3.1 Introduction
Depending on whom you ask, you
will find that some people talk about different types of dyslexia.
Although, officially, there is
only one main 'type' of dyslexia, there are several subtypes of the condition
into which a child can fall. Different types of dyslexia require different types
of intervention, so it is important that those who have this condition should
attempt to identify the type that they have. This module will cover the
different types of dyslexia that a person might have, as well as different
interventions and methods of support that work well for each type.
3.2 Reading Deficits that Might Appear to
be Dyslexia
There are three types of reading
deficits that might fall under the heading of dyslexia:
Phonological deficit - this is
difficulty assembling or decoding words based on sound.
Speed/naming deficit -this is
when a person reads slower than they should and has difficulty with sight
words. These are words that should be instantly recognised; they should neither
be sounded out nor take effort to understand.
Comprehension deficit - this is
when a person has difficulty comprehending what they have read.
Although there are three
different deficits that can be defined as dyslexia, approximately 80% of people
who are diagnosed with dyslexia fall into the phonological deficit category.
These people have difficulty discriminating one word from another; they cannot
manipulate phonemes, and they lack the ability to assemble or decode words
based on their sounds.
Approximately 20% of those with
reading issues have problems with speed or comprehension or, in some cases,
both. These people can sound out words without any issues, so, technically,
they do not have dyslexia, but they are often lumped in with people who do have
the condition, as the same interventions that work with dyslexia also work with
these conditions.
3.3 Dividing Dyslexia into Categories
It is possible to divide dyslexia
into different categories, and these categories often vary in their different
methods of support.
In fact, there are many more
types of dyslexia that researchers and academics identify than most teachers
and parents even realise. Additionally, different sources of information, such
as websites, magazine articles, and other types of literature, have different
names for the different types of dyslexia. The ones in this module are the most
recognised and the most frequently discussed.
The types of dyslexia that will
be discussed in the remainder of this module are as follows:
Auditory Dyslexia
Visual Dyslexia
Phonological Dyslexia
Surface Dyslexia
Deep Dyslexia
Developmental Dyslexia
Directional Dyslexia
Maths Dyslexia
3.4 Auditory Dyslexia
Those who have auditory dyslexia
have difficulty processing the basic sounds of language.
When we form words, we combine
different sounds together. For instance, if you say 'back', you are basically
taking the 'b'-sound, the 'ahh' - sound, and the 'ka'-sound to pronounce the
word. Those with auditory dyslexia have a difficult time putting these three
sounds together. Alternatively, these people will look at a word or say a word
and reverse it.
For instance
Take the word 'spaghetti'.
Someone with auditory dyslexia is likely to say 'pasgetti'. People with
auditory dyslexia can hear fine, but the brain cannot process the information
in the same way as those without auditory dyslexia. However, the symptoms associated
with auditory dyslexia are similar to those who have hearing issues, so
typically a hearing test is done, to rule out any degree of deafness.
Here are the symptoms of auditory
dyslexia:
Difficulty hearing information
when background noise is present
Often misunderstands what other
people say
Has trouble pronouncing certain
letters and sounds, such as 'r',' l', and 'th'.
Mixes up words with
multi-syllables, such as 'pasghetti' instead of spaghetti
Weak comprehension of something
the person recently heard.Difficulty following instructions in a sequence
Interventions and methods of
Support for Auditory Dyslexia
The specific strategies for all
types of dyslexia will be discussed in a later module, but a brief overview is
shown below:
-Individual instruction can help,
especially if it is intensive
-Using multi-sensory methods or
mixing two senses, such as hearing and sight
-Working with a speech and
language therapist
-Adopting adaptations in the
classroom and at home, such as eliminating background noise
3.5 Visual Dyslexia
Visual dyslexia is a type of
dyslexia that results from either physical, visual issues or difficulty
processing visual stimuli.
These issues often result from
near or farsightedness, and any processing issues are often the result of too
much visual stress. Identifying visual dyslexia is often difficult because
children who are learning to read do not realise that they are seeing words
differently to how they are supposed to. However, there are signs that indicate
that someone might have visual dyslexia.
They include:
Squinting
Skipping lines or words when
reading
Rubbing the eyes or frequent
blinking
Preference to read in dim light
Difficulty reading from screens
and monitors
Suffering from migraines and
headaches
Poor comprehension of information Balance or coordination issues.
Symptoms of Visual Dyslexia
There are a number of symptoms
that indicate that a person may have visual dyslexia.
They include:
-Seeing blurry letters and
objects
-Inability to focus the eyes
-Movement of characters on the
page - they might flip, shake, appear to move or change shape
-Illusions of colour or light -
colours may appear around or behind the text
-Difficulties with depth
perception
-Eyes are sensitive to light
-Small or ornate fonts are
difficult to see
Interventions and Help for Visual
Dyslexia
Here are a number of common
interventions for visual dyslexia:
Glasses -In some cases, those
with visual dyslexia can be helped by wearing simple glasses or contact lenses.
