The Health | november, 2019
26
JUNIOR
Reading
between
the lines
One in five children suffers
from dyslexia and other forms
of learning difficulties. How
can this problem be corrected?
Can it be cured?
BY SYED ZAID
L
earning difficulties are one of the
hidden handicaps the public should
be wary of. Dyslexia, is a form of
neurological deficiency that involve
difficulties in reading, writing, spell-
ing and counting.
This is due to problems identifying speech
sounds and the decoding of word and letters
association as the difficulties affect the areas
of the brain that process language.
Says the coordinator of Brilliant Dyslexia
Shah Alam, Teacher Tijah Bol: “Children with
learning difficulties are assets to the country.
It is proven that children with learning dif-
ficulties are of average and high intelligent
individuals once their hidden abilities are
guided and flourished.”
A day in Brilliant Dyslexia
Shah Alam
To understand more about learning with
difficulties, I went to the Brilliant Dyslexia
School in Shah Alam. The day started with a
physical activity to help kick start the brain.
I saw a group of my “classmates”, dribbling a
basketball around an arranged set of cones
with a hula hoop. The exercise is designed to
train their coordination and understanding.
Once everyone had their turn, the class
proceeded into a classroom. In there, there
was an alphabetical chart hanging on the
back of the door. As the class monitor, Amir
changed the date on the whiteboard, class was
in session. I was seated next to Adam where
he began his exercise of determining a three-
letter word.
“We teach three main subjects here,” said
Tijah. “The subjects are English, Bahasa
Malaysia and Mathematics. We’re not like
the normal schools. With the different levels
they are at right now, it’s impossible to teach
the whole classroom and expect everyone
to understand. The lessons here are tailored
individually,” she continued.
She told me the story of Amir, who had
problems focusing in school.
“During examinations, he would be sing-
ing or hiding under the table. It turns out
that Amir has Attention Deficit Hyperactive
Disorder (ADHD). That is why he was slower
than his classmates.
“Dyslexia is usually caused by other learn-
ing disabilities so it’s not a surprise when a
dyslexic student is autistic or diagnosed with
ADHD,” Tijah explained while checking Amir’s
homework.
The Fitzroy method
from Australia
The alphabet is a sound code. The Fitzroy
method focuses on learning the sound that
the letter makes – phonic alphabet. They
system is effective for dyslexia patients as
the system teaches the sound that the letter
Teacher Tijah showing Amin’s work book
that was done upside down.
Children with learning
difficulties are assets to
the country. It is proven
that children with
learning difficulties are
of average and high
intelligent individuals
once their hidden
abilities are guided and
flourished.”
Dyslexic children have difficulties in identifying letters and words.
Adam doing his early morning exercise.
makes, giving them audio cues to assist them
in decoding the string of letters. It is proven
that the method can help the children learn
many words very quickly.
The Readers methodically build up the
skills and knowledge if written English in
carefully graded steps. Each step is made to
help the children remember a whole new set
of words. The Fitzroy Readers and Word Skills
is a set of story books and written activities
with phonic hints to help the children learn
step by step.
Affected developments
Emotional, social, cognition, physical and
communication development are often
affected by dyslexia.
“These children are unable to understand
social cues, emotional empathy and appropri-
ate reaction. Because of this, Dyslexic children
are often low in self-confidence and motiva-
tion or will seek recognition by becoming the
class clown. However, these children are able
to learn by visuals granting them good artistic
talents,” Tijah explained to me.
While taking care of children with learning
difficulties can be overwhelming, it is a job
worth doing according to Tijah.
“Children with learning difficulties are not
stupid. In fact, most of them have average or
high intelligence level.
“Study shows the disorder is more preva-
lent in boys compared to girls. The saying
‘boys will be boys’ and ‘girls mature faster
than boys’ should be obsolete.”— The Health
(The names used in this article are not real
names for privacy reasons)