Dyslexia month coming up in October

Understanding dyslexia:

Students who struggle with reading and spelling and who often puzzle teachers and parents could have dyslexia. These students receive the same classroom instruction as other students but continue to struggle with some or all of the facets of reading and spelling. 

People with dyslexia have trouble with reading and spelling despite having the ability to learn. People with dyslexia can learn, they just learn in a different way. Often these people, who have talented and productive minds, are said to have a language learning difference. 

Dyslexia and reading difficulties are on a Continuum:

Dyslexia occurs on a continuum from mild to severe and no two people are alike. There is no cure for dyslexia since it is a brain-based difference, however with appropriate instruction aimed towards their learning needs, most can overcome their literacy difficulties and lead productive lives. 

Being able to read and write with ease is something many simply take for granted. But imagine what it would be like to look at a page of text and see distorted letters swirling before your eyes, or not seeing the difference between the letters “b” and “d”, etc. Sounds pretty awful, doesn’t it? 

Dyslexia can make the printed word as inaccessible for some as it is for vision impaired people.  In Australia, it is estimated that 2% of the population are unable to read owing to a vision impairment; but between 5 and 10% of the fully sighted population may struggle to read owing to dyslexia.

Dyslexia Awareness Month is the perfect time to think about how much harder dyslexic people’s lives are than our own and try to be more understanding of their situation.