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“The thing is on the what’s-it”

4/3/2017

or, why some people with dyslexia struggle to find the right word.

Have you ever noticed that some people mix up words when they’re talking? They may mispronounce the word, or say a word that sounds similar to the right one, or they may ummm and aaahhh as they try to remember the word they need.

This is an issue with word retrieval – having the right word on the tip of your tongue. Sometimes it’s called speed of lexical access – how quickly you can come up with the word you need.

This can be very funny to those listening, as they hear their friend talk of reading a mazagine, or riding up the estimator, but to those with the problem it can be very embarrassing.

So, what is going on? People with dyslexia usually think non-verbally. That means their thoughts don’t come as words in their mind. They usually think in pictures or images. Some get more of a sense of it.

They use this same approach when looking at words. Some words easily give a mental picture, but many don’t. It’s easier to picture ‘elephant’ than ‘was’, and many people with dyslexia find it easier to read the word ‘elephant’ than the word ‘was’!

As dyslexic people are talking they are mentally sorting through their own version of Google Images to find the word they want. They have in mind the picture of the thing they are talking about, but the word that goes with it may be missing, or come out wrong.

A mother told me about her eight-year-old daughter reading a book and coming to the word ‘jacket’, which she read as ‘warm coat’. This is likely to be because she was picturing the meaning of the word in her mind, and that was more important to her than the actual letters in the word.

As people with dyslexia are often creative and imaginative, they may group information differently in their minds. When asked to find the things that go together out of this group of pictures

they may choose boat and feather, because they can both sit on water, but a word-thinker may choose boat, coat and goat, because the words sound alike.

A teenager was repeating a story she had just heard. As she came to the words ‘station wagon’ she clasped her hands to her cheeks, said “Oh no!” and then said ‘wation stagon’. She then groaned and said “Oh. It’s happened again!”

A mother was chatting to me about her son’s school work. She remarked:

"Well, he is making process, but it's slow process."

Yes, dyslexia does tend to run in families.

Rapid Naming is a common test used to help find out if a person has dyslexia. It’s a simple test: the person has a certain time to look at rows of pictures of common things and say their names as fast as they can – horse, boat, leg, fork, box, tree etc. This is surprisingly difficult for many people. They usually start off well, but as they continue, they often slow down. They may hesitate on a certain picture, or say the wrong word altogether (for example, fork/spoon, shoe/sock). One young man hesitated for several seconds on the picture of a butterfly before eventually saying ‘flying thing’.

(Note: Rapid Naming is not a test for dyslexia – it is used as a small part of the process of finding out whether someone has a specific learning difficulty).

Another thing I’ve noticed in my work as an assessor is that many people with dyslexia have very good listening comprehension – they have no problem understanding what people are saying.
Many find it harder to put their thoughts into words, so their oral expression score may be lower. Of course, it is usually even harder to put their thoughts into writing.

Unfortunately, this can lead to people around them making wrong judgements. We hear a person speaking hesitantly, with lots of umms and aahhs, and mispronounced words and we think they are ‘a bit slow’. We hear people mixing up words and think they’re trying to be funny, so slap them on the back and roar with laughter. We see an email or piece of handwriting with even ‘simple’ words spelled wrongly and think the person must be poorly educated, or even stupid.

This problem can lead to frustration, embarrassment and humiliation for the person. They often become very quiet, as it’s easier not to speak much at all.

Some learn to roll with the punches and become the clown, as it then looks like their mistakes were intentional – they are the funny guy.

So, what can be done about problems with word retrieval?
Can this be fixed, or at least, helped?

Dyslexic people tend to think very quickly. It takes much longer to think with words than it does to think with pictures. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”!

Learning to slow down their thinking helps people to identify their mental pictures more accurately. Learning the meaning of words along with the spelling and writing of them, gives an accurate mental picture of every part of that word.

But what if people who don’t have such issues, those like me who are good spellers, who can speak and read clearly and fluently, learnt to value those who have problems with words, but are creative, imaginative, out-of-the-box thinkers and valued them just as they are? It’s no coincidence that many artists, inventors, designers, musicians, mechanics, pilots, entrepreneurs etc. are dyslexic. The world needs those with dyslexia.

1 Comment

Where do you get a diagnosis of dyslexia?

