Dyslexia (special learning disability) is defined as the inability of a person to learn at the expected level according to his/her age, intelligence and education level, even though his/her intelligence is normal or above normal.
The first condition for a child with a learning disability to be diagnosed with a Special Learning Disability is that the child’s intelligence is normal or above normal. Learning problems experienced by children with mental retardation are not Special Learning Disabilities.
Special Learning Disability is a problem that is present from birth and is related to the development of the mind. It doesn’t happen with little reading or not liking math. On the contrary, the person avoids reading because he has difficulty in reading.
TYPES OF SPECIAL LEARNING DIFFICULTY
1- DYSLEXIA (reading difficulty): skipping while reading, distorting the meaning, letter-sound harmony disorder, inability to read fast, changing the place of letters or syllables, spelling or There are a number of disorders such as misunderstanding.
2-DYSGRAPHY(writing difficulties): ): Spelling errors, illegible and irregular handwriting, reverse writing of some letters, numbers and words, bd, mn, ı-i, dt, g-ğ, gy Disorders such as mixing letters, writing without leaving spaces between words or dividing the word into several parts are encountered.
3-DYSCALCULIA (arithmetic disorder): Inability to understand mathematical terms and concepts, not recognizing numbers and symbols, using the necessary symbols, forgetting to add the numbers with hand, being far behind in learning the multiplication table compared to his classmates, deciding on the steps to be followed in problem solving
SYMPTOMS OF SPECIAL LEARNING DIFFICULTY.
Not all symptoms may be seen, but it is common for dyslexics to perform below their intelligence.
Dyslexia in Preschool Period
It can also be observed that he had difficulty in crawling in infancy, could not perform cross-arm and leg movements, mostly showed a crawling appearance on his stomach, did not develop hand and foot dominance or developed late.
Delay in speech, mispronunciation of words, inability to remember the names of objects and people despite knowing, difficulty in finding words (for example, when he means a pot, he can say “cooking food”), Changing the letters of the words (huge-hot, dog-pökek) , Vocabulary increases very slowly, often has difficulty finding the right word. Not being able to tell the events in order, making inverted sentences can be seen
There is a direction problem. Confuses left and right. (Like wearing your shoes inside out)
Most features are ambidextrous in early childhood, no dominant hand, may have difficulty in using a fork, scissors, tying laces, holding the ball, hitting the ball, riding a bicycle on their own. Slow and clumsy behavior, clumsiness, frequent falls can be observed. May have difficulty in rhythmic movement
Difficulty in ordering, difficulty in learning to count numbers in order, inability to learn colors, mixing, alphabet, numbers, days of the week, and months in order. Not being able to learn opposite concepts
Can’t draw straight lines, can’t copy shapes such as circles and squares, can’t draw shapes backwards, Can’t paint without overflowing, Don’t always paint as scribbles,
Hasty and easily distracted. Inability to pay attention to verbal instructions confuses similar sounds. (such as f, v, b, m)
SYMPTOMS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL PERIOD
Intelligence being normal or higher, school achievement being lower than expected according to intelligence and age
Oral exams more successful, failing in written exams, failing in some subjects but failing in some subjects (for example, failing very well in geometry when mathematics is good)
Difficulty learning to read, slow reading, confusion when writing or reading some letters (pb, bd, kt, yh, 6-9.52-25,) reverse reading some syllables (and-ev, many-ram), mixing some letters while writing ( d/ b/ dz/ su/n ), (wrist-wish effort -baca) when reading or writing letters, syllables, reading by making up the ends of the word, reluctance to read, better understanding when someone else reads it, difficulty in making a summary of the story read, but being able to answer questions if asked from within the story
Avoiding writing assignments, punctuation while writing not typing a signs, slow typing, illegible and ugly typing. Writes late and slow. Note-taking skills are poor. The pencil grip is bad (palm or upright), gets tired quickly while holding the pencil. It cannot follow a line, it has difficulty in going to the beginning of the line. The words are written very spaced apart or very adjacent to each other.
They make incomplete sentences, they do not form correct and meaningful sentences from words that are mixed
Difficulty getting homework on the board, getting homework incomplete, not wanting to do homework, asking for help while doing homework
Frequent four don’t make an operation error, mix ”+,x” signs and multiply instead of adding, reading numbers backwards (12-21, 52-25), not learning the multiplication table, starting division from the right, forgetting the hands, doing finger calculations even in advanced classes
He has problems with confusing his left and right, failing in physical education (running, catching the ball), distance and depth perception. Due to this, some clumsiness may occur.
Has difficulty learning the alphabet, numbers, and ordered lists such as days of the week-months, time.
They confuse time (After, yesterday, today, now later), They have difficulty in finding direction
Inability to work efficiently, unable to plan time due to attention and memory problems.
25% of children with special learning disabilities also show attention deficit and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.)
They have difficulty in auditory discrimination (They mix up some letters and cannot distinguish similar sounds like bmfvyrd). Auditory comprehension is insufficient (Forgets instructions, does not seem to listen), Auditory memory is weak (Forgets what is said to him quickly)
Has difficulty in distinguishing by touch. (Difficulty in distinguishing the number written on the palm of the hand with the eyes closed, in recognizing the object placed with the eyes closed)
How is dyslexia diagnosed?
Diagnosis is made after the child psychiatrist receives information from the family from the school, evaluation of the child, and evaluation of developmental attention and intelligence tests.
Treatment:
This disorder can often be accompanied by attention deficit, mobility, depression, anxiety disorders or other psychiatric disorders. In this case, drug treatments for other psychiatric disorders should be applied. Children with special learning difficulties should receive one-on-one special training for the areas with problems. If there is a lack of attention, drug treatment will enable him to benefit better from special education. Although these children are intelligent, they should be followed by a child psychiatrist, their families and schools should be informed, and educational support should be provided, since they often suffer from depression and anxiety disorders due to their low academic skills.
Dr Deniz Tirit Karaca
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist – Psychotherapist
