Written by Sara Bozyel
Our brain has a way of adapting words, letters, and sounds with each other. The way we speak, write, and listen; are all synchronized and connected with a bond. Every action we do to express ourselves extravert, creates an interaction within our brain, within our neurons. But what happens when this bond weakens? How can our brain adapt actions if it cannot make sense of the way they proceed?
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This is called Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading, writing, and spelling. It affects the way that the brain processes written materials, making it more difficult to recognize, spell, and decode words (1). The effects of dyslexia vary among individuals. People with the condition generally have trouble reading quickly and reading without making mistakes (1). They may have trouble understanding what they read as well.
Dyslexia is a neurological issue, and it can pass down to generations. Those at risk for dyslexia are shown to have reduced gray matter and cortical thickness, especially in the areas surrounding the perisylvian cortex at junctions of the parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes (2). Additionally, there is a hypoactivation of the left inferior frontal, temporoparietal, and occipitotemporal regions of the left hemisphere, the same areas that are responsible for recognizing symbols and letters, translating sounds into phonological meaning, and associating letters with sounds (2).
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Unlike a learning disability, dyslexia does not affect intelligence. However, especially when it comes to children, people are very open to misjudging this difficulty. Many cannot make sense of what dyslexia actually is, and bully people who struggle from it. Even though most children with dyslexia can succeed in school with tutoring or a specialized education program, their difficulty grows day by day because of being neglected. Even teachers assume that students with dyslexia are either lazy or mentally disabled. They humiliate the student in the class and cause a huge trauma without even knowing. Some of the parents even blame the teacher and remove the student from school. Dyslexia is not caused by poor teaching, instruction, or upbringing. There is not any certain reason or cure for dyslexia. The only thing a parent or a teacher could do is hire a tutor and approach with patience and affection.
Dyslexia is not a disorder. It is a difficulty of learning problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities. It can be treated with the right instructor and motivation. Dyslexia is not a sign of underdeveloped intelligence, on the contrary, children with dyslexia have great abilities like painting, dancing, and many other activities. Dyslexia is not impossible to overcome if there is someone to hold your hand while dancing with the letters.
References:
Brazier, Y. (n.d.). Dyslexia: Symptoms, treatment, and types. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/186787.
Dyslexia: Neurobiology, clinical features, evaluation and management. (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7082242.
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