Aiding children with dyslexia

Dyslexia is a condition where reading skills, language understanding, spelling ability and writing are hampered. Difficulty in mathematics could also be a part of it. However, it is important to note that most dyslexic kids have an average to above-average intelligence.

According to the Dyslexia Association of India, about 10 - 15% of school-going children are dyslexic in some form or the other. In 2019, the Department of Biotechnology estimated that about 35 million children are facing learning difficulties in various degrees. Remediation with individualised educational planning, specific strategies to help them acquire the skills to overcome and manage their specific learning challenges are required.

Multisensory approach: Activities involving sensory input including tactile (touch) and kinaesthetic (movement) are beneficial to children with learning disabilities. In mathematics, statement sums are taught with concrete objects. Spelling difficulty could be made easy with stages i.e., a child sees the word (visual), traces it (tactile and kinaesthetic), reads (auditory) and writes (eye-hand coordination).

Reading and studying skills: As children move to higher classes, a large amount of reading, higher reading speed and study skills are essential. Children can be taught skimming and scanning. Skimming strategy involves reading headings, subtitles, captions of pictures, graphs, illustrations and reading the first sentence of every paragraph and reading the whole of the last paragraph. This helps a child to get the main idea and the overview of the content in a short duration of time. Scanning is a method which enables the child with learning difficulty to locate specific information like an answer to a question. Stages are: quick reading of headings, phrases, bold prints by running eyes in a zig-zag manner to find clues to locate the specific information.

Notes: Children with learning difficulty find note-making a daunting task. A lecture has to be converted into a usable format. The child has to understand the main ideas and supporting details in a sequential manner. Graphic organiser, listing, comparative charts, paragraphing etc., can aid the child to understand the matter and make notes. These strategies also assist in completing projects and assignments. Proofreading of notes should also be a part of learning.

Test and exams: The ultimate assessment of learning comes in the form of tests and exams. The child has to be prepared for taking tests. The child has to be clear about the instructions to be followed and the test format and be aware of the various concessions available for children with dyslexia.

Time management: Since children with dyslexia find it difficult to manage time, they need to be assisted to prepare schedules, estimation of time, priorities for activities like studies, assignments, sports, hobbies etc.