Dyslexia: a disease of geniuses or lazy people? Let's understand its causes and symptoms

Quite often, parents and teachers at school notice that the child confuses letters when reading, and sometimes makes mistakes when writing the most basic words. Many accuse the child of inattention, absent-mindedness or laziness. But the problem is much deeper.

This problem occurs due to psychological, neurological or physiological disorders. Initially, the baby will simply pronounce words incorrectly, but later the problem will affect the process of reading, writing, mathematics, and academic performance in general, which will entail a whole series of difficult consequences.

What is dyslexia

Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Keanu Reeves and Vladimir Mayakovsky - it would seem that what could these people from different eras and professions have in common, except that many people on the planet know their names? All of them faced dyslexia, which did not prevent them from achieving world fame.

Dyslexia is not a disease

Dyslexia is not a disease or lack of intelligence. A feature of the brain that prevents its owner from perceiving information the way ordinary people do. It is expressed in different forms, the main of which are:

• difficulties with reading skills;
• problems with writing skills;
• difficulties with grammar;
• periodic impairment of motor skills and coordination;
• poor concentration.

Dyslexia was first identified at the end of the 19th century in Germany. Ophthalmologist Rudolf Berlin described the symptoms after working with a young patient who had no difficulties with communication and physical development, but was completely unable to comprehend grammar and reading. The doctor attributed the deviation to visual pathologies.

In 1925, the theory was refuted by neurologist Samuel Orton, according to his research, dyslexics had asymmetry of the brain lobes. This statement also turned out to be false, and only in the 1970s did scientists agree that dyslexia manifests itself in people with poor metaphonological and phonological development. That is, due to a failure in the process of acquiring adult speech patterns. During the period of early development, each child gradually masters speech skills; at first, they do not finish words, confuse syllables, or express thoughts unclearly. As most people get older, their neurons overcome this and speech becomes clearer. Later, they find it easier to write and read, unlike dyslexics.

The child masters reading skills

According to research, patients with dyslexia:

• have an active right hemisphere of the brain;
• have differences in the weight of the hemispheres;
• most have experienced birth trauma;
• have experienced a head injury;
• suffered a dangerous infection (for example, meningitis);
• suffered from infections in the womb (measles, rubella, herpes) or gave birth to a dependent mother.

The manifestations of deviation are aggravated by: lack of pedagogical education, lack of communication, destructive environment, physical isolation (which threatens complete loss of speech, with a healthy brain and normal physical development). Dyslexia is 5 times more common in boys than in girls. This is a feature that lasts a lifetime, but its manifestations can be corrected and the child (or adult) adapted. The sooner it is detected, the easier the measures taken will be assimilated by the brain.

Symptoms of a real problem

How do you know if rearranging letters is a sign of a problem? Please note the following:

• Children confuse similar letters when reading or writing them. For example: p-t, b-d, o-u, i-u and others;
• Impaired sound pronunciation affects the processes of writing and reading - children pronounce incorrectly or confuse certain sounds, so they replace or skip them when writing and reading.
• If children do not read fluently, but skip, rearrange, replace letters and words, do not indent between words, swallow endings when reading and writing, then we can talk about the presence of dysgraphic and dyslexic problems.
• Children may make mistakes due to difficulties in writing and reading soft and hard consonant sounds, in denoting them in writing with iotized vowels (e, ё, yu, ya) or with a soft sign.

If you notice such problems, we recommend that you consult a speech therapist. The specialist will diagnose the child’s speech development and tell you whether rearranging letters while reading or writing is a violation, or whether it is simple fatigue. If this is a violation, then the speech therapist will tell you how to solve the problem.

Symptoms of dyslexia

Most often, parents notice the first signs of dyslexia, since it does not cause inconvenience to a child under 4-5 years of age. If 5 or more signs from the following list coincide, consultation with an experienced neuropsychologist and speech therapist is required.

