Dyslexia and Dysgraphia: Language-Based Learning Disabilities

All children can learn, all children must learn. Taken at face value this is true. However, upon closer examination those who know better are very much aware that there are many learning challenges that hinder children from learning. Jamaica’s education system is faced with many challenges but, perhaps the most prevalent barriers to education are Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LBLD). Language-based learning disabilities can take several forms. Some of the most common include: dyslexia and dysgraphia. Children with Language-based Learning Disabilities usually have problems reading, spelling, speaking, and writing. Students who have difficulty in these areas often have challenges in school, since weak language skills make comprehension and communication more difficult. It is important to understand that language-based learning disabilities are unrelated to a child’s intelligence. According to Dr. Susan Anderson, a special education expert, dyslexia is the most common learning disability in Jamaica. Dyslexia in many instances is genetic and runs in the family. Dyslexia affects up to 20 per cent of a given population. Despite average to above average intelligence, children with dyslexia have difficulty learning to "decode," or read words by associating sounds and letters or letter combinations. Students usually have difficulty recognizing common "sight words," or frequently occurring words that most readers recognize instantly. Examples of sight words are "the" and "and." Children with dyslexia also have difficulty learning how to spell, sometimes referred to as "encoding." Recent research suggests that there are two main features of dyslexia. First of all, people with dyslexia have weak phonemic awareness. This means that they have difficulty hearing the fine distinctions among individual sounds, or phonemes, of the language. Disturbingly, phonics is no longer taught in many of our educational institutions which clearly compound the issue at hand. Dyslexic students also have difficulty rhyming and breaking words down into individual sounds. Phonemic awareness relates directly to learning to decode and to spell words. In addition, it takes longer for children with dyslexia to "process" phonemic information, or to make connections between sounds and letters or letter combinations. One has to ask the question, how can it be that so many students leave the primary level annually and enter high school unable to read or having severe problems regarding literacy? Alarmingly, not much data is available in Jamaica regarding the percentage of students with dyslexia. Apart from those teachers who specialize in Special Education the vast majority of our teachers are not adequately exposed in order to diagnose students who display symptoms of dyslexia, such as the inability to recognize letters, difficulty with rhyming, difficulty listing words that begin with the same sound. Many dyslexic students have trouble learning to recognize words, have difficulty learning to decode unknown words, read slowly and/or in a word-by-word manner, are reluctant to read, and write far less than other children. According to the Dyslexia Association website of Trinidad and Tobago, dyslexia is defined as a congenital organizing disability which impairs hand skills, short term memory, and perception, so inhibiting the development of a child's literary skills - particularly reading, writing and spelling, and sometimes numeracy. In its effects, dyslexia can range from slight reading or spelling difficulties to complete illiteracy. Other symptoms of dyslexia include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading which can impede vocabulary development. Interestingly, both sexes are affected by dyslexia at equal rates; however, boys are more likely to act out as a result of having a reading difficulty and are therefore more likely to be diagnosed early. Girls, on the other hand, are more likely to try to "hide" their difficulty, becoming quiet and reserved. Many of our students from as early as the primary level display severe behavioral disorders, stemming from their frustration levels and their inability to cope at the required educational pace due to poor reading and comprehension skills. In many instances our schools are not equipped and resourced to adequately deal with such students. The issue of dyslexia is complex. Many teachers often suspect that their students are dyslexic yet they are not in a position to diagnose. The job of diagnosis is that of the clinician. Many teachers often suspect that their students are dyslexic yet they are not in a position to diagnose. Poverty plays a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia. Students from the upper class who are dyslexic will most likely be diagnosed at an early stage and treated thus improving their learning significantly. Conversely, students from the lower socio-economic background will take a longer time to be diagnosed thus jeopardizing their learning process. Dysgraphia. Dyslexia and dysgraphia are two distinct neurological conditions, though they are easy to confuse because they share symptoms and often occur together. Dyslexia is a learning difference that makes it harder for people to learn to read. If you have dyslexia, you may read more slowly or have trouble recognizing words. Often, people with dyslexia read at a lower level than expected. Dysgraphia involves difficulty with the act of writing. Difficulties can range from issues with physically writing words to issues with organizing and expressing thoughts in written form. The Cleveland Clinic defines dysgraphia as a neurological condition in which someone has difficulty turning their thoughts into written language for their age and ability to think, despite exposure to adequate instruction and education. Dysgraphia can present with many different symptoms at different ages. Dysgraphia generally appears when children are first learning to write. This is called developmental dysgraphia. People can also develop dysgraphia suddenly after some type of head or brain trauma. This is called acquired dysgraphia. Dysgraphia is more common in boys as with many neurodevelopmental conditions. Researchers estimate that 5% to 20% of people have dysgraphia. The estimated range is large because dysgraphia often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Specific ways dysgraphia can present include: Difficulties writing in a straight line, writing letters in reverse, incorrectly ordering words in sentences as well omitting words from sentences. Unfortunately, so many of us as educators witness these activities daily with our students. As a result teachers become frustrated. It is not uncommon for these students to be labeled as ‘bad’, since these learning disorders of dyslexia and dysgraphia are oftentimes confused with behavioural disorders. Too often the school is not a safe space for such students who are frequently bullied, teased and discriminated against. The way forward to address the issue of dyslexia and dysgraphia includes early diagnosis and intervention. Teachers’ learning from students is another very useful instructional strategy. By asking specific content questions, teachers can encourage students with dyslexia to participate in meaningful conversations that stimulate learning and their motivation (Miller & Faircloth, 2009). Another effective strategy is think-aloud. This strategy requires students to extract, construct and think about the content, which facilitates their knowledge. Think-aloud tap a metacognitive process where students monitor their reading before, during, and after reading (Baker & Beall, 2009). This instructional strategy can provide valuable insight and information about what cognitive strategies students are using to comprehend text. The foundational framework for think-aloud is the constructivist idea of gaining knowledge. Underdiagnosis. Regional research notes that specific learning disorders (such as dysgraphia and dyslexia) face major diagnostic and reporting gaps, meaning many cases go completely undetected or are grouped broadly under general learning difficulties. The underdiagnosis of dyslexia and dysgraphia among our students is a serious problem that highlights the many challenges they face in accessing education. We need to pay more attention to our students, especially our boys, many of whom continue to under-perform at all levels of the education system. We are at a critical juncture where all high schools should have a special unit department to address the myriad of developmental language disorders. We must use these Developmental Language Disorders as opportunities to learn differently with the necessary support. With early intervention and a structured programme in place dyslexic and dysgraphic students can live rewarding lives. All children can learn, however, some children require more support and scaffolding. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo ©