By: Sarah Qasrawi
What are symptoms of Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning disability that hinders one’s reading, writing, or spelling potential. Dyslexic children endure certain symptoms when it comes to reading, as words seem to “jumble up” and cause them to either misspell words or say them quite slowly. Many end up skipping words, reversing the order of letters, or even skipping some letters within a word. Usually, their handwriting is very messy, they have difficulties remembering things in order (like alphabets or numbers), and could convey odd spellings for seemingly simple words.
Is Dyslexia a mental disability?
Dyslexia is mostly due to a dysfunction in certain regions of the brain, which affects one’s overall performance. However, Dyslexic people are not visually impaired, and usually have normal (sometimes even above normal) intelligence. Several researches proving that Dyslexia is isolated from visual impairment have been conducted. One of them was from Bristol and Newcastle universities, where they carried out certain eye-tests for 5,822 participants in an association called “Children of the 90s'', concluding that most dyslexic children were found to have perfect vision.
What causes Dyslexia?
Although much research has been done, experts still don’t know the main causes of this impairment. Dyslexia is typically a hereditary disease, meaning that it runs in the family and is inherited by children as a genetic disorder. Dyslexia affects males around three times more often than it does females, and many are still studying the connection of male hormones to Dyslexia.
Different arguments regarding the causes of dyslexia
Several studies revealed that extra testosterone before birth (through certain pills, for example) could slow down the development of the left side of the fetus's brain. Other researchers disagree; they believe that dyslexic patients rarely have any problems with spoken language- which is also controlled by the left side of the brain and relies on some of the same areas that control reading and writing.
How is Dyslexia diagnosed and is there a cure?
Dyslexia is mainly diagnosed after a parent and/or teacher recognizes signs/symptoms in a child. A series of tests will be carried out looking at the personality, IQ, reading, and general skills of the child to decipher whether the child is suffering from Dyslexia or another possible disease. As for treatments, numerous techniques are used. For example, treatment could include therapists or personal tutors that would help improve the child’s speech and language. On the other hand, other types of improvement would involve teaching them how to split reading and writing into individual tasks. Some children are able to adapt in class with their disability through assistance, while others may require additional at-home tutoring.
References:
1. Horowitz-Kraus, T., Brunst, K. J., & Cecil, K. M. (2018). Children With Dyslexia and Typical Readers: Sex-Based Choline Differences Revealed Using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Acquired Within Anterior Cingulate Cortex. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Retrieved in (16/09/19) from http://dx.doi.org.ezpd.hdsb.ca/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00466
This academic journal was written by 3 highly qualified experts in the field of radiology, reading, neuroimaging, and research. It was published in 2018 suggesting that information is quite up-to-date and reliable. It also provides links to other websites concerning the same topic. It is neatly put together, discussing Dyslexia and its issues in detail. This academic journal is very reliable, and is highly recommended.
2. Mullig, A. (2014). Dyslexia. In K. L. Lerner & B. W. Lerner (Eds.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (5th ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. Retrieved in (16/09/19) from https://link-gale-com.ezpd.hdsb.ca/apps/doc/CV2644030730/SCIC?u=ko_k12pr_d29&sid=SCIC&xid=0c434d56
This article was written by A. Mullig who seems quite fond of the topic, as he/she explained everything relating to Dyslexia. It was published in 2014, yet it still proved to be up-to-date comparing it to newer articles. The article seemed to link to other pages discussing similar topics to Dyslexia. Causes, symptoms, and possible treatments are organized neatly, therefore it is very accurate and highly recommended as a source.
3. Mark Allen Group. (2015, May 29). No link found between dyslexia and eyesight. Optician, (491). Retrieved in (16/09/19) from https://link-gale-com.ezpd.hdsb.ca/apps/doc/A415965226/SCIC?u=ko_k12pr_d29&sid=SCIC&xid=2ccb6d9c
This magazine article was published by the Mark Allen Group where it accurately provides the reader with several statistics about experiments relating to Dyslexia. It was published in 2015 revealing that the experiment was conducted rather recently. Many links are also available to help emphasize and link the ideas together. Proof and all data is presented clearly in the form of paragraphs. It is a very helpful source for gathering several ideas altogether.
4. HealthLinkBC. (2017, December 7). Dyslexia. HealthLinkBC. Retrieved in (23/09/19) from https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/te7211
This article was published by the “Healthwise Staff” of the health institution as many people were involved in writing it. It provides information on symptoms, causes, treatment, and diagnosis of Dyslexia. It was published in 2017 suggesting that the information is very recent, moreover there are several credible health institutes linked at the bottom. It is organized and clear to the reader, and would recommend it.
5. HarvardHealthPublishing. (2018, December 21). Dyslexia. Harvard Health. Retrieved in (25/09/19) from https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/dyslexia-a-to-z
This medical article was published by the Harvard Health department from Harvard Medical school, as it gives a wide variety of information on all the aspects of Dyslexia. It was posted in 2018 which means that the data is new and up-to-date. It has several links to other professional articles at the top of its page. It is mostly recommended as a source, because it provides strong and informative points.