Problems communicating with a child

For preschoolers:

• communication problems;
• late speech;
• incorrect placement of a pencil or pen in the hand after repeated training;
• has difficulty understanding new words and problems with their pronunciation;
• disordered sequence of words in speech and on paper, rearrangement of letters;
• difficulties with basic principles of letter writing and reading.

In everyday life, you can notice sloppiness in drawing, especially when working with coloring. A child cannot remember where is right and where is left; it is difficult to teach him to understand the time on a clock. He cannot name consecutive months or seasons, misses endings in words, and adds non-existent letters. There are great difficulties with tying shoelaces or fastening buttons. Of course, these signs must be consistent with the child’s age; accurate diagnosis is only possible through testing by specialists.

The child does not understand arithmetic

Obvious signs appear by the 5th grade of school:

• changes the words he reads to ones that sound similar;
• rearranges letters and syllables when reading;
• does not understand what he just read;
• confuses numbers and arithmetic signs;
• does not remember simple concepts well;
• cannot concentrate, is constantly distracted;
• behavior is awkward, clumsy, impulsive;
• perceives information slowly;
• coordination is impaired.

You can notice how the child involuntarily swaps syllables when reading; he is restless and impatient. When doing homework, he constantly dangles his leg or fidgets, standing up and sitting down. Loses things, forgets requests or what was said a few minutes ago. Often the behavior of a small person is associated with laziness and banal bad manners, but this is a mistake.

Adults have similar symptoms, which they often mistake for their own stupidity or absent-mindedness. Dyslexia can bring many difficulties, for example, the inability to read even a short note normally, poor memory for events and faces, problems with writing and counting.

Dyslexia causes many problems in life

“Doctors discovered that I had dyslexia when I needed a prescription for glasses. During the examination, I was given huge glasses with one red lens and the other blue. They asked me to read a passage and then asked 10 questions about what I had just read. I could only answer three. They studied how my eyes move while reading. It turned out that I read four words, then go back two. I didn’t read some words at all.”

Jennifer Aniston, source: Instagram.

Inattention or a real problem?

Before you panic, you need to accurately determine whether this is due to inattention caused by the child’s painful condition, overwork, or a real problem. To do this, you need to observe the child as he reads and writes. If, when reading, he sometimes forgets letters, and when writing, he confuses similar signs, because he has just begun to study these letters or remembers them after a summer vacation, there is no reason to worry.

Another case is if a child cannot read a word because he constantly forgets the letters, and also does not remember how and in which direction to write them. If such errors are persistent, then this may be signs of dyslexia (problems with reading) or dysgraphia (difficulty in writing).

Dyslexia is a common problem, the main characteristic of which is an incomplete reading disorder - the child reads, but constantly makes the same mistakes. He can skip letters, syllables or entire words, add new characters to words, and confuse them in places. Often children simply do not distinguish between certain sounds, cannot reproduce them and use them not only in oral speech, but also in writing or reading. Very often, a child has not only dyslexia, but also dysgraphia.

Dysgraphia is a persistent impairment in children's ability to write. If a child confuses and swaps syllables and letters when writing, this may cause illiteracy in the future. Very often, such children have illegible handwriting due to constant doubts about the spelling of specific letters, syllables or words. They may not write capital letters or use punctuation at the end of sentences.

Children with dysgraphia in high school try to write in small phrases, using a minimum number of words, but still make mistakes. Classes in which they need to write become painful for them, so they often skip them. They begin to feel a sense of inferiority, which further leads to the development of complexes and aggression. In advanced cases, over time, teenagers become outcasts in the team.

As you can see, confusing letters when reading and writing can lead to quite serious consequences. Therefore, it is extremely important to notice the problem in time and take action. The sooner parents turn to a speech therapist for help, the faster and easier the correction will be for the child. He will catch up with his peers and will be able to master the school curriculum normally.

Types of dyslexia

The concept of this deviation is broad, as are the symptoms. Based on the signs that appear in a child or adult, one can determine the specific type of dyslexia.

