There have been many ways to define what is dyslexia. Dyslexia has been around for years and has been defined in many different ways. It was first defined as a disorder in children who fail to attain the language skills or writing, reading, and spelling at their intellectual level despite typical classroom experiences.
According to the United States National Institutes of Health, dyslexia is defined as a learning disability that makes reading, writing, spelling, and speaking difficult for a person. Dyslexia is the most commonly diagnosed learning disability diagnosed in children and persists throughout life. Dyslexia can range in severity and the sooner it is treated, the better the outcome for the child. However, it is never too late for a person with dyslexia to learn, and even improve, their language skills.
Dyslexia is a hereditary condition. Researchers have found that a specific gene is responsible for dyslexia. One gene is dominant and therefore dyslexia is highly inheritable. MRI results show that people with dyslexia have a somewhat larger right-hemisphere in their brain. Imaging results also show that people with dyslexia do not use the same part of their brain when they read than typical readers. A different part of their brain has taken over the function of reading.
Although children with dyslexia have at least average intelligence, they have difficulty in learning to read with traditional instruction. Dyslexia is caused by an impairment in the ability of the brain to translate images that are received from the eyes or the ears into language that is understandable to the person. Dyslexia is not a result of hearing or vision problems, nor is it a result of mental disability, lack of intelligence or brain damage. Dyslexia is usually identified in the primary grades of school. The child with dyslexia will become frustrated with the difficulty in learning to read. Also, other problems, such as behavioral, may present themselves that can mask the symptoms of dyslexia. The success of the child in school can be compromised if the dyslexia remains untreated.
Several learning disabilities can occur with dyslexia, however, it is unclear if these disabilities share the same neurological causes with dyslexia. These disabilities are: Dysgraphia - a disorder that is expressed primarily through writing or typing and, in some cases, through eye-hand coordination direction and carrying out a repetitive task that involves sequences.
Dyscalculia - a neurological disorder that indicates an impairment with basic number sense and difficulty with recalling basic math facts. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - dyslexia and ADHD have been found together as disabilities in some people. Cluttering - a speech fluency disorder that affects both rate and rhythm of speech that causes an impairment in speech intelligibility. This list of other disabilities that can occur with dyslexia is in no way comprehensive, nor does it mean that you will have one of these disabilities with dyslexia.