Children have a unique way of looking at the world. It is this uniqueness that determines the rate at which a child learns. Besides displaying expected social and motor skills, between the ages of 18 months to five years old, children develop the ability to think vividly and paint a clear picture of the concepts they understand. After a child has learned to communicate its thoughts and emotions it becomes essential to focus on scholastic growth and how he or she relays each lesson.
Several factors affect how children grasp concepts but apart from their individuality and the teaching methods their guardians use, one area that is overlooked is the probability of learning disabilities. Dyslexia is one of the disabilities whose symptoms parents and teachers may be unaware of.
Dyslexia affects 1 in 10 people worldwide and is characterized by the inability to read, spell and write (despite structured lessons and consistent support from parents and educators); difficulty with learning the alphabet or phonetics as well as late development in speech. In addition to those symptoms, it is also associated with other challenges in scholastic development. These include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Dyscalculia (extreme difficulty with numerical concepts); Dysphasia (impaired speech) and Dyspraxia or DCD (development coordination disorder – problems with motor skills) – most can be detected as early as 18 months old.
Buzzz Magazine shares the views of individuals who have been face-to-face with Dyslexia.
What the Experts Say
It is important that these learning abilities are recognized at the earliest stage of development; understanding the performance expected at various levels of education is equally important. While facilities and funding dedicated to increasing awareness about learning disabilities are insufficient there are a few professionals who focus on various aspects of therapy – from speech development to special education. Still, a majority of the cases of Dyslexia go undiagnosed.
“The school I am employed to does not offer special education for children with Dyslexia but as soon as an issue is recognized we refer them to schools that offer Montessori learning programmes. However, for a teacher the cases can be frustrating regarding educating the child and advising parents can be doubly so,” shared Frances Harvey, a primary school teacher. Some parents prefer to hear that their child is not performing well and needs additional attention but when a name is given to his or her condition it is disputed. “Parents will refuse to have a child assessed for learning disabilities. Oftentimes, they are dissatisfied with the teacher’s revelation and pull the child from the school to hunt for another one,” Frances remarked; “The other issue is the cost to assess the child, the money factor alone contributes to reasons why parents don’t address the issue.”
Director of Therapy Plus, Lisa McDaniel explains: “A lot of children who are called slow learners or have literacy problems have Dyslexia; as a matter of fact ten children were referred for an evaluation and 7 out of 10 were dyslexic.” Learning evaluations are performed mostly to provide an understanding of the abilities of the child in question and the suitable solutions for moving forward educationally – indeed, the learning disability is more accurately described as a learning difference. Since it is not an illness that is developed or acquired there is no cure per se, however, Dyslexics may be assisted in the learning process through assistive technology, medication and most importantly, special focus.
“It is not that the children are mentally retarded – they lack the ability to decode that is, breaking down words as they read and encoding, building up words.” Therapy Plus utilizes phonics lessons and three-dimensional mathematics models that put emphasis on improving decoding and encoding skills as well as visualization of concepts.
What the Parents Say
Thomas Barrington recognized the need to have his son, Thomas Jnr., evaluated for learning disabilities at an early age but never expected that it would have been Dyslexia. “He was reluctant to participate in class and it was affecting the way he performed.” After discussing the concerns with his wife, a secondary school English teacher, the latter pleaded with him to make time for their son as he was always busy. “We thought Junior’s lack of interest in school was just about being a six-year-old – and a cry for attention. I would take two hours in the evening on weekdays to speak about his day or complete assignments and weekends were reserved for father-son days at the park.”
After making these changes, his son’s performance in a few subject areas improved but his attitude towards reading and vocabulary had not changed. “It took me a few weeks to recognize that Junior was incapable of following the words of a simple nursery rhyme book. In fact, he always preferred the sing-along versions of books and picked them off the shelf first.” Thomas returned to the school (since it offered programmes for children with Dyslexia) and allowed the administration to take control as he continued to dedicate a lot of time to his son’s needs.
What the Child Says
Many children with learning disabilities are removed from school or have to deal with the constant change of different school environments. They are treated as outcasts due to the inability to live up to the expected academic standards. Candice Earlington was one of such children. Instead of giving up hope and hiding her disability she shows her pride about being dyslexic. “From the very beginning it was evident that something was different about my ability to learn. First I was deemed a slow learner in the Jamaican education system. When it came to exams I would do horribly in writing and spelling. Some teachers would make me feel like I was stupid. I was around 14 or 15 years old and out of a school when my mum and I realized ,” Candice shared with Buzzz.
Candice became withdrawn and downhearted by her situation. “While watching TV with my mum a commercial about Dyslexia caught her attention; she joked about it to cheer me up but as it continued she said, “Hey, that is you”. When I got tested it confirmed that I have a higher verbal IQ than the average person and could recognize the words and know their origin but struggled when it came to spelling and writing.”
In addition to Candice’s diagnosis, she was told that she was numerically indifferent and had ADHD which affected her ability to focus. At the time, no school could accommodate her and so the mission began to find one that could cater to her needs. The Foreman School in Connecticut was the destination and at US$50,000 per semester it was well worth it despite the hardships her mother faced. Nonetheless, Candice received scholarships after the first year that assisted with tuition payments among other requirements. Now at 25 years old, she is a photographer for Saab Weddings in Montego Bay.
“The school helps individuals look at their disability as an advantage because you are not like everybody else. Foreman is very arts-oriented – that is where I was introduced to photography and sports was a must. I may have been stubborn for refusing medication but it may be beneficial to others persons depending on what they can handle.” So the next time a child seems to be struggling instead of saying, “Are you stupid?” or “What is so hard
for you to understand?” replace those sentences with “Let’s work on understanding together”.