Below is an abridged compilation of the twitter chat on "Understanding Dyslexia and Overcoming its challenges". Please read and share.
Good afternoon everybody! Welcome to our chat session on #dyslexia. For the next 2 hours, we will be shedding light on dyslexia and identifying ways through which the challenges could be overcomed. Maria Sambo, a reading partner of @magical_books1 will be educating us on #Dyslexia. We will like to hear from you before Maria Sambo proceeds. Please follow the tweets and chime in the convo using #Dyslexia #MBChat
Please let's know who is here with us. Introduce yourself and tell us why you are joining us for this chat! #MBChat #Dyslexia
Que.1: Have you ever met a dyslexic person? #Dyslexia #MBChat #dyslexiaAwarenessmonth
Ans. 1: Pernille Ripp @pernilleripp @magical_books1 Yes, I teach students with dyslexia
Que. 2: What kind of provision do you make for children with dyslexia in your classroom? #dyslexia #MBChat #dyslexiaAwarenessmonth
Ans. 2: Pernille Ripp @pernilleripp @magical_books1 extra time plus they often get support from other people
Que. 3: What do you know about dyslexia? #MBChat #Dyslexia #DyslexiaAwarenessmonth
Ans. 3: Adebimpe Adejuwon @bimpejuwon
@magical_books1 I know it's real and people that have it don't usually know. The society stigmatizes them as late bloomers, dull etc.
Nala Bawa was a bright child, adept with tasks given to her. She was good with tasks that involved little or no reading like painting, drawing and some science practicals. When it was time for reading, she performed badly. She felt discouraged wondering why this seemingly easy task was difficult. She eventually thought she was dull and stupid. She lost interest in school and managed to graduate high-school.
Today, Nala is a successful artiste with a number of galleries showing her work. Nala eventually learnt she was dyslexic. She had a type of learning disability. Studies indicate that 1 in 5 students have dyslexia and other related learning disabilities.
Dyslexia is a type of learning disability also known as a reading disability. Dyslexia is a condition that affects the way the brain receives and processes information. According to kidshealth.organisation, it is a condition one is born with, often inherited. Dyslexia happens because of the way the brain processes information, a different part of the brain is used here other than the usual part.
As dyslexia is a lifelong condition, it doesn't mean the dyslexic is stupid or dull. As a matter of fact, most dyslexic are as intelligent or even better than those without the ability. There are a number of people that are dyslexic, some of them like @richardbranson are successful despite the learning disability. @KatieHeigl @channingtatum are hollywood stars with the disability. Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci are also said to be dyslexic. That does lay to rest the worry that a dyslexic is dull and or useless to society.
Some signs of dyslexia are trouble learning nursery rhymes or identifying rhyming patterns. Inability to associate a sound to an alphabet e.g A for Apple, explaining an illustration or picture instead of what's written in the book. Avoiding reading out loud, difficulty putting words together to communicate. Messy handwriting, deathly grip on writing material, use of imprecise words regularly.
Some strengths of dyslexics are intelligence, talented, excellent thinking skills, exceptional empathy and high sense of justice. Overcoming the challenges of dyslexia has been made easier as a result of technology. Livescribe pen is an assistive technology aide that helps with note taking. Speech to Text is another assistive technology aide. Dyslexic people often suffer low self esteem. They need support and reinforced statements and attitudes of can do from parents or guardians.
Let us keep sharing the knowledge. Dyslexia is real and shouldn't be spiritualised. Thank you so much for joining us today. We say a big thank you to Maria Sambo, our reading partner for sharing her knowledge on dyslexia.
