Understanding Dyslexia: An Overview
Let’s talk a little about the statistics surrounding Dyslexia. I am bringing this to the forefront today because I recall how overwhelmed and lonely I felt after learning that my daughter was dyslexic. Somehow I felt that we alone were going through this ordeal. I started asking myself; how common is dyslexia? This learning disorder was not rare, but I did not know that yet.
An easy definition of Dyslexia is that it is a learning disorder that affects how someone can read, write, or spell. It is the most common learning disability. National Institutes of Health has recorded that 1 in every 5 person is dyslexic. Other research bodies state that it is 1 in every 10 persons. This was an amazing discovery for me a few years ago. It meant that we were certainly not alone. It also meant that others were knew may also be dyslexic.
Further research showed that 15% of the U.S. population was dyslexic. That translates to millions and millions of people in just one country of the world. I continued to dive into the numbers to discover that over 70% of persons with reading difficulties suffer from dyslexia.
Conclusion: we were certainly not alone.
Insight into the Genetics of Dyslexia
My second wave of thought surrounded genetics and DNA. Did I cause my child to be dyslexic? The term “cause” can easily lead to “fault” and send you down the path of blaming yourself or your partner for your child having a disorder. The truth is, yes, children have a 40-60% chance of inheriting it if a parent has the condition.
I will urge you here not to internalize this too much. While a child can inherit dyslexia, there is nothing you can do to fix this. Much like you cannot influence the gender, skin, or hair color of your offspring at birth.
For a short time, I did go down the road of wondering and trying to figure out which one of us “gave” my daughter dyslexia. I eventually realized I was being silly and simply could not change it.
When my daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia she was also diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). She is more on the inattentive side as opposed to the hyperactivity side. A statistical insight into the relationship between dyslexia and ADHD highlights that around 40% of people with dyslexia also have ADHD.
The Fascinating Brain Science Behind Dyslexia
Now we know a little more on the statistics and that genetics play a part. But what really goes on inside the brain? How does individuals with dyslexia process language differently from non-dyslexics? I have read a lot of complicated scientific articles and looked at numerous videos about the difference between the dyslexic brain and the “regular” brain which I will try to explain.
Put in the simplest terms, the brain is made up of several lobes. For reading to occur, there are connections of different activities that happens. It is thought that the metabolic activity of the dyslexic brain is distributed differently to a person without dyslexia for the same activity.
It is believed that a dyslexic brain has more activity in the frontal lobe as opposed to the other lobes which are responsible for word recognition and ability to recite fluently.
It is also theorized that dyslexics predominantly use the right side of the brain for language processing. The right side of the brain is used for visual and spatial processing while the left side is used for language and numerical processing. It is interesting that research has shown that dyslexics uses the right side of the brain to process the written word.
The implication of this phenomenon takes us to identifying the differences in brain functioning. This in turn means that there needs to be different teaching and coping strategies for people with dyslexia. They do not learn or interpret the same way, therefore, they cannot be expected to be taught the same way.
We will explore this soon.
Please feel free to share your experience and ask questions in the comment box below.
Until next time.
Dee. J
References:
Czamara, D., T. Tiesler, C. M., Kohlböck, G., Berdel, D., Hoffmann, B., Bauer, P., Koletzko, S., Schaaf, B., Lehmann, I., Herbarth, O., Müller-Myhsok, B., Schulte-Körne, G., & Heinrich, J. (2013). Children with ADHD Symptoms Have a Higher Risk for Reading, Spelling and Math Difficulties in the GINIplus and LISAplus Cohort Studies. PLoS ONE, 8(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063859
McGrath, L.M., Stoodley, C.J. Are there shared neural correlates between dyslexia and ADHD? A meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies. J Neurodevelop Disord 11, 31 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-019-9287-8
Schumacher, J., Hoffmann, P., Schmäl, C., & Nöthen, M. M. (2007). Genetics of dyslexia: The evolving landscape. Journal of Medical Genetics, 44(5), 289-297. https://doi.org/10.1136/jmg.2006.046516