Typology of features in manifestations:

• Tactile. It occurs in blind people who, while reading Braille with their fingers, jump from one line to another, go back, or read in reverse order.
• Mnestic. Difficulties in understanding speech addressed to dyslexics. Inability to fully perceive information by ear.
• Semantic. Does not understand the essence of what he read, although he may have perfect reading skills.
• Ungrammatical. Incorrect word placement, mistakes in endings, pronounces gender, tenses incorrectly (“white horse”, “I want to go to the store”);
• Optical. When a dyslexic person reads, his eyes jump from line to line and move in the opposite direction, the brain equally perceives letters that are similar in spelling (for example, “m”, “sh”, “i”).
• Acoustic. It can often be found among primary school students when words are replaced by similar-sounding ones or syllables are rearranged (for example, cat-mole-cake-tot, pine-pump).

Despite their special perception of information, dyslexics often have a talented and inquisitive mind. They think differently, have a developed imagination, and look at standard things from an unusual perspective. Many artists were born with this feature, including Leonardo da Vinci and Quentin Tarantino.

Dyslexia: a disease of geniuses or lazy people? Let's understand its causes and symptoms

If your child reads poorly, is completely illiterate and is also very absent-minded, do not rush to scold and criticize. Perhaps he has dyslexia. We talk about the reasons for its development and how to help the child with representatives of the private public initiative “Dyslexia Belarus”.

What is dyslexia?

Experts call dyslexia difficulty in mastering reading and writing. The disease is congenital. Due to a lack of knowledge, parents often confuse their child's peculiarity with ordinary laziness or low intelligence. However, this is a feature of the neurophysiological development of the brain.

Sometimes dyslexia can be acquired. For example, as a result of brain injuries. Then the prefix “a” is usually used in the word: dyslexia - alexia, dysgraphia (inability to master writing) - agraphia.

According to world research statistics, every tenth person suffers from dyslexia. The disease is typically difficult to diagnose, leaving more than 700 million people illiterate and socially isolated.

However, with timely correction and early diagnosis of the problem, 90% of dyslexic children can study in a regular school.

What symptoms indicate dyslexia?

1. The child does not like to read fairy tales. He prefers encyclopedias with organized information to them. Dyslexics have a more difficult time remembering the plot of works. After reading the second paragraph, they may already forget the content of the first.

For such children there are no adjectives or adverbs. They have difficulty understanding abstract words. They more easily remember nouns that denote objects that can be touched.

1. A child with dyslexia may miss pauses at the end of sentences and read text without punctuation. He also lacks intonation.
2. The child has impaired working memory. For example, you can ask him to repeat three numbers, but in reverse order. This will be difficult for a dyslexic person to do.
3. If you knock on the table at certain intervals, children with the described feature will not be able to repeat the rhythm.
4. It is difficult for a child to read words with three consonants: look, splash.
5. Dyslexics have poor coordination. It is difficult for them to catch the ball or perform manipulations with their hands, for example, to make a “Batman”.
6. At the age of 8, such children can ignore lines, read from left to right, confuse similar letters “a”, “o”, “i”, “u”, in English - the letters “b” and “d”. Dyslexics do not remember vocabulary words.
7. Dyslexia is often accompanied by dyspraxia, a lack of coordination. In this case, children may hit corners and walls. Their movements are awkward. It is difficult for a child to handle the office: pencils always fall out of the pencil case, for example.
8. The child begins to have severe headaches when reading from overexertion.
9. Children with dyslexia may hold a pen incorrectly. This is a signal that the brain is not yet ready to master writing skills.

When to sound the alarm

A specialist can diagnose “dyslexia” only after two years of teaching a child to write and read, that is, in grades 2–3. It is during this period that the load on him increases, an evaluation system appears and the pace of learning accelerates, to which it is difficult for the student to adapt.

