Dyslexia is a learning difficulty where an individual is slow in development of speech, reading and hearing abilities. A person suffering from this condition fails to understand a text because of reading difficulties. Children with this problem may be enthusiastic to read but they cannot spell correctly due to the inability to make sounds from the letters they see ( Fawcett, & Nicolson, 2017, p.24). Often, they have issues with the order of letters and arithmetic. I have been compelled to investigate this learning difference in children when I remember one of my elementary school classmates who used to be given special attention by the teachers. At that moment, I did not understand the reason for this but some years later I was informed that the girl was suffering from mild dyslexia. I chose to investigate this exceptionality in learning so that I get a deeper comprehension of how being different feels for these people and those close to them.The research is also essential so that I learn how these people should be treated rightfully.
Methodology
The participant in this investigation was a parent to a child who has dyslexia. She was once, at one of the national radio stations, being interviewed on how she copes with her daughter’s exceptionality. I keenly followed the interview and found out insightful facts from her experiences with her dyslexic daughter. This was therefore the best person who could provide the information I wanted for my research. I later searched for the recorded version of the radio interview in the internet and got her personal contacts. Our first interaction through a phone call was successful since she agreed to answer my questions for the research. I sent her the questionnaire through email. I also made a follow-up two days later, to ensure that she still remembered our discussion and confirmed that she would be in position to answer the questions in the questionnaire. She was cooperative enough to send the answers in 4 days.
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Findings
Tell me how you discovered that your child has dyslexia.
Answer: My child delayed in forming coherent speech and was generally forgetful.We got worried when she was late to crawl, walk, and talk. It was difficult for us to understand her due to frequent mispronunciations, hesitant phrases, and stuttering. She mostly interpreted information wrongly and would be disrupted by any slight sounds. I later consulted a pediatrician who confirmed that my child had dyslexia.
How did you feel about the diagnosis? Why? Did you tell members of your extended family? Why or why not?
Answer: At first, the diagnosis shocked me because I never thought that any of my children would ever have such a condition. I had to confirm these results from two other child specialists who confirmed that indeed she was having dyslexia. Both pediatricians gave me guidance on how best to care for my daughter both in her school work and at home. It was necessary that I join hands with our relatives who had been a good source of support for the family. I informed my extended family members about the diagnosis so that we could together figure out the best way to handle her. Some began to draw away from us but the majority pledged their support. I realized the importance of informing the extended family because whenever my daughter was out to play with her cousins, the parents made sure that none was being harassed. Some of the family members suggested to me the best counselors who would help in guiding my daughter to accept her condition as she grew up.
Tell me about your child’s experiences in elementary, secondary and post-secondary school.
Answer: At elementary level, she was very eager to learn and the teachers loved her. At some point however, she would show signs of withdrawal when her younger sibling and other classmates showed that they could read faster and better than her. She had difficulties in learning to read and often confused letters, order of words and numbers, and would not express herself coherently. When she was given a reading text, she would read and reread but lacked good comprehension. Due to the constant struggle to read right, she easily got exhausted. At the secondary school level, my child at some point refused to go to school because she felt that she was totally different from her classmates. Often, she presented untidy work and waslate in submitting her assignment. Her memory of faces and exciting places was very sharp but she could not remember sequence of numbers or facts and information. She became aggressive whenever jokes were made because she could not understand and thought that people were laughing at her. Through constant encouragement she made it to college. At that level, she still had difficulties in summarizing any story she was given in her course. The advantage here was that she found leaners that were mature enough. They supported and understood the differences between them.
Did your child ever have an experience where teacher/ professordid not believe in the diagnosis? If so, how was that situation handled?
Answer: Yes. This happened twice while she was in elementary school and in secondary school. At elementary level, the teacher mistook her condition for autism. The teacher even summoned me to the school and recommended that I take my daughter to some other special schools that dealt with autistic children. I managed to explain to her that the condition was just dyslexia and it would not have much effect on my daughter’s intelligence. The end of session exam results confirmed that my daughter was capable of performing pretty well in her academics. At the secondary school level, a teacher thought that my daughter was being rude when she took much time reading a given text loud to the class, since she had reluctantly accepted to read the moment she was appointed. With consultations with the school administration, the teacher was able to understand her situation and assisted her accordingly.
What can a teacher do to include your child academically in the classroom?
Answer: The teacher can help by identifying the areas where my child needs help and concentrating on them during one-on-one interaction. I noticed that the major problem that my daughter has is lack of mastery of the alphabet, poor ordering of words in a sentence and little memory of the months of the year. The teacher can start by helping her understanding the alphabet both by saying it forward and backwards. Constant practice in using the correct order of words and understanding the sentences will help her form sensible sentences through speech and writing as well. From my consultations with a specialist, the teacher can help my daughter master the months of the year through use of symbols and pictorials. The graphics last more in the memory than purely written words.
