Early detection of dyslexia, in 8 symptoms

Dyslexia, a neurologically based disorder that affects learning to read and write and that currently affects between 10 and 15% of minors worldwide. The main characteristic of this that appears in children who do not present any other physical, psychological or sociocultural alteration that explains it.

Due to this high incidence, early detection of dyslexia by analyzing symptoms it is essential to prevent the child from suffering any type of consequence, both academically and socially.

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The importance of early detection of dyslexia

As previously mentioned, detection of this disorder at the earliest possible ages is essential to help children learn and adapt teaching methods.

In this way we can avoid the frustration that failure to achieve the objectives established in the school, as well as the lack of motivation and the emotional consequences that dyslexia usually causes diagnosed.

If adequate screening for dyslexia is not carried out, both the child and the people around him

They may come to think that he is less intelligent than the rest of his classmates, when in reality the usual thing is that they have an IQ between normal and high. However, this comparison can harm the child's self-esteem.

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Early symptoms of dyslexia

Usually the first symptoms of dyslexia tend to appear around four to eight years of age, the most common problem being that related to the vocalization of unknown words, the alteration of the order of the letters in writing or the lack of attention and concentration.

As a consequence of their difficulties, minors who suffer from dyslexia tend to disinterest in homework or school activities, even going as far as refusing to do them or to go to school.

Despite the fact that dyslexia can present itself in different ways in each of the children who suffer from it, there are a series of common indicators that can help us identify it. As discussed above, it is essential that both parents and teachers are able to identify these early signs or manifestations in order to intervene preventively.

Some of the first symptoms of dyslexia that can lead us to assume that a child may develop dyslexia are the following.

1. slow acquisition of speech

Children with possible dyslexia have difficulties developing spoken language. They take longer to learn to speak, both to say single words and to make sentences. Besides, have poor verbal fluency and in many cases they tend to have some difficulties when it comes to understanding others.

2. literacy problems

As in speech, these little ones also present difficulties learning to read and write.

3. they confuse the words

In both oral and written language, children with dyslexia they can manifest confusions or errors in words with a phonetic similarity. For example, they can confuse boot and gout.

In the same way, they can suppress the phonemes of some words, confuse them or change the order of the syllables according to the sound.

4. lack of vocabulary

Exists a clear poverty in the vocabulary of these children. This symptom is due to the difficulties they have when learning new words, many of which they obtain through reading.

5. mirror writing

Another very common early sign of dyslexia is mirror writing. This means that those children who are learning to write Can you write the letters backwards?, as if they were seen in a mirror.

6. Concentration problems

As a consequence of the difficulties presented by other areas, boys and girls with dyslexia tend to be distracted; presenting problems or alterations in attention and concentration.

7. Consequences on academic performance

All the above difficulties end up being reflected in the minor's academic performance. However, the academic level can present a great variability within a short period of time.

That is, the child can spend a season in which he does not present any difficulties at school, followed by another in which the lack of attention and problems in tasks and activities occur almost diary.

8. working memory problems

A curious early symptom of dyslexia that helps in its early detection but that occurs in many cases but not all, is that the boy or girl manifests working memory difficulties or problems. That is, they have a tendency to forget many things that have been explained to them, in a very short time.

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Possible Treatments and Interventions

Once the first symptoms of dyslexia are known, their detection is essential to understand the minor who suffers from it and to be able to intervene preventively. In this way, the difficulties will be compensated and their personal, social and academic growth will be facilitated.

First of all, it is necessary to know that due to the great variability of symptoms associated with this disorder there is no standard treatment valid for all cases of dyslexia. Therefore, it will be necessary to adapt the interventions to the needs and demands of the minor.

Therapeutic intervention, teacher collaboration, the use of new technologies and understanding and education from home, are some of the resources that can make a boy or girl with dyslexia obtain the same results and feel as integrated as any other buddy.