Priyanka Ray, M.A., B.Ed,
Digital Strategist, Vision Science Academy.
Vision Science Academy Exclusive
Introduction
Reading is the most important factor in the learning process. Without reading, we cannot comprehend and learn. During the first few years of school, children learn to read and later on, they read to comprehend. Difficulty in reading often imposes serious impediment towards learning and education.
Reading
Reading requires the coordination of multiple regions in the brain. Reading involves a series of fast jumps across the pages of a book. Knowledge gathered through the reading process is acquired during stable moments between the jumps.1 A child achieves fluency in reading once he/she can connect the words and word patterns with their sound and meanings.
Dyslexia – reading and learning difficulty
Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder, commonly diagnosed in children.2 It is a learning difficulty, which affects a person’s reading and writing skills. It affects the part of the brain, which is associated with language development and processing. The specific cause is not known but it is believed to run in families and may be inherited by children from their parents. Children with dyslexia have normal visual capability and intelligence. They are often highly creative and can be good at problem solving. They can even succeed in school, if provided with proper guidance, care and specific educational approach designed to cater to their requirements.
Diagnosis
According to most experts, dyslexia is a language-based difficulty. Often medical eye professionals or optometrists are consulted for treating children with learning difficulties. Problems related to vision may prove to be an impediment towards learning; however, visual problems are not the cause of dyslexia. As a result, getting diagnosed in different areas of vision or sensory-motor skills for treating dyslexia are of little consequence. It is possible for students with dyslexia to achieve positive results with early recognition and on consulting an educational psychologist or a qualified educational professional for treatments. 3
Even though the eyes are primarily responsible for reading, they are only the initial few steps involved in the complex process of learning, which includes cognition, comprehension and retention performed by the brain. According to National Health Services, U.K,4 dyslexia can be treated with an array of specialist educational interventions to assist in reading and writing. If not diagnosed early, dyslexia often continue into adulthood and causes severe problems in learning and professional life. Early detection and the right treatment can ensure success among students with learning difficulties.
Conclusion
Dyslexia does not affect normal intelligence and children with dyslexia can often succeed in school if they are provided with the right guidance, environment, and educational techniques, specifically designed for their well-being.
References:
- Granet DB. Learning disabilities, dyslexia, and vision: The role of the pediatric ophthalmologist. J AAPOS. 2011 Apr;15(2):119-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2011.03.003. PMID: 21596289.
- Sheryl M. Handler, Walter M. Fierson and the Section on Ophthalmology and Council on Children with Disabilities, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and American Association of Certified Orthoptists
- Pediatrics March 2011, 127 (3) e818-e856; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-3670
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/living-with/ (Last accessed 18th March 2021 11:06am IST)
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