4/3/2017

11 Comments

A diagnosis of dyslexia
is just the starting point.

How do you go about getting a diagnosis of dyslexia? There is no one test for dyslexia, because the symptoms of dyslexia vary from person to person. An online test or a screening test will tell you if you have a likelihood of dyslexia, but to get a formal diagnosis of dyslexia in New Zealand you will need to see either an Educational Psychologist or a NZCER registered Level C Assessor.

How early can dyslexia be diagnosed?

It used to be thought that dyslexia could not be diagnosed in children under 8 years of age. Current thinking is that the earlier a child is tested, the sooner they can be helped. Many of the symptoms of dyslexia (slow reading, poor spelling, letter reversals) are common to young children so it can be difficult to determine if the child really does have a learning difficulty, or whether they are just taking a little longer to get a grip on reading and writing. Dyslexia often runs in families, so if a parent or relative has had a diagnosis of dyslexia, or if they had similar struggles in school, that is taken into account, too. The methods that help dyslexic children also help other children, so even if the assessor is unable to give a definite diagnosis of dyslexia they can recommend things that will help in the classroom.

The ‘dyslexic’ label.

Some parents worry that a diagnosis of dyslexia will be labelling their child. However, a child who sees others learning to read and write easily can be quick to give themselves harmful labels, such as ‘stupid’ or ‘dumb’. Being diagnosed with dyslexia is usually a tremendous relief to a person, as they realise that they are not stupid, but their brain is wired differently. Even the word diagnosis implies that something is wrong. I prefer to talk about identifying dyslexia.

Current research into dyslexia.

There has been a lot of research into dyslexia, especially over the past 15 years or so. Using fMRI scanners scientists can see just what happens in a person’s brain as they read. More and more researchers are acknowledging the positive side of dyslexia – that people with dyslexia are often creative, out-of-the-box thinkers and problem solvers. The person making a diagnosis of dyslexia should explain the person’s areas of strength and not just focus on their areas of weakness.

Advantages and disadvantages of dyslexia.

Yes, having dyslexia may mean that you find reading, spelling or writing difficult. You may take longer than others to process information. You may find it hard to remember names, phone numbers, or a long list of instructions. But when you find and work with your gift of dyslexia you can learn more easily and efficiently. People like Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Whoopi Goldberg and Albert Einstein all struggled with reading and writing at school. Many of them didn’t have a formal diagnosis of dyslexia, but the indicators were sure there. The reason that these people were all successful is not despite their dyslexia, but because of it: they used their creative thinking abilities to achieve in their chosen field. A diagnosis of dyslexia is not an excuse for lack of effort, or a reason to give up. As Thomas Edison (another famous dyslexic) said “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”

If you suspect that your child has dyslexia or some other learning difficulty, a formal evaluation can lead to a better understanding of any problems. An educational assessment will identify particular strengths and weaknesses. Contact me on 027 319 1978.

11 Comments

“The thing is on the what’s-it”

or, why some people with dyslexia struggle to find the right word.

So, what can be done about problems with word retrieval?
Can this be fixed, or at least, helped?

Where do you get a diagnosis of dyslexia?

A diagnosis of dyslexia
is just the starting point.

How early can dyslexia be diagnosed?

The ‘dyslexic’ label.

Current research into dyslexia.

Advantages and disadvantages of dyslexia.

Author

Archives

Categories

Clarity Dyslexia Solutions

“The thing is on the what’s-it”

​or, why some people with dyslexia struggle to find the right word.

​So, what can be done about problems with word retrieval? ​Can this be fixed, or at least, helped?

Where do you get a diagnosis of dyslexia?

A diagnosis of dyslexia ​ is just the starting point.

​How early can dyslexia be diagnosed?

​The ‘dyslexic’ label.

​Current research into dyslexia.

​Advantages and disadvantages of dyslexia.

Author

Archives

Categories

​Clarity Dyslexia Solutions

or, why some people with dyslexia struggle to find the right word.

So, what can be done about problems with word retrieval?
Can this be fixed, or at least, helped?

A diagnosis of dyslexia
is just the starting point.

How early can dyslexia be diagnosed?

The ‘dyslexic’ label.

Current research into dyslexia.

Advantages and disadvantages of dyslexia.

Clarity Dyslexia Solutions