Dyslexia in infants and children: how to detect this difficulty in learning and helping your child

According to DISFAM, Dyslexia is a literacy learning disorder, of a persistent and specific nature, which occurs in children who do not present any physical, psychic or sociocultural handicap and whose origin seems to derive from an alteration of neurodevelopment.

Its incidence among the school population is five percent, being usual to find a case of dyslexia for each class of 20-25 students. We explain what this disorder consists of and why early diagnosis is so important.

Symptoms of dyslexia in infants and children

Parents are usually the first to notice that something happens when they notice that their child presents Difficulties distinguishing and memorizing letters or groups of letters. However, in most cases it is usually the teacher who gives the alarm.

And this disorder involves a series of symptoms that tend to become more noticeable in the school environment. Among the signs that should put us on alert are:

  • The boy lacks verbal fluency and linguistic ability according to their age.
  • Has difficulties to memorize songs and problems with musical rhythms, as well as to memorize series or sequences, colors, simple rhymes, recite the alphabet ...
  • Alters the order of placement of the letters or syllables, or omits certain letters.
  • When writing the sentences, put some words together.
  • It confuses those words whose pronunciations resemble their phonetics.
  • Little ability to do manual exercises and spellings.
  • Reading is characterized by omissions, substitutions, distortions, investments or addictions, slowness, hesitation, visual tracking problems and a deficit in understanding.
  • Confusion between right and left.
  • Difficulties in space-time notions.
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There are also some symptoms that occur in the baby stage that can make us suspect, such as a certain psychomotor immaturity regarding babies of the same age, problems with coordination, balance and laterality, or delay in learning to speak.

The chances of a child having dyslexia are greater if either parent has had this disorder. Not surprisingly, according to the AEP, 60 percent of dyslexic children have a parent who is also a parent.

Dyslexia related to other disorders

According to experts, dyslexia is sometimes associated with the appearance of other disorders such as:

  • TDHA
  • Dyspraxia (lack of coordination of movements)
  • Attention deficit
  • Discalculia (difficulty learning the principles of calculation)
  • Emotional disorders

When and how dyslexia is diagnosed

Although some symptoms of dyslexia can already be seen in the preschool stage, it is not usually until the beginning of the Primary stage (between six and eight years old) when it is diagnosed. At this time, children already begin to read and write more fluently, and that is when the first difficulties appear.

Early diagnosis is very important to avoid negative consequences in the child, since an undiagnosed dyslexia is usually associated with poor grades, school failure, lack of motivation to learn, behavioral problems, insecurities, low self-esteem, depression and anxiety ...

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After the initial suspicion of the family and / or the teaching staff, the child must be valued by a school counselor (pedagogue, psychologist or psychopedagogue). The evaluation is carried out by means of standardized tests (tests) that verify said disorder.

What to do after diagnosis?

Dyslexia is due to brain dysfunction, so it is a condition that will remain for life. But nevertheless, re-education allows to improve and correct many errors, having a better prognosis as soon as treatment begins.

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After the diagnosis of dyslexia, parents should inform the school about the problem, so that the child can count on due support, such as inclusive materials, non-significant accommodations and exam accommodations.

DISFAM emphasizes the importance of insisting on this point, since people with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties are protected by Article 71, 72 and 79 BIS of the Organic Law of Education, in addition to the fact that in many Autonomous Communities there are specific decrees that protect this group.

But regardless of the support provided by the school, the family acquires a fundamental role When it comes to helping the child with dyslexia, it should provide a relaxed and comprehensive environment that strengthens their self-esteem.

From the web In Family, of the AEP, we propose some games to do from home and that can help the child:

  • Play to list words that start with a specific letter
  • Play "I see, I see", incorporating words with one or several specific letters
  • Make word searches
  • Clap for each syllable or each word
  • Guess words knowing just one of your letters

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