Facts On Reading Disabilities Carlsbad Residents Should Know

By Mark Parker


Reading disabilities are estimated to affect one in every ten children. The severity of the problem is variable and is almost not noticeable in some children while in others the signs are quite dramatic. Learning disabilities in general impact academic progress negatively. There are several things on reading disabilities Carlsbad residents need to know.

The exact cause of reading problems is not well understood. Some of the theories that attempt to explain it center around functional and structural problems in the brain. Some of the patients may even have visual impairment that has not been diagnosed. The important thing is to ensure that a professional is brought on board as early as possible. A paediatrician would be the most appropriate at the beginning. They will help in ruling out medical conditions and make referrals to any other specialist depending on their findings.

There are several categories of the problem. Processing speed deficit is one of them. Children with this form of disability tend to be quite slow in recognizing written words or numbers. While this may not directly relate to how smart a child is, it does affect how well they learn. There is a possibility of falling behind their peers. Slow processing has also been associated with other problems such as impairment of executive functioning skills. These skills are involved in things such as goal setting, problem solving and focusing on tasks among others.

Hyperlexia is a disorder in which the reader is too fast even for themselves. It may be regarded as super ability but is actually a big disadvantage to the learners. This is because comprehension is often poor. Majority of children with this problem will be found to meet the criteria for autism spectrum. The training for this group should be aimed at slowing down the speed to enhance understanding.

Some learners may have a normal reading speed but still have problems with comprehension. This is present in between ten and fifteen per cent of affected children. Such children will recognize words but will have a challenge in putting them into context thus cannot understand passages. The causes for this may include problems in abstract verbal reasoning, difficulties in social reasoning and language comprehension.

Inability to retain information that has been read is yet another category that exist. This is mainly a result of decoding words and their meaning. Typically, the learner will use a lot of effort in recognition resulting in exhaustion such that it becomes quite difficult to remember what has been studied. They will exhibit signs such as omission of details, confusion about word meanings and inability to concentrate.

The management of these problems varies from one individual to another. Solutions are customized depending on what is predominant. For example, in the case of learners who have a problem with text printed in certain colours or against particular backgrounds may benefit from a change of the same. Use of text overlays and colour tinted glasses are other possible solutions.

To increase the chances of success, teachers and parents need to work closely. Some of the early signs that may be noticed either at home or at school include consistent spelling errors. Learners need to be subjected to adequate practice so as to improve in this area. There are numerous exercises available online most of which have games incorporated games in them to make the learning experience fun.




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