Sometimes professionals can identify a predisposition to dyslexia with 100% probability in a child as early as 4 years old. If you detect a problem at this age, you can more effectively and quickly help your child navigate and gain reading skills at a low standard level before the start of active study. With early correction, there is every chance of achieving a level of mastery of the Russian language of 7 points. At the same time, the student will feel much more confident among his peers.

What to do if your child has symptoms of dyslexia

First, you need to contact the Center for Corrective and Developmental Training and Rehabilitation (CDDT), where specialists will examine the baby to understand what caused the disorder.

For example: if a child does not see a line, the culprit may be astigmatism (a vision defect in which the shape of the lens is distorted), physiological problems, or prolonged interaction with a smartphone.

To correct dyslexia, professional speech therapists, speech pathologists, clinical psychologists, and neuropsychologists are needed. Specialists practicing general psychology will not be able to help: they have not studied the structure of intelligence, the consequences of damage to areas of the brain or their dysfunction.

Depending on the type of problem, specialists decide how the child should learn and how his knowledge will be assessed. If a student, for example, is unable to learn vocabulary words, teachers may be advised to change the questioning method. Dyslexics often do not distinguish between hard and soft signs - the teacher can make allowances for this feature when checking dictations.

In any case, specialists must determine the level of relaxation in assessing a particular student after analyzing psychophysiology. And under no circumstances should parents or teachers. Also, professionals can advise a student to use a laptop when taking notes in physics and chemistry.

A timely examination will also help to avoid some secondary problems, for example, dependence on the assessment of others, timidity and shyness.

A well-developed staff of school psychologists would provide significant assistance in disseminating reliable information and helping parents and students. It is advisable that a professional work with the child in special integrated classes.

What can a family do to help a child?

1. A mandatory quality for parents of a dyslexic student is patience.

Such children begin to evaluate themselves through the quality of their work. They think: “I will work well, then people will love me.” Because of this, they develop workaholism and, as a result, burnout.

1. You need to switch to audiobook format. Dyslexics may not hear endings, so they often skip them and “swallow” them. They need to play audiobooks at a slower speed to make listening more comfortable. It is also advisable to read the educational material out loud.

To ensure your child understands the paragraph in class tomorrow, read it with him tonight. Go to online lessons that allow you to work with information in a condensed version. Such methods will help the child perceive the teacher’s words more easily, and he will feel more comfortable.

1. Watch more films and cartoons together. At the same time, serial cartoons with simple phrases and non-speaking characters who communicate using onomatopoeia are contraindicated for dyslexics.

The most useful way is to watch a full-length film with a discussion. It is necessary to ask the child to retell so that he develops oral speech. This promotes the development of good reading and writing.

1. With dyslexia, it is difficult to comprehend texts with a large number of archaisms and words with three or more consonants. The child will not read them, so it is advisable to work with texts that are “full vowel” - with the so-called “akaniya”. Epics are suitable for this purpose. They are melodious and can be tapped.
2. Children quickly begin to read when they tap out a rhythm to themselves, for example, with a ball.
3. The main thing is to show your child that he is a genius. Try to highlight his strengths. Then you will get a certain balance: the child will accept that he is talented and understand: “Yes, my grades are from 1 to 2. Well, you said that this is because of slowness. That’s what I’m working with.” In this case, the child accepts his quality and does not consider it a shortcoming. The genius of a dyslexic schoolchild is not discussed, but only the scope of its application: director, commander or artist. Inflated self-esteem is a must, then the impact of the disease is minimized.
4. You can correct dyslexia through your favorite activity: sports, cartoons. Don't demand too much from your child. On the contrary, we need more support.
5. If a student finds it difficult to write notes, they can be replaced with comics. For example, read a text, and the child will visualize it on paper.
6. Help your son or daughter develop vocabulary. This will make it easier for them to remember the text and not feel constrained when retelling.

How the number of dyslexics varies by language

The more complex the language, its rules, and the number of unpronounceable consonants in words, the more dyslexics there are among users. It is easier for children with such features to learn Belarusian, Russian, Italian, and more difficult for them to learn French, Chinese, and English.

