How to overcome Dyslexia?
How to overcome Dyslexia?
The famous Bollywood movie, Taare Zameen Par, talked about Dyslexia and gave us an insight into the disorder.
There are several misconceptions regarding the disorder, the first of course, is confusing it to be a disease. It is often thought that dyslexics are lazy and senseless. In fact, dyslexics try harder than others to overcome the problems they face on a daily basis.
Problems faced by dyslexics
Often, ‘dyslexia’ is not diagnosed and dyslexics are mistaken to be lethargic, disinterested or senseless. So, what exactly happens to a person who suffers from dyslexia? A person without dyslexia can remember a set of verbal instructions, which could be the simplest of instructions given to him/her. But dyslexics cannot figure out those verbal instructions and cannot picture and process the instructions in their mind.
They may be unable to take down notes and commonly make mistakes in their spellings or grammar. They may make mistakes in simplest of mathematics, or won’t be able to concentrate in class. They are also known to be very emotional.
Sometimes, high expectations from dyslexics also have negative effect on them as they begin to feel like failures due to their inability to complete the task at hand.
Unfortunately, our society has negative views about dyslexia. One of the primary reasons may be due to the lack of knowledge regarding the disorder. It is important that one develops positive views and gets educated about it.
How to help?
It is very important to understand that a person suffering from dyslexia is equally intelligent and talented. It is important to encourage them to work and get better in their inherent talents. This will boost their confidence and help them get better.
Dyslexics' major shortcomings lie when they are given instruction. Hence, it is important that short instructions are given and said slowly, so that they can grasp what the person on the other side is saying. Use of phonetics also help.
Also, at the same time, in order to teach new concepts, it is important that logic is used instead of what is written in the book. The content in the book would only confuse them, but simple and pure logic or even examples related to the concept would help them understand better and help them in remembering it for a longer time. Multi-sensory teaching methods can also be used when teaching dyslexics.
It is important that we accept the people suffering from dyslexia and not treat them indifferently. It’s only support and encouragement that will help them get better.