Has your child encountered any social difficulties? If so what can a teacher do to make your child feel socially included?
Answer: Yes. She hardly interacted with her peers while at elementary and secondary school levels. Her withdrawal was, majorly because she could not express herself appropriately to her friends. This condition made her feel some unworthiness and shame of being different from others.The teacher constantly encouraged my daughter to interact with her classmates during school breaks. During the guided break sessions, the teacher ensured that she participated in the break-time games so as to ensure that my daughter had a chance to interact and enjoy the games.
What role(s) did you play in your child’s education?
Answer: I was very keen on my daughter’s progress in reading, writing and speaking. Apart from the homework given to her, I formulated a few guiding questions for her. We could go the questions together and search for relevant answers from the required texts. I did not let her strain so much and would allow her to take breaks when I noticed that her concentration had gone down. I always encouraged and appreciated her efforts in her school work no matter the points that she scored. On several occasions, I took her for professional counseling. This gave her enthusiasm and a positive view of her education and raised her self-esteem.
Do you have other children? If so how has your daughter’s dyslexia affected them?
Answer: Yes. They have been a little bit stigmatized for having a sibling who has a learning disability. Some of their cousins and neighborhood children seemed reluctant to share and play with them due to misplaced ideas about my daughter’s condition. My children have gradually understood and showed more love for their sister, offering her their whole support whenever she needs it.
What hopes and dreams do you have for your child?
Answer: I hope that she will finish her studies well and become a child specialist as she has always wanted.My daughter came to understand her differences with her classmates and accepted her condition. She has a dream of helping other children who have a similar or other related problem so that they feel part of the larger society. I am ready to support her in achieving this desire of her life.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Answer: Yes. My daughter’s condition has provided a learning experience for me and my family. We have got to understand how other children with such conditions suffer due to stigma and lack of support. It is prudent for every parent to do enough research about their child’s condition and find all therelevant help they can for him or her.
Discussion
Dyslexia has emotional aspects that can either be escalated or suppressed depending on how the individual is treated. Parents need to be upfront in offering all the necessary support to their child. While the cause of the condition is majorly biological factors as Diamanti et al. ( 2018, p. 180) states, other social factors can affect the individual greatly and hinder them from achieving greatness. The teachers are also instrumental in ensuring that the learner with dyslexia is handled and supported accordingly. The learning style needs to be matched with the appropriate method of instruction. In this way the learning would not be depressed with the much difference in reading skills between him or her and the classmates. This kind of support ensures that the effects of dyslexia do not escalate to extreme levels.
A person with dyslexia can succeed both academically and in life when they are given the necessary support. Unlike the prevalent thought that these people would eventually be failures, the findings of the investigation indicate the contrary. Diamanti et al. ( 2018, p. 185) posit that teachers and parents must rewardevery single effort from the child with dyslexia. Some of these children have strengths which point towards their success and these are the areas where much concentration should focus on. These children have a high IQ but may be slow academically. They mostly have talent in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building, or engineering ( Frith, 2017, p. 34) . These are lucrative occupation that can help them provide for themselves and forget about their other inabilities.
The investigation has confirmed that children with dyslexia may withdraw from others when they realize that they are different from others. It is important that parents are well informed and are able to find relevant help for their children in order to make them accept themselves and follow their dreams. Frith (2017, p. 25) suggests that teachers can have a specialized program for suchchildren and allocate time for personal interactions with them. Other children should be encouraged to show love and acceptance for their fellows who have learning differences.
Self-acceptance is paramount for a child or adult who has dyslexia (Fawcett & Nicolson, 2017, p. 61). This is the only way that they can remain focused on their life dreams and cooperate in any programs rolled out to help them. Frith (2017, p. 324) states that someone with dyslexia should be able to rejoice in her or his successes and abilities. They should not be scolded in those areas which they are poor in. People who associate with the person with dyslexia should be able to note the cognitive and affective effects that are caused by dyslexia so that they can appropriately assist the individual. Diamanti et al. (2018, p. 187) adds that dyslexics should be included in social functions such as participation in choirs and concerts. In this way they feel accepted in the society and put more effort to achieve their desired life goals.
References
Diamanti, V., Goulandris, N., Stuart, M., Campbell, R., & Protopapas, A. (2018). Tracking the effects of dyslexia in reading and spelling development: A longitudinal study of Greek readers. Dyslexia , 24 (2), 170-189.
Fawcett, A., & Nicolson, R. (2017). Dyslexia in children . Routledge.
Frith, U. (2017). Beneath the surface of developmental dyslexia. In Surface dyslexia (pp. 301-330). Routledge.
