Dyslexia - Causes and Signs of Dyslexia

Based on general manifestations, literary and verbal dyslexia are distinguished. The first type of disease is associated with difficulties in perceiving letters, and the second, with difficulties in perceiving words.

Depending on the impaired functions, the following categories of reading disorders are distinguished:

• Phonemic dyslexia. Occurs as a result of underdevelopment of phonemic perception, analysis and synthesis.

• Semantic dyslexia. Characterized by a violation of understanding the semantic meaning of read information. At the same time, the child mechanically reproduces information correctly, but is unable to express the semantic meaning of a text or sentence.
• Agrammatical dyslexia. Occurs as a result of systemic underdevelopment of speech, morphological and functional generalizations.
• Optical dyslexia. Accompanied by difficulties in perceiving outwardly similar letters placed separately in the text.
• Mnestic dyslexia. It is difficult for the child to perceive which letter corresponds to a certain sound.

Causes

• Neurobiologic causes play the main role in the development of the disease. Researchers have found that in children with this diagnosis, specific areas of the brain (the posterior part of the left temporal gyrus) are less functional than in healthy children. Patients also have low brain tissue density in the posterior left middle temporal gyrus.
• Genetic predisposition: a mutation in the DCDC2 gene on chromosome 6 affects the formation of neurons in certain areas of the brain, which contributes to the development of the disease.
• Lack of skills in learning read information and independent study in preschool age, which contributes to insufficient formation of signals between nerve cells in the speech center of the brain.
• The occurrence of dyslexia due to head injuries.

Symptoms of dyslexia

• Oral pronunciation is characterized by defects in sound reproduction, a limited vocabulary, an inaccurate understanding of the meaning and incorrect use of words, and a lack of expanded sentences.
• Guessing reproduction of what is read, skipping letters is observed. The pace is very slow, reading by letters or syllables.
• Dyslexia is an independent disorder not related to memory and mental development. General learning abilities are not affected.

Diagnostics

Diagnosing the disease is quite difficult.

• Speech therapy examination. Consists of determining the development of oral speech, writing and reading. The specialist studies the child's life history of development, features of speech formation, the state of the speech apparatus, motor skills, the student's performance among peers.
• Analysis of oral speech. Consists of assessing the pronunciation of sounds, phonemic formation, development of the syllabic structure of the word, lexical and grammatical means of the language, coherence of speech.
• Writing analysis. Characterized by the completion of tasks on copying information, writing by ear and independent writing. During the reading process, the rate and correctness of reproduction of information, the reading method, and understanding of the text are analyzed.
• Functional MRI, PET - examination of the brain. Consists of determining the density of brain tissue in the left temporal lobe of the brain.
• Additional consultation with a neurologist with EEG, EchoEG, an ophthalmologist with ophthalmological test tasks.
• Additional consultation with a psychologist is possible.

Treatment of dyslexia

The standard system of speech therapy classes for the correction of dyslexia consists of working on all oral speech disorders and non-speech processes. Systematic classes with the child should be conducted by both parents and experienced speech therapists. In the process of correction, the child learns to associate the reproduced sounds with letters, while visualization of materials is used. In the early stages, dyslexia can be successfully corrected. A qualified psychologist should also work with the child.

Prevention

It is important to follow the following principles:

• Teach the child to perceive read information by ear from the earliest years. Parents should read a lot of age-appropriate literature to the child.
• From the earliest years, parents should teach the child the first reading skills. This can be done in the form of games, with visualization of educational materials.
• Timely detection of the first symptoms of pathology and contacting a specialist.
• The sooner the first symptoms are detected, the more effective and faster the result of correction will be.

Due to the fact that dyslexia is a hereditary pathology, it is impossible to prevent it (in the presence of genetic changes). But subject to a tolerant and responsible approach to the child, the results of dyslexia can be insignificant.