Dyslexia is the most common learning issue and a lifelong condition that makes it difficult for people to read accurately and fluently. In Nigeria, it has about 1.5 million cases per year. Dyslexia affects the basic skill of reading comprehension, arithmetic, writing, and spelling.
As against its popular myth, dyslexia is not a visual issue whereby kids reverse letters or write backward. Although it deters learning yet it is never a problem of a child intelligence quotient (IQ). However, dyslexia is incurable but can be overcome to achieve the maximum best in a child. Dyslexia is either caused by a genetic or hereditary factor or brain anatomy and activity i.e., for genetic factor, about some percentage of the overall siblings with dyslexia also has a similar reading challenge, also for the brain anatomy,
Since dyslexia is not curable, there are various ways in no other of priority to help children with learning disabilities:
Parents shouldn’t leave the education of their kids in the hands of their teachers alone. They must have a cordial relationship with the child’s school and his teachers. Some teachers are impatient to carefully study or know what a child suffers from so they write them off, this is where parents need to defend and enlighten teachers about their child’s condition and set goals for their education by offering solutions and keeping them focused. Parents shouldn’t leave the bulk of the work on the teachers because of the too many kids to be focused on in a classroom setting.
Dyslexia kids learn in different ways. We all learn differently too. Some learn with pictures, some with drawings, recitation etc. Learning also varies in dyslexia kids and it is left for parents to find out how their kid learn best. You need to identify your kids’ learning style whether it is visual, auditory or kinesthetic. Identifying this would make communication and their learning easier.
Cultivating a healthy lifestyle is paramount for dyslexia. Children with learning disabilities need to eat the right food, get enough sleep and exercise their bodies because it helps them to be focused, concentrate and work hard. Exercise is good both for the body and mind. Rather than complain or restrict them from playing, let them play for mood and mental clarity. This helps them to say alert, and attentive throughout the day. A healthy diet and enough rest is another habit they need to inculcate. With or without a disability, kids need more rest to stay alert while learning. And for the diet, grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein, will help boost mental focus.
Redefine life success. Humans have a distorted view about success, this is why parents tend to yell, beat, and cuss their kid when they show difficulty in learning not really knowing what the real issue is. Too many attention is being focused on getting something out of life and not on what the kid can make out of life. Although dyslexia cannot be cured, it cannot stop anyone from reaching their life goals if they desire it. One of the best ways to help a child with dyslexia is to help redefine success both in words, actions, attitudes, and approach to life and learning.
To redefine success is to know that everyone learns at a different pace and has their race to run, therefore, the parent should look out for strength in their kid rather than their weaknesses. Redefining success will help the kid to be self-confident and self-aware which would make them focus more on their inner strength and ability. In redefining success, this would call for preservice, on both the part of the parents and the kid because of their learning disabilities. This is rather a plus, not a disadvantage, doing this instill in them the reward for hard work.