Dyslexia: Problem or Gift?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Does your child read poorly, confuses letters, skips words, rearranges syllables, or even "mirrors" when writing? Distracted in class? Lagging? Do not rush to conclusions, do not predict that if he brings deuces, then they will not take him anywhere except in the janitors, and even more so do not punish the child. Perhaps it needs a special approach.

Previously, such children were ranked as lazy and incorrigible failing students and reproached their parents for not doing enough with the child. But as practice shows, no lessons with tutors and cramming from under the stick give results if your child has dyslexia.

123RF / racorn

This feature of information perception was first diagnosed and studied in the West. In this sense, dyslexics living abroad are in a much better position. They know how to work with children with dyslexia, classes and even special schools are organized, moreover, special laws have been developed to protect people with dyslexia. Dyslexia is included in the Education with Disabilities Act, which operates in thirty-seven states of the United States.

The interests of dyslexics in the European Parliament and UNESCO are represented by the European Dyslexia Association, founded in 1987 in Brussels. We do not yet have a legal framework or special classes, but even reliable information about dyslexia is not widespread, although, according to studies, every tenth inhabitant of the planet is dyslexic and this problem affects a huge number of people.

Dyslexia: Problem or Gift?

Dyslexia, according to Wikipedia, is a selective violation of the ability to master reading and writing skills while maintaining a general ability to learn. But Ronald Davis, founder of the Burlingame Center for the Study of Reading, gave it a truly poetic definition, calling it "a gift that is always with you."

It is also called the disease of creative people and even geniuses, because there are many famous names among dyslexics. Walt Disney, for whom it was an incredible difficulty to sign an autograph. Jamie Oliver, a poor student from the British hinterland, who became a famous chef. Richard Branson, kicked out of school at the age of 16, which did not stop him from writing 9 motivational books. Tom Cruise, a Hollywood star who still reads contracts by syllable.

123RF / mikewaters

And Leonardo da Vinci, and Andersen, and Edison, and Einstein, who enriched humanity with genius discoveries and masterpieces, were dyslexic.

But dyslexia is not a disease, but a special perception of the world that allows you to think outside the box, see, perceive and analyze information.

If an ordinary person thinks primarily in words, then a dyslexic perceives the world mainly in images, and from different angles: it is easier for him to draw than to write a letter or a word.

Hence, problems with reading arise: looking at a letter, a dyslexic imagines it from different angles, that is, in dynamics. Try to read the text if the letters run in different directions!

In other words, if an ordinary person remembers this world, then a dyslexic imagines it. This helps the dyslexic find new solutions where the average person prefers the old methods. Creativity and ingenuity is the flip side of dyslexia, it's a kind of natural mechanism. After all, the planet needs both types of people: those who come up with something new, and those who methodically implement this new thing in life.

123RF / Inara Prusakova

Signs of dyslexia

Dyslexia has many manifestations. This applies to reading, writing, and pronouncing sounds.

Look for the following signs your child may have:

• The child gets tired very quickly.
• Leans very low over the book.
• Rubs his eyes.
• Complains of headache after reading.
• When reading, skips words and individual fragments of text.
• Writes letters in mirror image.
• When solving arithmetic problems, it rearranges the numbers in places.
• Avoids doing homework on any pretext.

123RF / Hanna Bondar

If you notice such signs, you should immediately contact a neuropsychologist or speech therapist and diagnose. Thus, you will help both the child and yourself, as well as solve many problems associated with learning at school.

Do not dismiss the diagnosis or close your eyes to it. Consider that, paradoxically, you are lucky and your child has special creativity. Perhaps he will become a famous painter, writer or entertainer? But in order for a child with dyslexia to fully express their talents, the changes must first of all affect the education system.

Where will help

In the fall of 2016, through the efforts of Maria Piotrovskaya, daughter of the Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky, the Association of Parents and Children with Dyslexia was created. “We found that people don't know anything about dyslexia,” Piotrovskaya says about the Association's goals. “And we realized that our main task should be information. For people to get used to the word "dyslexia", to understand that this is not a disease, but a feature of perception that requires a special pedagogical approach. After all, the sooner dyslexia is diagnosed, the better.

The goal of the Association is to give children the opportunity to receive high-quality fundamental education in Russia, to support and develop their creative potential and talent. During its work, the Association has already developed methods for diagnosing dyslexia in children and methods for training doctors and teachers to work with such children. At the headquarters of the Association on Gogolevsky Boulevard, there is a center "Club Intellect 135", where you can undergo diagnostics and get recommendations on what classes your child needs. Good news always awaits you here: "Failure is curable!"