What Is Dyslexia? A popular question that at the end of this article you would have found out all that is there to know about dyslexia.

It was midnight and the hour to usher in 2020 was in play but at that, moment my eyes did a 360degrees and scanned the hall filled with joyous humans happy to be among the lucky people to get into the new year unscathed knowing fully well that many people did not make it, at that moment of scanning the hall I spotted my old friend In primary school precisely primary 1 even though I was just 7 years old at that time I still remembered his face amongst other things one of which I want to talk to you all about right now.

David is his name and back then he was known as the slow dumb kid in class but I always tried to make him lighten up so I sat beside him during classes because nobody wanted to be his seatmate, he was ridiculed on a daily basis thinking back now I think I was the only one that actually cared for David in my class showing any form of love or sympathy was not a popular notion among my classmate and it did not come as a surprise to me when results came in and it was revealed that David failed the promotional exams so he was made to repeat that class and that was how I lost touch and contact with David… well up till now.

At that moment right there and then a realization hit me, David was none of the insults he was ridiculed with he was suffering g from a condition that was none of his fault, a condition that people do not find common and term the sufferer’s slowpokes out of ignorance, a popular saying comes to mind at this moment “My people perish for lack of Knowlege” the condition David was suffering from is called Dyslexia.

What is Dyslexia?

It is basically a reading disability that affects the portion of the human brain that is in charge of processing languages. The victims of dyslexia cannot process spellings, reading is impaired also interpretations of words, writings speech sounds, symbols, and even letters are not easily decoded by the brain hench the popular “slow” word used to describe dyslexia victims by ignorant people.

What Causes Dyslexia?

Its is hereditary so it’s in the genes/DNA of sufferers it is passed down from generations but it manifests itself differently from person to person but there are some risk factors that can expose a child to have dyslexia gene to manifest strongly I will list them below

• Low Birth Weight Of A Baby
• Premature Birth
• Drinking alcohol whilst pregnant can affect the proper development of the infant
•  Smoking While Pregnant
• Intake of Hard Drugs while pregnant
•  The poor health state of the mother while pregnant

As you can see from the points listed above a woman must always take caution and care while pregnant and watch what she puts in her body because every action taken by a mother while is is pregnant not only affects her but also affects the fetus.

How Do I Know Someone Has Dyslexia

It can be detected as early as childhood but to be 100% diagnosis is done when the sufferer is of adult age. people suffering from dyslexia need our care and support because this condition can easily spiral into depression and suicidal thoughts for those with a condition called dyslexia.

Teachers play a major role in the early detection of dyslexia in children because it is in school where the child learns how to write and reads that symptom of dyslexia are first diagnosed below is a list of the common symptoms to watch out for.

• Confusing Similar words
• Late speech
• Sound Reversal in words
• Difficulty in word Formation
• The slow learning rate of words
• Spelling and writing problems
• Problems in  wording out answers to questions
• Difficulty in Reading
• Short memory
• Slow Comprehension/Comprehension Issues
• Wrong Pronunciation Of Words
• Difficulties in learning a new language
• Math Solving Issues
• Time Management Difficulty

How Can I manage a dyslexia sufferer?

If you notice dyslexia in your child or your peer firstly be kind to them, Yes kindness goes a long way in helping victims of dyslexia do not underestimate the effect a kind word or two can have in a person’s life. Secondly, seek professional help dyslexia experts do this early on so that the affected part of the brain can be stimulated manually.

This article is to throw light on dyslexia sufferers and their plight so when next  to  you see a peer or a child that looks slow in your eyes do not judge but rather try to show such a person care and kindness because they might be suffering from dyslexia which is no fault of theirs, the need for awareness of this condition cannot be underestimated so aLL hands must be on deck to offer assistance to dyslexia sufferers worldwide