Is it possible to help adults with dyslexia?

Dyslexia can be corrected at almost any age. The main thing is that a person has a hobby through which he can influence even an adult.

Dyslexics are very talented

And it is true. Children with dyslexia try to use their strengths. The genius Leonardo da Vinci is often included among those suffering from this disorder. But this is more of a commercial move for motivation: “If he could do it, then you can too.” However, there are a lot of celebrities and truly talented people with this disease. Among them are cult directors Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. The second one, by the way, didn’t even finish school.

Dyslexia did not prevent actresses Keira Knightley and Jennifer Aniston from becoming famous. In the post-Soviet space, dyslexic celebrities include director Fyodor Bondarchuk, writer Evgeny Grishkovets and scientist and psychiatrist Andrei Kurpatov.

Daria ZIMAK

Photos by the author and from open Internet sources

How to Identify and Assess Dyslexia

How parents can check their guesses on their own:

• ask to find a letter in the text;
• pronounce a combination of letters;
• cut a letter out of paper;
• trace the outline of the picture;
• ask to find the missing letters in the alphabet or in a word.

The first step to making a diagnosis is to visit a pediatrician (or a general practitioner for adults). He will look at the signs, based on which he will refer you to a speech therapist and neurologist. Subject specialists will test the level of mastery of writing, reading, the ability to correctly express thoughts and perceive information in different ways. Using special equipment, the condition of hearing, vision, and the structure of the speech apparatus is checked. The neurologist will analyze the EEG and EchoEg, they will identify features in the structure of the brain.

Schoolboy

Once dyslexia is identified by specialists, there is no need to panic. This feature does not in any way affect the development of intelligence, mental or physical capabilities.

Causes of the violation

It is quite difficult for children to learn to read and write. During training, 4 analyzers are used:

1. Speech motor - responsible for the correct pronunciation of words and sounds.
2. Speech-hearing - responsible for determining and selecting the desired sound.
3. Visual - determines the desired letter.
4. Motor - determines how to write a letter correctly.

The development and formation of speech, the ability to correctly pronounce all sounds, the perception and reproduction of words - all this fully influences the process of a child learning to write and read. The parieto-occipital-temporal region of the brain is responsible for speech and writing, which is fully formed only by the age of 10 years.

It is especially difficult to learn to read for children who are diagnosed with problems with pronunciation and in distinguishing sounds that are similar in sound. This is due to the child’s underdeveloped phonemic processes, as a result of which he simply does not know how to pronounce the problematic sound correctly. Therefore, a child with such a disorder should not be taught to read and write until a specialist has formed his correct sound pronunciation.

There is also a special vision for letters. Simply seeing well is not enough to learn to write. With the help of this feeling, the baby learns to remember and then correctly reproduce letters. He must be intellectually developed, have good speech hearing and vision so that the process of learning to write and read is not particularly difficult.

The appearance of such problems can be influenced by the physiological characteristics of the child. Sometimes a disorder occurs associated with uneven development of the brain hemispheres, as a result of which the less developed part of the organ will perform its functions worse. In each hemisphere there are centers that are responsible for different capabilities of the body (reading, speech, vision, hearing, smell).

Often parents are faced with the problem of mirror spelling of letters. There can be many reasons for this feature, but most often speech therapists diagnose left-handedness. A person can be a hidden or obvious left-hander, and such people are characterized by mirror writing.

There is a hereditary tendency to rearrange letters when reading. If parents or other close family members have had difficulty learning to write or read, there is a good chance that the child will also have difficulty learning to read or write.

There are cases when the problem goes away on its own, the child outgrows it and continues to study normally without outside help. But there are other situations in which the problem starts and a person experiences serious difficulties already in adulthood. The video below shows a similar story:

A number of physiological and genetic disorders can also be the cause. At the same time, the person has normal mental development. He may be successful in any field of science, but he will have big problems with writing and reading.

