Introduction
Dyslexia is a specific type of learning difficulty where a person has trouble with written language, such as reading and writing. These problems often becomes most evident in early school age children, who have difficulty developing word-level reading skills and struggle with spelling. Dyslexia is estimated to affect around 5-9% of school-aged children, however some researchers suggest that its prevalence is as high as 17%. Dyslexia is not an intellectual disability and people with the condition are often very intelligent, and able to achieve well in other areas where language is less important.
There are two different types of dyslexia, which include:-
Surface dyslexia
People with surface dyslexia have poor lexical dexterity, which means they have poor skills relating to words. For example, an individual with this condition may find it difficult to decipher new or irregular words. These problems arise from the individuals difficulty with sounding out new words by using old words that were learnt in the past (lexical procedure).
Phonological dyslexia
People with phonological dyslexia have difficulty converting sounds (phonemes) into letters (graphemes). Individuals with this condition have trouble with connecting sounds to symbols. This is the most predominant type of dyslexia.
There is no cure for dyslexia, and people with the condition often require a high level of support or specialised education to allow them to read and write correctly. The best way to help a child or adult overcome reading and writing obstacles in through strong encouragement and mentorship, and by providing lots of motivation during treatment programs and language practice. Most people with dyslexia overcome their early difficulties with literacy and pursue successful careers. Often, individuals with dyslexia are very creative and can have excellent spatial memory and spatial reasoning, which means they are very good at retaining information about their environment and are able to visualise spatial patterns well.