DYSLEXIA


Introduction

1. Attention grabber: while it is estimated that 7% of Malaysian children suffer from dyslexia, no definitive, standardised diagnostic tool exists within the          Malaysian context.


  • This talk will address
  •  
  • What is dyslexia?
  •  
  • How to recognise signs of dyslexia
  •  
  • Testing for dyslexia
  •  
  • Dealing with dyslexia
  •  
  • Education issues regarding dyslexia


What is Dyslexia?


  • Derives from “dys”=abnormal/difficulty and “lex”= speech/language

  • Malaysian model similar to World Federation of Neurology’s definition: “a disorder among children who, despite conventional classroom experience, fail to attain language skills of reading, writing and spelling commensurate with their intellectual abilities”

  • Two major characteristics of dyslexia:

  • Difficulties with language skills (reading, writing, spelling)

  • NOT consistent with the child’s intellectual abilities

  • This means that children with dyslexia will have trouble

  • matching letters with the sounds they make (phonological awareness)

  • matching words with their meanings (decoding)

  • Some common symptoms:

  • Difficulty in buttoning clothes/tying shoe laces

  • Wearing shoes on wrong foot

  • Pronounced clumsiness

  • Difficulty in throwing/catching/kicking a ball

  • Difficulty in ascertaining orientation (confusing up/down, left/right, front/back)

  • Difficulty n following long instructions

  • Late in developing speech ability

  • Mixing up syllables i.e. ‘sapar lamam’ instead of ‘pasar malam’

  • Difficulty in articulating multi-syllable words

  • Difficulty in naming objects

  • Difficulty in ascertaining dominant hand

  • Abnormally illegible handwriting

  • Difficulty in copying from a blackboard

  • Difficulty in recalling dates, telephone numbers, addresses, etc

  • Difficulty in telling time using a clock

  • Difficulty in remembering sequences

Recognising Dyslexia

     1. Pre-school


  • Difficulty in learning easy nursery rhymes

  • Trouble in recognising alphabets

  • Persists in ‘baby talk’

     2. Kindergarten


  • Reading errors: sounds different from what is on the page

  • Unable to sound out simple words

  • Cannot associate letters with their sounds

   3. Secondary school


  • Reading is slow and awkward

  • Confuse word that sound alike e.g. table and cable, butter and butler, etc

  • Trouble remembering dates, telephone numbers, addresses, names, etc

  • Messy handwriting

  • Takes much longer to respond to questions

   4. Young adult


  • Struggles to retrieve/find words

  • Mispronounces names of people and places

  • Lacks oral fluency

  • Rarely reads for pleasure

  • Reading still requires great effort

Testing for Dyslexia


   1. Testing for dyslexia involves 4 specific areas


  • Phonological Awareness (awareness of sounds)

  • Decoding (what symbols mean)

  • Comprehension

  • Rapid naming (retrieving/finding words)

    2. Phonological Awareness


  • Name of test: Phonological Awareness Test

  • How: child is asked to sound out words when some part is removed e.g. removing ‘C’ from ‘Cat’

  • What: Tests for child’s ability to work with sounds

    3. Decoding


  • Name of test: Test of Word Reading Efficiency II (TOWRE II)

  • How: child is asked to explain real words and made-up (fake) from a specified list

  • What: tests child’s ability to decode words quickly and accurately

    4. Comprehension


  • Name of Test: Gray Oral Reading Test 5 (GORT 5)

  • How: child is asked questions from a passage he has read

  • What: tests child’s ability to see words in context and not just from memory

    5. Rapid Naming


  • Name of test: Rapid Automatised Naming Test

  • How: child is asked quickly to name items that appear in a row of cards

  • What: tests child’s ability to retrieve words and process phonological information

Coping with Dyslexia


    1. There are two established programmes that can help children deal with dyslexia:


  • Orton-Gillingham Approach - step-by-step technique that teaches kids how to match letters with sounds, and recognize letter sounds in words.

  • Multisensory Instruction - teaches children how to use all of their senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell, and movement) to learn new skills.

     2. In addition, parent and teacher can also contribute positively in overcoming the child’s dyslexia by helping the child


  • recognize and use the smallest sounds that make up words (phonemes)

  • Understand that letters and strings of letters represent these sounds and words (phonics)

  • Comprehend what he or she is reading

  • Read aloud to build reading accuracy, speed and expression (fluency)

  • Build a vocabulary of recognized and understood words

     3. Parents must also reinforce the child’s language skills by


  • Reading aloud to the child

  • Encourage reading time - regularly engaging your child in reading activities

  • Set an example - allocate time where the child sees the parents engaged in reading thereby reinforcing the reading habit

Education Issue


    1. Kementerian Pendidikan’s screening tool for dyslexia: SENARAI SEMAK DISLEKSIA


    2. Parameters for SENARAI SEMAK DISLEKSIA (SSD)


  • Child’s mastery of reading, writing and numerical skills

  • Parents’/teachers’ perception of the child’s abilities

  • Presence of predictors/indicators of dyslexia.

  • However, SSD is NOT definitive and is NOT a diagnostic tool. There is NO standardised diagnostic tool for dyslexia in Malaysia.

   3. Problem: cases of dyslexia might be mistaken as a learning disability and be categorised as an OKU. The child might be made to leave ALIRAN PERDANA and attend schools in KELAS PENDIDIKAN KHAS


    4. Consequence: once inducted into the OKU system, it is difficult (if not impossible) to extract the child from the system. This is true even if the dyslexia has been successful dealt with. The child will forever categorised an OKU.


Conclusion


     1. Dyslexia is a condition where the child suffers from language disabilities that is not consistent with his intellectual abilities.


     2. Typical symptoms include difficulty in reading, in decoding words, in discerning orientation, etc.


     3. There are specific tests (addressing phonological awareness, decoding, comprehension and rapid naming) that can be taken to establish whether or not a child is dyslexic. Early detection will enhance the child’s chances for successfully dealing with dyslexia.


     4. Programmes that can help a child cope with dyslexia include the Orton-Gilligham Approach and Multisensory Instruction.


     5. Strategies for dealing with a child’s dyslexia


  • Help the child recognize and use the smallest sounds that make up words (phonemes)

  • Help the understand that letters and strings of letters represent these sounds and words (phonics)

  • Help the child comprehend what he or she is reading

  • Encourage the child to read aloud to build reading accuracy, speed and expression (fluency)

  • Help the child build a vocabulary of recognized and understood words

    6. Early detection of a dyslexic condition and active remedial measures enhances the child’s ability to function in a meaningful way in the conventional classroom environment