Dysgraphia and dyslexia can appear in stubborn children when there is no harmony and connection between mother and child in the family. For example, if a baby is force-fed, against his wishes, in the future he will refuse to study, resist the teacher and mother, thus expressing his protest.

If a child has problems with concentration, then when reading it is difficult for him to follow the line. The consequence, again, is the rearrangement of letters in words and words in sentences. You should train the ability to concentrate attention on objects and do exercises for your visual muscles.

Dyslexia correction methods

It's sad but true - dyslexia will be with a person all his life and he needs to adapt to living with this feature. It is more effective to begin correction in childhood, while the brain is in the growth stage. Therefore, it is so important to conduct an early diagnosis and take action on time.

Schoolboy reading

The main task: to teach a dyslexic to recognize words, depending on the type of specific deviation (written, or in speech, etc.). There is no single method for correcting deviations; each case is individual and methods must be selected individually. The work is carried out gradually, step by step, the method depends on the type of dyslexia:

• For tactile, spatial imagination is developed, a gradual explanation of the essence of perceived objects and patterns is carried out.
• For mnestic, the development of auditory memory, visual perception of letters and spelling of words is carried out.
• For semantic, understanding of syllables, clarification of concepts, development of vocabulary are developed, and work is carried out to master the norms of grammar.
• For agrammatic, grammatical schemes and the concept of changing words and endings are formed.
• For optical training, visual analysis, spatial imagination, analysis of incoming visual information and its processing are trained.
• For acoustic methods, sequential perception and recognition of information by ear, repetition, and memorization.

In general, the correction comes down to the fact that the dyslexic must grasp his state and direct himself through actions in order to achieve the desired result (perception of information). People with special needs have a very developed spatial imagination, which is what experts suggest using in the correction process.

Exercises to correct dyslexia in schoolchildren

Exercises are selected individually for each child. We suggest using the following simple options to develop correct perception:

1. Come up with a word, let your child remember it and write it down. Then go to the phrase, then to the sentence.
2. Write the words on a line without spaces, for example: GRANDFATHERGRANDMAGRANCHAUGHKABUGKAKAMOSE. The child’s task: to divide this stream into separate words. You can start with 3 words, then complicate it and make sentences, for example: WE ARE GOING TO GO TO GRANDMOTHER TODAY AND BRING THE CAKE.
3. Play a game: in the room you need to find words starting with the letter M. The child looks for objects that begin with this letter, for example, a car, a bear, etc. Make the task more difficult, for example, you need to find objects that end with a certain syllable or sound.
4. Suggest a few words from which to form a sentence. You can start with syllables to form a word.
5. Word games help develop understanding of letters and sounds. Take turns calling words starting with the letter that ends the previous word: mattress-table-lamp and so on.
6. Letters are drawn on the child's back with a finger or the blunt side of a pencil, and he needs to guess which one.
7. Make several short words from one long word. For example, from ACCORDION: rock, cancer, etc.
8. Hide the word in letters and the child must find it. Example: PMKARSMIUNPA (if read through the letter, it will be MACHINE).

There are countless exercises, it is important to find something that the child will like and bring results. You need to change them periodically so that the brain works differently each time.

Why does a child miss letters?

It is important to conduct a correct diagnosis to determine the cause of the writing disorder. This is the only way to create a competent and effective correction program.

The neuropsychological structure of writing in younger schoolchildren is much more complex than in older ones. When automating the writing function, the structure is simplified, and at 6-8 years old it consists of 7 components:

• Maintaining optimal brain energy levels. The so-called energy block of the brain is responsible for this (block I according to the classification of A.R. Luria). A clear manifestation of the weakness of this block of the brain may be difficulties in engaging in a task. A child’s behavior such as “catching crows in class” can indicate neurodynamic difficulties and low motivation.

