What is DYSLEXIA?

Dyslexia comes from the Greek language meaning 'difficulty with words'.

About four per cent of the population have severe dyslexia, while a further six per cent experience mild to moderate problems. 

Dyslexia may become apparent in early childhood, with difficulty putting together sequences (for example, coloured beads, days of week, numbers) and a family history of dyslexia or reading difficulties. Toddlers may jumble words and phrases, forget the names of common objects, have problems with rhyming or show slightly delayed speech development. They may have never crawled (even if walking early) and have problems getting dressed, putting shoes on the right feet and clapping rhythms. At school, children may lack interest in letters and words, have problems with reading and spelling, put letters and figures the wrong way round, be slow at written work and have poor concentration. These problems persist as the child grows up, with poor reading, writing and spelling skills, which can erode their self-esteem. <BBC Health Website>

What is DYSPRAXIA?

Dyspraxia can affect any or all areas of development - intellectual, emotional, physical, language, social and sensory - and may impair a person’s normal process of learning. Usually, it's said to be an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement, but associated with this may be problems of language, perception and thought. Problems arise in the process of forming ideas, motor planning and execution, since people with dyspraxia have poor understanding of the messages their senses convey and difficulty relating those messages to actions. This means physical activities are hard to learn, difficult to retain, and hesitant and awkward in performance. Dyspraxia affects each person in different ways and at different stages of development. How an individual is affected is inconsistent, too. For example, one day they may be able to perform a specific task, the next day they can't. <BBC Health Website>

What is DYSCALCULIA?

The DfE defines dyscalculia as: ‘A condition that affects the ability to acquire arithmetical skills. Dyscalculic learners may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers, and have problems learning number facts and procedures. Even if they produce a correct answer or use a correct method, they may do so mechanically and without confidence.’ Dyscalculia is like dyslexia for numbers. But unlike dyslexia, very little is known about its prevalence, causes or treatment. Current thinking suggests that it is a congenital condition, caused by the abnormal functioning of a specific area of the brain. People with dyscalculia experience great difficulty with the most basic aspects of numbers and arithmetic. Best estimates indicate that somewhere between 3% and 6% of the population are affected. These statistics refer to children who are ‘purely’ dyscalculic – i.e. they only have difficulties with maths but have good or even excellent performance in other areas of learning.  <BDA Website>

What is MEARES-IRLEN SYNDROME?

Meares – Irlen Syndrome is a form of visual stress which leads to difficulties with fine vision tasks such as reading. This eye condition was identified in 1980 by an American psychologist and although the condition is not yet fully understood, it is known to affect reading ability. The condition affects about 50% of dyslexics, as well as epileptics, migraine sufferers, people with ME and MS, and others. Like dyslexia, it is not curable but can be treated, and significant improvements can be made. For dyslexics, Meares – Irlen can often be the cause of reading difficulty.<Dyslexia Southwest Website>