Monday, February 1, 2016

Dyslexia

Dyslexia and Mental Health 

The article in the link above about dyslexia describes very well what i went through as a child and my daily struggles to a T. Yes, I was a pretty happy child until I started school.
"Finally, dyslexics’ performance varies from day to day. On some days, reading may come fairly easily. However, another day, they may be barely able to write their own name. This inconsistency is extremely confusing not only to the dyslexic but also to others in his environment." 
Totally! Some days I can't even spell my own name!!!

"The frustration of children with dyslexia often centers on their inability to meet expectations. Their parents and teachers see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write. Time and again, dyslexics and their parents hear, “He’s such a bright child; if only he would try harder.” Ironically, no one knows exactly how hard the dyslexic is trying."
Yes, as a child I constantly heard those exact words.

"Dyslexia often affects oral language functioning. Affected persons may have trouble finding the right words, may stammer, or may pause before answering direct questions. This puts them at a disadvantage as they enter adolescence when language becomes more central to their relationships with peers."

Yes, it's very frustrating that I never can find the word I want and I have problems remembering the sequence of letters and words AND difficulty pronouncing the words correctly. 
The words below articulates exactly my difficulties! I experience black holes all the time!!!

"My clinical observations lead me to believe that, just as dyslexics have difficulty remembering the sequence of letters or words, they may also have difficulty remembering the order of events. For example, let us look at a normal playground interaction between two children. A dyslexic child takes a toy that belongs to another child, who calls the dyslexic a name. The dyslexic then hits the other child. In relating the experience, the dyslexic child may reverse the sequence of events. He may remember that the other child called him a name, and he then took the toy and hit the other child.
This presents two major difficulties for the dyslexic child. First, it takes him longer to learn from his mistakes. Second, if an adult witnessed the events, and asks the dyslexic child what happened, the child seems to be lying.
Unfortunately, most interactions between children involve not three events, but 15 to 20. With his sequencing and memory problems, the dyslexic may relate a different sequence of events each time he tells the tale. Teachers, parents, and psychologists conclude that he is either psychotic or a pathological liar.
The inconsistencies of dyslexia produce serious challenges in a child’s life. There is a tremendous variability in the student’s individual abilities. Although everyone has strengths and weaknesses, the dyslexic’s are greatly exaggerated. Furthermore, the dyslexic’s strengths and weaknesses may be closely related.
I once worked with a young adult who received a perfect score on the Graduate Record Exam in mathematics. He could do anything with numbers except remember them. The graduate students he tutored in advanced statistics or calculus had great difficulty believing that he could not remember their telephone numbers.
These great variations produce a “roller coaster” effect for dyslexics. At times, they can accomplish tasks far beyond the abilities of their peers. At the next moment, they can be confronted with a task that they cannot accomplish. Many dyslexics call this “walking into black holes.” To deal with these kinds of problems, dyslexics need a thorough understanding of their learning disability. This will help them predict both success and failure. Dyslexics also perform erratically within tasks. That is, their errors are inconsistent. For example, I once asked a dyslexic adult to write a hundred word essay on television violence. As one might expect he misspelled the word “television” five times. However, he misspelled it a different way each time. This type of variation makes remediation more difficult.
Finally, dyslexics’ performance varies from day to day. On some days, reading may come fairly easily. However, another day, they may be barely able to write their own name. This inconsistency is extremely confusing not only to the dyslexic but also to others in his environment.
Few other handicapping conditions are intermittent in nature. A child in a wheelchair remains there; in fact, if on some days the child can walk, most professionals would consider it a hysterical condition. However, for the dyslexic, performance fluctuates. This makes it extremely difficult for the individual to learn to compensate because he or she cannot predict the intensity of the symptoms on a given day." 
If I had a physical handicapping I would be getting all kinds of sympathy from society, but because my handicap is invisible, all I got is misunderstanding, judgment, and contempt. The words above could not be truer.

"Dyslexia affects the family in a variety of ways. One of the most obvious is sibling rivalry. Non–dyslexic children often feel jealous of the dyslexic child, who gets the majority of the parents’ attention, time, and money. Ironically, the dyslexic child does not want this attention. This increases the chances that he or she will act negatively against the achieving children in the family." 
Totally! I didn't want the attention that I wished I could crawl into a hole and never come out! 

"Anxiety causes human beings to avoid whatever frightens them. The dyslexic is no exception. However, many teachers and parents misinterpret this avoidance behavior as laziness. In fact, the dyslexic’s hesitancy to participate in school activities such as homework is related more to anxiety and confusion than to apathy."
Yes, i was labeled as being lazy. 

Read the full article here 

Comments from the sharing of this article on Facebook:

John Wilwerding Thanks Sylvie Imelda Shene, my two daughters have this challenge.

Sylvie Imelda Shene John Wilwerding, I'm sorry to hear your daughters have this challenge. I hope their dyslexia is not as extreme as mine. Some days it's very hard for me to perform.

John Wilwerding As parents we understand the problem, and so we never force high performance. My wife has done some special reading therapy called Ortan-Gillingham with my youngest daughter, and now she is a good reader. We are working on helping her now learn to advocate for herself when she is challenged by asking and getting more help with studies.

Sylvie Imelda Shene They are lucky! As a child I never had anyone that understood my struggles and i was punished for it.

John Wilwerding Yes, that is a common story for those afflicted as children, I have siblings who suffered the same fate.

Sylvie Imelda Shene Unfortunately in this very ignorant world it's still the fate of many children.





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