Important: It is important for parents to know that motivation is very important for children of preschool and primary school age to maintain performance. Since the areas of the brain responsible for volition are not fully formed, the child must be interested in activities in order to maintain the proper level of attention. In other words, it is much more difficult for a child than for an adult to do something when it is “necessary” but not interesting.

• Processing of kinesthetic information – processing of information from moving organs when writing (graphic movements). These operations are performed in the anterior-parietal regions of the brain. If the functioning of this link is disrupted, difficulties in writing may occur, such as confusion in letters that are similar in spelling (u-i, sh-shch, zh-kh).

• Processing of auditory information (when writing from dictation). Errors in processing auditory information include confusion in sounds that are similar in sound (zh-z, t-p, t-k, t-n), or confusion and replacement of deaf-voiced, hard-soft sounds (r-r, z- With).
• Processing of visual information. Difficulties in this function can manifest themselves in the mirroring of letters (provided that the child clearly remembers the image of the letter), and violation of the order of letters. Children with difficulties processing visual information may experience difficulty in orienting themselves on a sheet of paper, difficulty maintaining the size of letters, or tilting.
• processing of visual-spatial information. Children with difficulties processing visual-spatial information may experience difficulty in orienting themselves on a sheet of paper, difficulty maintaining the size of letters, and tilt.
• Serial organization of movements.
• Programming and control of the act of writing.

The third functional block of the brain (the anterior parts of the cerebral hemispheres, motor, premotor, prefrontal parts of the cerebral cortex, frontal lobes) is responsible for performing the last two operations. If these functions are weak, so-called regulatory dysgraphia may occur, which most often speech therapists do not recognize as a diagnosis, and as a result, competent corrective exercises are not recommended to the child.

Examples of manifestations of regulatory dysgraphia are the following errors:

— The child skips letters (syllables) or their elements, or, on the contrary, inserts extra ones.

- Duplicates previous letters, syllables or even words.

- Allows antipathy (anticipation of letters), for example, instead of “on the river” he writes “ra river”

- Writes words together.

— Forgets to put a period at the end of a sentence.

(*Source “Neuropsychological analysis of errors in writing” by T.V. Akhutin)

Prevention of dyslexia

You need to start working with speech, perception, memory and coordination from a very early age. Select exercises by year, practice in a playful way, read more.

Teacher teach communication skills to children

The first to develop are the skills of sound pronunciation and speech production. To do this, repeat syllables with the child (how a dog barks, how a cat meows, etc.). Games are perceived best by children. Doman cards work well with spatial imagination.

From about 1.5 years old, classes begin on studying big and small, left-right, find the difference, find an extra object, and others. Visual perception is best developed in young children.

Development of fine motor skills

The development of fine motor skills is important; it is directly related to speech functions and brain function. Playing with sand, with water, cereals and plasticine, finger painting, and sound games (“magpie-crow,” for example) will help.

Tips for teachers

The teacher is not always able to recognize dyslexia and attributes it to disobedience. Recommendations for teachers when there is dyslexia in the classroom:

• be patient, show more attention, such children need more time to respond (many are characterized by slowness);
• place the child at the first desk so that his attention does not wander and the learning process can be controlled;
• be the first to call to the board so that he is not afraid to speak against the background of others;
• Do not write comments and corrections in his notebooks with a red pen; it is better to use a green pen.

Tips for parents

It is important for parents:

• support, love and appreciate the child for who he is;
• develop his strengths;
• develop visual-spatial functions;
• do not pamper too much, do not allow you to shirk your studies, classes and reading;
• sculpt, draw, cut out letters;
• play more games to improve memory, lexical and grammatical structure, attention, and enrich vocabulary;
• in understanding, go from simple to complex (letters-syllables-words-phrase-sentences, etc.);
• pronounce tongue twisters, learn poetry;
• do finger and articulation gymnastics;
• choose your teacher carefully;
• go through all the necessary specialists (speech therapist, neurologist, defectologist, work with a neuropsychologist).