Coloured lenses can also, especially if the individual has issues with regards
to seeing colours that are not there. A tint that is carefully chosen can
reduce the stress that a person might feel.
Overlays - Using tinted sheets
over reading materials can help visual dyslexics to read more easily.
Choose simple fonts - When using
simple fonts that are 12pts or larger, this can help the person with visual
dyslexia to read.
Good reading programme - A good
reading programme with personal attention can also help those with this
condition.
3.6 Phonological Dyslexia
Phonological dyslexia is the most
common type of dyslexia, and it is characterised by the person's inability to
sound out words.
This type of dyslexia is what
most people think of when they think of dyslexia as a whole. It is a
brain-based condition that is caused by problems with neurological processing.
With this condition, problems with both visual and auditory processing can
occur; it is generally hereditary, but it can also develop following a stroke.
Symptoms of Phonological Dyslexia
Those with this condition find
reading extremely difficult, as they are unable to process the basic sounds of
their language. In other words, they cannot break apart or manipulate the
sounds of different words.
Interventions and Help for
phonological Dyslexia
Interventions and help for
phonological dyslexia have been attempted since it was first named as a condition.
The main way to manage this type of dyslexia is to use the Orton-Gillingham
approach which was developed in the 1930s.
There are six elements to this
method:
Personalisation - Each individual
who has phonological dyslexia should receive personalised instruction, in order
to discover their specific needs.
Multi-sensory practice -
Individuals with phonological dyslexia should use several of their senses when
reading. These include visual, auditory and touch. For instance, a child with
dyslexia will learn how to write the letter 'A' by saying its name, hearing it
being said, and writing it in the air.
Language taught in a logical way
-The best way to teach those who have phonological dyslexia is to introduce
language in a logical way. This is done by introducing writing and reading
sounds alone, such as 'ess' and 'aw' and then blending these into words, such
as 'saw.' The different elements of language, such as vowels, consonants and
diphthongs, are then introduced in a way that makes logical sense. Only after
this is mastered will individuals learn about roots, suffixes, and prefixes.
Cognitive methods - Students
should learn about the rules and generalisations about how language is
structured.
Flexibility - Flexibility with
lessons is always important with this method, as it will ensure that students
do not simply memorise, but actually learn.
Personal relationships - It is
important that a person with this type of dyslexia has a close personal
relationship with their instructor. The instructor should give positive
reinforcement and continuous feedback.
FACT
The best documented methods for
teaching a student with phonological dyslexia are largely based on the
principles of the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading that was developed in
the 1930's by Samuel Torrey Orton and Anna Gillingham.
Source: Dyslexia-reading-well.com
3.7 Surface Dyslexia
Surface dyslexia is a unique type
of dyslexia which is characterised by issues with regards to recognising whole
words and spelling.
This is especially the case with
regards to words that have irregular spelling and sound. Those who have this
type of dyslexia might understand and even be good at phonics, which means they
can sound out words well, but they cannot spell or read words that have
irregular spellings, such as yacht or debt. Instead, someone with this type of
dyslexia has to sound out, puzzle over, and decode an irregular word, each time
they encounter them. Though most of us have to decode irregular words, and we
initially have trouble, most of us can decode the words after a few attempts.
Those with surface dyslexia cannot do this.
In almost all cases, surface
dyslexia is an acquired type of dyslexia: one that is caused by a stroke or
traumatic brain injury.
Interventions and Help for
Surface Dyslexia
Many other types of dyslexia can
be helped with interventions, such as a focus on phonics, but, as those with
surface dyslexia do not generally have an issue with sounds, this approach does
not help much.
However, the following methods
can help:
Flash cards - There have been
studies indicating that using flash cards that list sight words can lead to
great improvements in spelling and recognition. Over time, the individual can
even start to recognise words that are not on the flash cards.
Sentence completion exercises -
There are studies indicating that individuals with this type of dyslexia find a
lot of improved reading performance by filling in sentences with words from a
multiple choice list.
Repetition -There are additional
studies that have found that those with surface dyslexia can benefit by
repeating and copying homophones which are words that sound the same but have
different meanings, such as pane and pain.
3.8 Deep Dyslexia
Deep dyslexia is a rare type of
acquired dyslexia, which means that a person is not born with the condition,
but they get it at some point in their life, often due to trauma or stroke.
Those who have deep dyslexia
already know how to read but, due to the trauma, they no longer have the
capacity to read.
