Dyslexia

Einstein, considered one of the geniuses of the century, experienced severe speech disorders in his early childhood and learning and communication difficulties when he started primary school. Einstein, who clashed with the authority and education system at school and hated school throughout his life, was actually not 'retarded' as his family feared at the time, but simply had Dyslexia.
Learning disabilities, whose name we may not know exactly but which have manifested themselves in recent years, especially in children, through difficulties in learning and expression, and which confront us with the question 'Does my child have an intellectual disability?', are actually an indication that your child needs special attention.
We discussed learning disabilities in children and Dyslexia, the most common learning disability, with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Specialists at Hisar Hospital Intercontinental.

Is My Child Lazy or Dyslexic?

When a child starts primary school, a new period actually begins in the life of the family and the child. All families dream of their children being successful. In fact, when their very intelligent children start primary school and have difficulty learning to read, this initially creates disappointment and anxiety in the family. Generally, two paths are followed; one of these is the communication of their own disappointments and anger to the child, which unfortunately happens very often in our country. The child is guilty; because they do not like lessons and do not want to study. Actually, they would do it if they wanted to, but they are taking the easy way out. Then, negative labels such as 'lazy' and 'irresponsible' begin for the child. The child has disappointed the family. In fact, we think that families who look at the event this way are taking the easy way out. Because it is also the responsibility of families to notice potential difficulties early while raising a child and to do what is necessary in this regard. You cannot expect a struggling child to do their lessons with pleasure, and if they are also accused of laziness, they will now say, 'Since I am lazy, I am not working.'

There are many applications to child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinics due to academic failure. We try to understand the reasons behind this problem. A significant portion of these consists of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities. Clinically, we often see these two diseases together. Among learning disabilities, the one we see most frequently is Dyslexia, that is, reading disorder.

The learning function is a highly complex process that requires many regions of the brain to work together. If there are any systems whose functioning is disrupted, they actually signal with system-specific symptoms. Learning begins with the acquisition of information, requires it to be stored appropriately, and expressed in writing or verbally when desired. Now let's take a look at these systems one by one.

Attention Control System

The attention control system allows the child to hear external sounds less, block internal daydreams, and focus on the subject while it is being explained. While the flow of information continues, the other function of the attention system is to ensure that attention is maintained without getting bored. A child who cannot do this gets very bored while studying. Their attention skills are low; they avoid activities such as lessons that require intense attention. They cannot finish the work they started. They forget their belongings at school.

Language System

Information must be defined by the language system. At school, information is mostly acquired by reading and listening. The child must be able to convert the visual symbols they see; that is, the writing system that goes from letters to words, and from words to concepts, into a sound system. If the child cannot convert what they see into sound and concept, a reading difficulty occurs, and this is called dyslexia. In these children, reading is behind their peers; they do not like reading and they read slowly. They see some letters but cannot learn their sounds. They may follow with their finger while reading silently or aloud, skip lines or words, or add words to the passage that distort the meaning. For example, they do not understand when they read a passage themselves, but they understand it very well when a friend reads it. They confuse or read some letters or numbers backwards while reading.

On the other hand, the child is also expected to convert information into written language. If there is a problem here, it is called a writing disorder. In these children, handwriting is illegible and messy. They do not like to write, and homework is not submitted. Since their writing is slow for their grade level, they mostly cannot finish. They write some letters and numbers backwards or confuse them while writing. They may skip or add letters. They make numerous spelling and punctuation errors. They cannot use the page regularly while writing and may skip lines.

In mathematics, mathematical concepts are also converted into symbols. The problem here manifests itself as a mathematical disorder. Arithmetic skill is slow in the four operations. They have difficulty learning the multiplication table or confuse arithmetic symbols such as plus and minus.

Symptoms of Learning Disability

Learning disability is actually a broad spectrum. This difficulty can be accompanied by the following symptoms to varying degrees:

• Distance, depth, and size perceptions are weak.

• They hear some letters incorrectly and may have difficulty understanding verbal instructions. When several things are said at once, they forget at least one; they may have difficulty distinguishing what they hear.

• Study habits have not developed. Homework is taken down incompletely, and is slow and inefficient. Homework cannot be done alone.

• There may be difficulties in organizational skills. Their room is messy, they use their notebooks poorly, and they lose them. They have difficulty managing time. A 15-minute assignment can take hours. They have difficulty organizing and sequencing the things they are expected to do.

• They confuse their right and left; they may have difficulty finding their way. They confuse the concepts of bottom-top, front-back. They have difficulty learning temporal concepts such as yesterday, today, year, month, day, and season.

• Sequencing skills are lacking. When asked to tell a story they have read, they confuse the beginning and end of the story. They can count the days of the week or months in order, but they cannot know the next one when asked randomly.

• These children may have delays in their speech, especially in early developmental periods. They may not be able to say some sounds, and their verbal self-expression skills may not be sufficient.

• They are unsuccessful compared to their peers in motor skills, such as catching a ball or jumping rope. They are clumsy, fall, and get injured. They cannot manage things that require manual dexterity, such as using a fork and spoon.

• Perhaps as a result of the difficulties, they are mostly lonely, have low self-confidence, and are prone to being anxious and unhappy. Their friendships may not be good.

Having Dyslexia Does Not Mean Your Child Has an Intellectual Disability!

The most typical thing for children with specific learning disabilities is that there is no problem with their intelligence. In fact, there is a condition that intelligence must be normal in order to make a diagnosis. However, even though children grasp the questions asked very well, they cannot express them correctly in writing because they cannot read correctly. For this reason, their exam success is low. The fundamental problem here is not that the child cannot understand; it is that they cannot express what they understand with symbols. The exam system quickly labels these children as failures. Because the system is not organized according to the way they express information. What is difficult is that, in fact, many talented and intelligent children within the system are treated as failures and, unfortunately, sometimes as if they have an intellectual disability.

However, Dyslexia is also known for having many famous and successful people who have this condition. One of the most famous people with dyslexia is Einstein. In his writings, Einstein states that his teachers said his mind worked slowly and that he would wander aimlessly after stupid dreams until he died. His life is a success story that goes from school years spent with such harsh judgments to a theory that challenges the entire system. While this gives hope on one hand, these examples are not actually success stories that reflect the majority. Unfortunately, these children, who are frequently labeled as failures in today's education system, are doomed to a future far below their capacity. Dyslexia is one of the underlying causes in the vast majority of young people who drop out of school...

What needs to be done is to evaluate the child psychiatrically and to create an appropriate diagnosis and treatment scheme for the child after the necessary tests and examinations. In all educational programs, education that is detailed and tailored to the child's difficulties, progresses from part to whole, and provides skills in an increasing manner is aimed, and the child is ensured to use their potential in the best way.