Coping with Dyslexia in the Classroom

In today’s society it is desirable to become an educated individual. People with higher education tend to be healthier and happier than those with lower educational achievement (Mikkonen and Raphael, 2010). Education is a significant component in helping people move up the socioeconomic ladder and in turn provides them with better access to other resources such as employment, income, and health services. With an ever increasing emphasis on education and literacy, more and more children and adults are needing help in learning to read, spell, express their thoughts on paper, and acquire adequate use of grammar (Hodge, 2000). For some people these tasks may seem easy but for others who may have a learning disability, more specifically dyslexia these tasks can be deemed very challenging, and are often discouraging to the individual. According to WebMD, Dyslexia is a chronic reading problem. It is a very common learning difficulty, affecting a large percentage of those labeled "learning disabled." Many people, associate dyslexia with reading from the right side of the page to the left, or seeing the letters of words all jumbled. Experts say dyslexia has little to do with recognizing the visual form of words; rather, the brains of people with dyslexia are wired differently, making it difficult for them to break the letters of written words into the distinct sounds (or phonemes) of their language, a capability called phonological awareness (WebMD, 2013). About 5% to 10% of all school children in the U.S. have learning disabilities. Dyslexia is the most common type. It leads to problems with reading and comprehension of written language. Since reading is a key element in learning, children with dyslexia can have trouble mastering basic skills and succeeding in school (WebMD, 2013).
They are also faced with the embarrassment and stigma of dyslexia. Research has shown that it is becoming increasingly likely that dyslexia is genetically based and passed from parents to

References: Bruce, D. (1983). Coping with dyslexia. Cambridge Journal of Education, 13 (3), pp. 16--22. Donnelly, K. (2000). Coping with dyslexia. New York: Rosen Pub. Group. Hodge, P. (2000). Helping dyslexic children within the classroom.. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.dyslexia.com/library/classroom.htm [Accessed: 6 Nov 2013]. Mikkonen, J. and Raphael, D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.thecanadianfacts.org/The_Canadian_Facts.pdf [Accessed: 6 Nov 2013]. Richardson, S. (1996). Coping with dyslexia in the regular classroom: Inclusion or exclusion. Annals of Dyslexia, 46 (1), pp. 37-48. doi:10.1007/BF02648170. Wadlington, E., Jacob, S., Bailey, S. and Ra (1996). Teaching students with dyslexia in the regular classroom. Childhood Education, 73 (1), pp. 2--5. Webmd.com (2013). Child Dyslexia: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatments. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/helping-children-with-dyslexia [Accessed: 5 Nov 2013].