This type of dyslexia is
distinguished by two factors:
1.Constant semantic errors - People who have
deep dyslexia will often make semantic errors when reading. This means that
they will see a word, such as 'table', but read a similar word instead, such as
'chair'. It almost seems as if these people are making complete guesses at the
word, but, as they are so closely related, this is not the case. However, what
does occur is that these people often have too much reliance on sight words, and
they are unable to sound words out.
2.High level of difficulty reading nonsense
words - Those with deep dyslexia find reading nonsense words very difficult, or
they cannot read them at all. These are words that do not have real meaning,
but readers without deep dyslexia would be able to sound them out, such as
'zeg' or 'blick'.
Interventions and Help for Deep
Dyslexia
As deep dyslexics have difficulty
recognising whole words and sounding out words, two different types of support
are necessary. Research has indicated that treating each issue as one or using
both methods can help to improve the reading level of these individuals.
Improve the way in which words
are sounded out
One method of management for deep
dyslexia is to improve the way in which words are sounded out. To do this, one
must teach deep dyslexics the rules that we follow to sound out words and how
to spell these words. Repetition really helps when using this method.
Improved the ability full words
The second method is to help the
deep dyslexic individual to learn how to identify a whole word. Some ways in
which to do this include flash cards, repeated reading, sentence completion
exercises and copying individual words.
3.9 Developmental Dyslexia
Developmental dyslexia is generic
dyslexia, and it is hereditary, based in the brain, and those who have this
type of dyslexia have generic difficulties with reading.
This type of dyslexia is present
at birth, and it develops during the first couple of years of the individual's
life. Some symptoms appear early, as early as six months in some people,
although it usually becomes apparent when the child begins to learn to read.
People who have this condition do not grow out of it.
There are a number of ways in
which developmental dyslexia is managed, and there has been evidence that the
following methods can work well when used to improve developmental dyslexia:
Personalised - Personalised
intervention works well, as it will focus on the specific language needs of the
individual. In group intervention, an individual might not get everything that
they need.
Multi-sensory - Multi-sensory
intervention works well and, by using hearing, touch, vision, and even
awareness of motion, the instructor can ensure that they are focusing on all of
the individual's senses.
Systematic - In a systematic
intervention, the information is given to the individual in a way that is
specifically ordered, so that it takes into consideration both new material
that they have not yet learnt, as well as old material that they have already
learnt.
Incremental - By using an
incremental intervention, the individual will take small steps, beginning with
very simple, easy-to-grasp material. When they master that material, they will
move on to something a bit more difficult, mastering each step as they move
forward.
3.10 Directional Dyslexia
Directional dyslexia occurs in
people who have a high degree of difficulty with reading because, when they
read, they cannot distinguish left from right, or they continue to retrace a
reading path, reading the same thing over and over again.
Intervention and Help for
Directional Dyslexia
There are no formal methods that
are used for directional dyslexia, but there are some strategies that might
help an individual with this condition. Here are some of them:
For those who have confusion over
left and right, they should wear a watch on the left wrist to give them a point
of orientation. It might also help to visualize something that they do with the
right hand, such as use a tennis racket. The individual can also find out which
direction is left by using their hands to form an 'L' with the thumb and index
finger.
For those who have a poor sense
of direction, they may find that it helps to write down the steps they must
take to spell or write what they want to do. It may also help to study a map or
a chart, as those with dyslexia are often excellent visual learners.
3.11 Maths Dyslexia
Maths dyslexia, or dyscalculia,
is a type of learning disability whereby the person does not have issues with
letters, words, or speaking, but, instead, they have issues with numbers.
When basic number skills are not
understood early, learning more advanced maths can be extremely difficult and
frustrating. Approximately half of people with dyslexia also have dyscalculia.
Symptoms of Maths Dyslexia
There are a number of symptoms
that could indicate maths dyslexia, many of which can appear before the child
enters primary school.
These include:
The inability or the delay of the
ability to count
The inability to perform simple
maths problems
Difficulty remembering arithmetic
facts
The lack of sense when it comes
to numbers, such as understanding that six is larger than five
Difficulty using the fingers to
count
Difficulty trying to understand
place value
The inability to memorise times
tables or calculations that require more than one step
Anxiety over maths
Intervention and Support for
Maths Dyslexia
There has not been a lot of
research into the management of maths dyslexia but, from what research has been
carried out, the same methods that work well with typical dyslexia, similarly
work well with maths dyslexia.
For instance
Multi-sensory approaches,
intensive personal approaches and structured approaches have been shown to
help.
Conclusion
Though dyslexia is often lumped
into one large condition, the truth is that there are many types of dyslexia, and
each of these requires different interventions, in order to be managed. In
other words, what works in helping one person with dyslexia may not help others
with dyslexia.
More information about the exact
methods for managing dyslexia is available in a later module.
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