Teens and adults

Dyslexia symptoms in teens and adults are similar to those in children. Though early intervention is beneficial for dyslexia treatment, it's never too late to seek help for dyslexia. Some common dyslexia symptoms in teens and adults include:

· Difficulty reading

· Trouble understanding jokes or idioms

· Reading aloud

· Difficulty with time management

· Difficulty summarizing a story

· Difficulty learning a foreign language

· Difficulty memorizing

Dyslexia is characterized by a delay in the age at which a child begins to read. Most children are ready to learn reading by kindergarten or first grade, but children with dyslexia often can't grasp the basics of reading by that time. When dyslexia goes undiagnosed and untreated, childhood reading difficulties continue into adulthood.

Dyslexia has been linked to certain genes that control how the brain develops. It appears to be an inherited condition — it tends to run in families. These inherited traits appear to affect parts of the brain concerned with language.

Dyslexia can lead to a number of problems, including:

Trouble learning. Because reading is a basic skill to most other school subjects, a child who has dyslexia is at a disadvantage in most classes and may have trouble keeping up with other children.

Social problems. Left untreated, dyslexia may lead to low self-esteem, behavior problems, anxiety, aggression, and withdrawal from friends, parents and teachers.

Problems as adults. The inability to read and comprehend can prevent a child from reaching his or her potential as the child grows up. This can have long-term educational, social and economic consequences.

Children who have dyslexia are at increased risk of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and vice versa. ADHD can cause difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, which can make dyslexia harder to treat.

There's no one test that can diagnose dyslexia. A doctor will consider a number of things, such as:

Answers to a number of questions. These will likely include questions about the child's development, education and medical history. The doctor may also want to know about any conditions that run in child's family, and may ask if any family members have a learning disability.

Questionnaires. The doctor may have the child, family members or teachers answer written questions. The child may be asked to take tests to identify his or her reading and language abilities.

Vision, hearing and brain (neurological) tests. These can help to determine whether another disorder may be causing or adding to the child's poor reading ability.

Psychological testing. The doctor may ask questions to better understand child’s psychological state. This can help to determine whether social problems, anxiety or depression may be limiting child’s abilities.

Testing reading and other academic skills. A child may take a set of educational tests and have the process and quality of his or her reading skills analyzed by a reading expert.

There's no known way to correct the underlying brain abnormality that causes dyslexia.

Dyslexia is not generally treated with drugs. However, if your child has another condition that occurs along with dyslexia, such attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), he or she may be prescribed medications.

Dyslexia is treated through education, and the sooner it begins, the better. Psychological testing will help teachers to develop a suitable teaching program.

Teachers may use techniques involving hearing, vision and touch to improve reading skills. Helping a child use several senses to learn — for example, by listening to a taped lesson and tracing with a finger the shape of the letters used and the words spoken — can help him or her to process the information.

A reading specialist will focus on the following:

· Learn to recognize the smallest sounds that make up words (phonemes)

· Understand that letters and strings of letters represent these sounds

· Comprehend what he or she is reading

· Read aloud

· Build a vocabulary

If a child has a severe reading disability, tutoring may need to occur more frequently, and progress may be slower. A child with severe dyslexia may never be able to read well. However, academic problems don't necessarily mean a person with dyslexia will be unable to succeed. Many people with dyslexia are creative and bright, and may be gifted in mathematics, science or the arts. Some even have successful writing careers.

III.1. Answer the questions:

1) What are symptoms of dyslexia in children and adults?

2) What problems can dyslexia lead to?

3) What tests can a doctor used to diagnose dyslexia?

4) What methods are used to improve reading skills?

5) Does dyslexia mean that a child will never be able to succeed?

2. Say whether the following statements are true or false:

1) Dyslexia can disappear as a child grows up.

2) Difficulty learning a foreign language can be one of the symptoms of dyslexia.

3) Dyslexia can lead to social problems.

4) Specialists often use medications to help children with dyslexia.

5) People with dyslexia can never be successful.

6) Children with dyslexia always have vision and hearing problems.

3. Give synonyms from the text to the following words:

- notice

- influence

- understanding

- problem

- order of things

- succesfull

- ability

- include

4. Which word in the list is odd?

1) Doctor, teacher, adult, reading specialist, psychologist.

2) Condition, attention, intervention, vocabulary, comprehend.

3) Hearing, reading, vision, touch.

4) Understand, comprehend, treat, learn, remember.