he had such excellent verbal skills and seemed in every way like
his classmates, his undetected dyslexia had led to his being labelled "lazy".
What is Dyslexia
The term dyslexia covers a range
of symptoms and learning difficulties related to the written word. As such,
no single cause for dyslexia has been pinpointed. Possible hypotheses suggest
a genetic predisposition, an abnormality in the corpus callosum, a faulty
neurological path or a rapid-processing sensory deficit. 5-10% of the world's
population, regardless of nationality, income level, sex, race or IQ have
dyslexia. Dyslexic people are visual thinkers, so it's hard for them to
understand letters, numbers, symbols or written words, which leads to problems
with reading, writing, math and attention focus.
The dyslexic child has average or
above average intelligence - in no way is he "dumb", "stupid" or "lazy"
- labels that have been attached to him over the years. He genuinely has
a difficulty in basic skills, and is not just playing up. Along with dyslexia,
he may also have an Attention Deficit Disorder, as Amit had, which may
make him seem like he is "always on the go" almost as if he is "driven
by a motor". This makes it difficult for him to attend to what is
being taught in school, and thus there are gaps in his knowledge.
Dyslexia is more
common than you think
There are many famous people all
over the world that are dyslexic. Among them are artists like Michaelangelo
and Rodin, scientists like Einstein and Edison, great orators like President
Roosevelt and General Patton, and even entertainers like Tom Cruise and
Cher are supposed to be dyslexic. As you may have noticed, they all excel
in areas that do not involve the "written word" to a great extent.
They were all able to make the best of their skills and overcome their
dyslexic problems to excel in their chosen fields.
Rejection by Peers
Amit had difficulty in the basic
skills of reading, spelling and writing; which leads to difficulty in comprehension
as well as in problem math, as they too involve the written word. These
skills are required for all schoolwork so it was no wonder that he was
having trouble coping. His undiagnosed learning disability led his peers
to reject him because he did not do well in class. His parents and teachers
did not understand his difficulty and labelled him lazy. In a class
of 40 children, the teacher could not give him the extra attention he needed.
Gradually, he was relegated to the backbench, which was self-defeating
as he stopped taking any interest in what was being taught. There
was just no motivation to try harder, and so he was further ridiculed.
He became the "class clown" - anything to be accepted! What a price
to pay!
How did Amit's
Life Change
When Amit was told that he was intelligent
and not "dumb" as he has privately labelled himself (he has heard that
label often enough), his self-esteem got a much-desired boost. It
gave him the self-confidence to take on the world!
With the right remedial help, empathetic
parents and teachers, and friends who accept him, the dyslexic child has
a lot going for him. In the present school system, the ICSE, SSC
and HSC boards all give exemptions and provisions to help the dyslexic
child compete on an equal footing. They give the child more time
to complete the work, marks are not cut for spelling errors so long as
the content is clear, he may be given a calculator if he has dyscalculia
(i.e. difficulty with computations), or a writer if he has dysgraphia (i.e.
difficulty with writing). Exemptions from 2nd language and options
to take subjects other than Science and Maths are among the other facilities
given to the dyslexic child.
Amit is now a much more confident
child - not just verbally but also in his work. His parents reported
that after the diagnosis of his problem, his tantrums and fits of aggression
at home lessened considerably. He started becoming more responsible
in day to day activities. In addition, with the right remedial help, he
is making progress by leaps and bounds. He is motivated to try to read
and spell, since he can finally make sense of the jumble of letters that
a page used to represent. Earlier he used to read from memory of a word
pattern. He used to think, "I wish I could! I wish I could!"
There are still a lot of obstacles
in Amit's way. He will always have some difficulty with the written word,
but he has the will to try and try again. Like the little engine that could,
you can almost hear Amit say, "I know I can! I know I can! I know I can!"
as he tackles another mountain of work. Way to go Amit! You can do
it!
Purnima Mirchandani is a Clinical
Psychologist and Remedial teacher in Dyslexia. She has worked
for 10 years with developmentally handicapped children at Sadhana School
as Special Education teacher and later as Head Psychologist. In recent
years, she has worked as a Resource person in the Special Needs Unit at
Bombay International School. She has her own clinic since the last
14 years and deals with all kinds of educational problems. For further queries, contact Purnima at purnimamirchandani@gmail.com
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