I love my blog. It has helped me connect with like minded people, air my views, obtain differing opinions and make enduring friendships. It has been exciting to think that there are many new blogs out there that I am yet to discover. But, today I am going to ask for your help.
I am asking that you please read this post, comment and re-tweet it.
My daughter was this week diagnosed with Dyslexia. Whilst I was naturally disappointed that my child would experience learning difficulties, I wasn't thrown into disarray with the diagnosis. I knew my daughter had a problem. She is very bright but has been finding it extremely difficult to progress in English, despite working very hard and advancing in all other subjects. I am, however, disappointed that I might not be able to keep a promise that I have recently made. The other day, whilst I was reading to her, she stopped me and said,
"Daddy, I wish I could read like you. I would love to be able to read on my own. Just like the other kids in my class."
I said to her,
"Don't worry baby. You continue to work hard and we'll get you there."
Only it might not be that easy. Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent reading and spelling. More precisely, in my daughter's case, I have been advised that she has difficulty with sequential learning and visual recognition. This means that she finds it hard to place letters in the correct order and it can be difficult for her to read words, remember them and place them in her writing. Effectively my daughter cannot learn to read and, therefore, she cannot read to learn.
In some ways, I feel lucky that my daughter has been diagnosed relatively young and can now be provided with a different system of learning such that she can progress to her maximum potential (dyslexia being a condition that affects people across the range of intellectual abilities). Moreover, I am blessed that my daughter has a good teacher, who has been trained to spot the signs of dyslexia, and sent her for tests. Not all children are so lucky and that is where you come in. If we, as parents, can identify the signs of dyslexia then we can help our children.
The signs of dyslexia are:
- Difficulties with reading,
- Difficulties with spelling,
- Poor sequencing skills,
- Poor short term memory,
- Lack of phonological awareness - ability to beak down words and recognise separate units of sound,
- Confusion with left and right,
- Problems with reading comprehension,
- Difficulties with mathematics,
- Difficulties with musical notation,
- Poor handwriting,
- Difficulties expressing thoughts orally,
- Poor organisational skills,
- Is there someone else in the house with similar difficulties?
If you suspect your child has dyslexia there are numerous organisations that can help such as;
I am exploring them both at the moment.
Dyslexia is not a condition to be ashamed of. Many famous people have dyslexia and I would like to leave the last word with one of them;
Credit to Dyslexia Action for the content of much of this post.
I get the feeling you're on a mission DT. Your little girl already has you fighting her corner and things can only get better. Wishing you lots of luck on your journey. I hope you keep us updated. Take care.
ReplyDeletePs I love that Einstein clip. :D
An informative post that was well worth retweeting.
ReplyDeleteI wish I tweeted as I would definitley do so with this as we are a household of dyslexics at varying levels. Mine is mild, my husband's is much more severe and we await with bated breath what The Boy will have, 'cos he does have it but we are not sure exactly in which areas. He is due to be tested.
ReplyDeleteIt seems strange but I write for a living and my husband is a marketeer who not only has to write a lot but also has to speak a lot too. We both had very forward looking teachers. Your little girl will do wonders; she's got you for starters to help!
I remembering wishing I could read like the other kids in my class and how I eventually struggled through Charlotte's Web when I was about 8 (a couple of years later than my peers) I sobbed at the end and wasn't sure if it was because Charlotte had died or because I had finished a proper book all by myself! She will get there and have all the opportunities that other children have.
ReplyDeleteWish I tweeted solely for the purpose of retweeting this post. Keep going!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to et you know that it is not as big a problem as you might fear. A few of my daughter's friends at school had dyslexia. Apart from a bit of extra help, including being able to type their exam papers rather than write them, or being given extra time for exams, they did very well at A-levels and have gone on to university. One has even got in to Oxford and also has a dyslexic brother there too. Hope that reassures you.
ReplyDeleteI haven't any experience of dyslexia, but it seems there's a lot more help out there than there has been in the past. I'm sure you'll do all you can to help your little girl flourish with confidence – and I'm sure you'll succeed too. The very best of luck to you both.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge is the first step. Your little girl is lucky to have you and I have no doubt with your support, as well as all of the resources out there, she will learn and grow in ways you may not even begin to fathom right now.
ReplyDeleteThe first step towards beating any kind of difficulty is to know that it exists, and you're finding out about this problem really early. And from what your little girl said to you, she realises that she has a learning problem, and she obviously wants to master reading and writing, and with help from her mum and dad, and the encouragement of her teachers, she will.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid at a little primary school in the country, there was no help available for children with learning difficulties, they were just labelled slow and left to flounder, trying to catch up with the others. And unfortunately, the other kids were mean to them.... including me, probably. I'm glad education has changed in the last 50 years!!
Please check out http://www.brightsolutions.us . My 8 yr old son was just recently also diagnosed as Dyslexic as well. This site has a wealth of information and, a great resource!
ReplyDeleteI stated to write a comment about some of the advantages of being dyslexic. However, things got a little out of hand, so I wrote a blog article instead. Good luck with your little girl. I hope she's given the tools she needs, also hope that nobody tries to change her.
ReplyDeletehttp://dyslexialuresok.wordpress.com/
People often forget that phonological difficulties can affect other areas like short term memory for phone number, times tables, and so on. The website www.timestableclock talks about how dyslexics can be successful at finding other ways around the problems, like using visual memory to their advantage. Schools need to know that there are other methods of teaching, and that dyslexia needn't hold a child back from other areas such as maths where they might have excellent potential.
ReplyDeletePeople often forget that phonological difficulties can affect other areas like short term memory for phone number, times tables, and so on. The website www.timestableclock talks about how dyslexics can be successful at finding other ways around the problems, like using visual memory to their advantage. Schools need to know that there are other methods of teaching, and that dyslexia needn't hold a child back from other areas such as maths where they might have excellent potential.
ReplyDeleteYou need to change your mindset. Your daughter does not have learning difficulties, she has a reading difficulty. She is no less (or more) intelligent than anyone else in her class as a result of the 'diagnosis'.
ReplyDeleteYou are right when you say it affects you as well, but that also means you need to rethink your own approach to dyslexia. There is nothing more likely to hold her (and you) back than the belief that it is a learning issue.
Good luck!
I am and thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kellogsville. I am thinking of renaming you Special K - because you are!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tattie!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you Addy. It is nice to hear the success stories.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
ReplyDeleteI know that you are right!
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it but I was the same Shammy. It is why I so want to help my little girl!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment. I will be sure to do that.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve. I have read your post - it is a worthwhile read.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure that you read entirely read the post or, if you did, you misinterpreted what I was saying. I also don't agree with you - not being able to read is a learning issue that needs addressing. That is not suggesting that my daughter is less intelligent, just that she needs to learn in a different way.
ReplyDeleteThank you - I will.
ReplyDeleteSuperb blog post, I have book marked this internet site so ideally I’ll see much more on this subject in the foreseeable future!
ReplyDeletethis post is very usefull thx!
ReplyDelete