The main thing is to always maintain emotional contact. All developed logical, speech and grammatical chains must be brought to automaticity. Dyslexics are creative people, with unconventional thinking, and it is interesting to work and study with them.

Learning not to skip letters

You can help your child overcome difficulties in mastering competent written speech on your own. To do this, you need to play, and not write exhausting dictations.

The presented games and tasks help to set up work, activate control functions, train attention switching, and develop the functions of block III of the brain (programming, control, serial organization of movements). ⠀

1. "Steep turns." Place any bulky items (stationery, cubes, etc.) in front of the child (on the floor or table). The child's task is to roll a light tennis ball around obstacles, guiding it with a stream of air. And so reach the finish line.⠀
2. "Finger games" to the rhythm. The adult pronounces the words of the nursery rhymes, while showing movements with his hands, and the child repeats the movements.⠀
3. "Climber". The child’s task in this game is to walk along the wall, touching with three points. That is, the initial position is the child’s back to the wall and touches it with his palms and heels. To move along the wall, you can tear off only one support from the wall and rearrange it. Start at a very slow pace. And when the child has thoroughly mastered the rules of the game, speed up the pace.
4. "Conductor". Here you will need cards with hand poses. Or commands can be described in words. For example, “left up”, “right forward”, etc. At the command shown on the card, the child performs hand movements and at the same time pronounces the letters in alphabetical order. ⠀
5. "Corrector". This game uses randomly printed letters as a guide. The child’s task is to quickly (as quickly as possible) find and cross out a specific letter. To make it even more challenging, ask your student to find several letters and mark them in different ways: for example, “K” - crossed out with a cross, “R” - circled, “F” - with a wavy line.
6. "Grammino" This game is based on the domino principle. We divide the cards (size 10 cm * 2 cm) into two parts. On one of which write a word, omitting one letter, and on the second part write a letter, but not the one that is missing, but any letter from another word. The presenter distributes 7 cards. And one player puts any word, and the second player puts a suitable letter next to it. As we spend cards, we replenish our reserves from the general pile of words. We play until the last card. For variety, you can play another game with these cards - speed - take a card with a word and quickly take turns with your child to name the missing letter. ⠀
7. "Oh and Ay" . There is no preparation required here. You need to count from 1 to 100. Only instead of numbers that are multiples of 5 we say “Oh”, and instead of numbers that are multiples of seven we say “Ay”. Fifty-seven, for example, will sound like OH-AY.
8. "Scanner". We write a word of 5 or 7 letters on a piece of paper. Let's say the word "spoon". And ask to name the letter in the middle of the word (spoon). Then name the first letter to the right of “F”, the first on the left, the second on the right, the second on the left. ⠀
9. "Rhythmic Reading" We ask the child to read the text. You need to read syllable by syllable, since the words are written (so-lo-ma, vo-ro-bey), at this time the adult taps out a rhythm that corresponds to the syllabic structure of the words. At the second stage, the child reads the words himself and taps the rhythm with a pencil on the table or simply with his palms. After this, the child copies (or takes dictation), and the adult taps out the rhythm. Such exercises are very effective in correcting any writing problems. ⠀
10. "Letter of Instructions." In this exercise, you need to draw a pattern (on each line) in a notebook with an oblique, straight line, which will consist of loops and sticks. When performing a task, it is important to pronounce the direction of movement of the hand: stick, hook, up, down, loop.
11. Schulte tables. For second-graders, it is enough to master tables up to 25. By the way, there are now applications for smartphones with Schulte tables. This is very convenient. Each time the application produces a new composition of numbers, and when completing a task, the result is immediately visible in the form of completion time.
12. "Geometric beads" Prepare geometric shapes from colored paper. Place the lubu in front of the child. Sequence of figures (5-7 elements). Ask to remember (no more than 1 minute), then “break” the row and ask the child to repeat the pattern.

These tasks do not have to be completed every day. But by training your child in this playful way, performing 4-5 exercises daily, you will definitely get noticeable results in just two weeks. And help your student believe in himself!