The main problem in dyslexia is trouble recognizing phonemes (pronounced: FO-neems). These are the basic sounds of speech (the "b" sound in "bat" is a phoneme, for example). So it's a struggle to make the connection between the sound and the letter symbol for that sound, and to blend sounds into words.
There is a common misconception that dyslexia only affects the ability to read and write. In reality, dyslexia can affect memory, organisation, time-keeping, concentration, multi-tasking and communication.
Defined by Weakness
Namely, poor reading, writing and spelling ability despite being of average to above-average intelligence. Dyslexia has been called a 'hidden disability' because it isn't obvious except in the school setting.
Public speaking is one to the most common phobias in the world and reading aloud is public speaking! So a really good way to annoy someone who has difficulty with reading is to get them reading aloud. People with dyslexia love that sense of foreboding as they wait their turn.
The frustration that individuals with dyslexia experience often stems from their inability to succeed, no matter how hard they try. Parents and teachers see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write.
Dyslexia symptoms don't 'get worse' with age. That said, the longer children go without support, the more challenging it is for them to overcome their learning difficulties. A key reason for this is that a child's brain plasticity decreases as they mature. This impacts how quickly children adapt to change.
Nonetheless, as discussed above, being dyslexic may make an individual more sensitive and prone to anxious thoughts in certain situations. Personality traits and psychological profiles too play a key role in anxiety levels.
Dyslexia is not an emotional disorder, but the frustrating nature of this learning disability can lead to feelings of anxiety, anger, low self–esteem and depression. Read scenarios in the dyslexic child's life that can give rise to social and emotional difficulties.
Often forget conversations or important dates. Have difficulty with personal organisation, time management and prioritising tasks. Avoid certain types of work or study. Find some tasks really easy but unexpectedly challenged by others.
In stressful situations, their coping mechanisms may not work and they could struggle to keep up with their peers. People with dyslexia are also often unorganized with messy hand-writing, messy workplaces, messy bag-packs etc. They may also suffer from discrimination and bullying.
They can get easily overwhelmed
Dyslexic people tend to compare themselves to what they think of as 'normal', but being dyslexic means that you are processing the world in a fundamentally different way. Different, not wrong, and most neuro-typical people can't begin to do the things that dyslexic people find easy.
Most people associate dyslexia with letter reversal and reading difficulty. While these commonly appear in dyslexic individuals, dyslexia can affect so much more than just reading skills. Another common trait in dyslexic individuals is higher emotional intelligence.
Dyslexic people often have trouble memorizing things like word lists or vocabulary words for tests - this means they need more time than their peers do can make it difficult for someone to read and spell words correctly.
Moreover, high fatigue levels may also be contributed to by a dyslexic potentially trying to hide and mask how much work, determination and stress that has occurred during their day (BDA: Living with a Dyslexic Partner). Secondly, high fatigue and tiredness levels can be linked to the 'secondary symptoms of dyslexia'.
Dyslexia may cause people to struggle with reading and understanding tests, filling out forms, and planning. ADHD often has wider impacts on daily life, and may cause you to be late to appointments, miss deadlines, and have difficulty managing money.
Avoid background patterns or pictures and distracting surrounds. Use sufficient contrast levels between background and text. Use dark coloured text on a light (not white) background. Avoid green and red/pink, as these colours are difficult for those who have colour vision deficiencies (colour blindness).
People with dyslexia have the ability to see how things connect to form complex systems, and to identify similarities among multiple things. Such strengths are likely to be of particular significance for fields like science and mathematics, where pictures are key.
One of the more advantageous qualities in many dyslexic people is their ability to think outside of the box. They come up with excellent, unorthodox ideas that are not only fresh, but lucrative as well. Critical thinkers: Another trait that some dyslexics possess is their ability to use logical reasoning.
Depression. Depression is also a frequent complication in dyslexia. Although most dyslexics are not depressed, children with this kind of learning disability are at higher risk for intense feelings of sorrow and pain.
They think in a different way. The majority of people think mainly with their brain's left hemisphere, whereas dyslexics think predominantly with their right hemisphere. This leads to a different kind of thinking and learning style that we call conceptual thinking.
For example, dyslexic adults may find reading aloud, completing forms, organising bills/paperwork, and completing reports or other long written tasks very challenging. The stress and apprehension relating to these tasks may only last for a few minutes until the task is completed.
What does this mean for dyslexics? In summary, stress and anxiety will prevent learning. Simply thinking about or remembering the previous experiences will likely illicit the same physiological response and prevent learning.
Another condition people with dyslexia may experience is social anxiety disorder. It has several intense symptoms: The fear of being judged by others. Avoidance of social situations.