Dyslexia and maths

Not all individuals with dyslexia have problems with mathematics. I have, however, seen a few dyslexic students who don’t seem to understand mathematics.

Individuals with dyslexia who have difficulty with mathematics are quite often misdiagnosed as having dyscalculia. Some children with dyslexia have problems with mathematics because what they have been taught makes no sense to them. Most teachers hardly take the time and trouble to make sure that these children do understand the basic principles. This seems to be the same problem with them learning how to read in English. Their basic problem is that they do not understand and their minds shut down.

Factors affecting Dyslexic people

In March this year I read an article in Steadyhealth.com. You may read the full article by clicking on the link below.

http://ic.steadyhealth.com/dyslexia_barriers_to_learning.html

I have copied a section from that article as shown below. I made 2 comments and have yet to receive any reply. I would be grateful if any of you can please give me your comments.

Tom Cruise - Dyslexics can be taught to read

                                                        

I have come back after a very long absence from blogging. I hope to write here again when I find some interesting things to write or comment on.

No one who has seen Jerry Maguire, The Last Samurai, mission Impossible or Top Gun would believe that Tom Cruise struggles with reading. He always seems to deliver his lines flawlessly.

Cruise says he was diagnosed as dyslexic at seven, and tried to hide his learning disability from the other children at school. He has described his younger self as "a functional illiterate", through high school and his first several films. Explaining how such a functionally illiterate man can possibly make a good impression at auditions, Cruise said, "I'd get the director and producer to talk about the characters and the film. I'd glean information from them and I'd use that... I got pretty good at ad-libbing".

Dyselxia – Is the teaching method at fault- 3

For a number of weeks I have talked about the struggles associated with learning to read.

I have explained why languages such as English can be challenging for a person with dyslexia. There is often no clear connection between the written form and sound. For example, words such as 'cough' and 'dough', cut and put. Different pronunciation for similar words like wind (as in the Westerly wind) and wind (as in wind down the window), words spelled differently and pronounced similarly like quay and key, pear and pair, words with silent letters like island and debt and many other problems that I have pointed out in my articles in 2010.

Dyslexia - is the teachng method at fault - 2

We have read about many famous dyslexics in my blog and other sites on the internet. Here is another successful dyslexic author, Debbie Macomber.

Debbie Macomber was born on October 22, 1948 in Yakima, Washington, U.S.A. She is a dyslexic, and when she first decided to write a novel she had only a High School Degree and also was the very young mother of four active children.

Dyslexia – Is the teaching method at fault?

                                                                 

Among the many definitions of dyslexia, one definition I can accept is ‘To have more difficulty learning to read (in English) and dealing with text than would be expected for a given cognitive ability’.

Extended School service - ESY

The following is extracted from an e-mail sent to me. It is for those residing in USA who may not be aware of the facilities available to them. Hope this helps at least one parent living in USA.

Dyslexia - Transparent and opaque orthographies

The following is a face book message received from one of my readers, Heidi Kroner, on what she had read in a book. This confirms my observation of my dyslexic students who have a problem only in reading in English but read fluently in Malay and Han Yu Pin Yin.

Dyslexics and mutual exclusivity of letters

This is part 3 of a series of articles on minds shutting down.

Continuing with “The Tipping Point” let us see what else we can link with ‘minds shutting down’.

The Tipping Point and minds shutting down

 The following 2 paragraphs are from Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘The Tipping Point’. They do explain a little on why children shut down.

Minds shutting down

                                                                  

I have written about my 'dyslexic' students shutting down during class in my article: Unlearn dated Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I recommend you to read that article before continuing with this article. Do read the comments from one of my favourite readers.

Dyslexia - definition

Many months ago I received an e-mail from someone who chanced upon my blog. This is what she had written.

Dyslexia - Lies and more Lies

  

 

I am copying articles from the internet which are just blatant lies about dyslexia. These lies are perpetrated by businessmen  who only want to make money at the expense of parents of so-called dyslexic children.

English Language........it is weird

This is just another example of how difficult the English language can be to a dyslexic.

Dyslexia in Finland and Italy – Myths and Realities

A lie, repeated often enough, will end up as truth.

              The bigger the lie, the greater the likelihood that people would believe it.

Dr Paul Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda (1933-1945)