Dyslexia in Spain

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Marina
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Dyslexia in Spain

Postby Marina » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:45 pm

I'm trying to gather information as to how children in both Spanish schools and International ones, cope with Dyslexia.

I'm particularly interested in schools to the east of Malaga but would welcome any information and experiences from anywhere in the region.

I would love to hear whether or not dyslexia is recognised in schools, whether they are sympathetic towards the difficulties and whether help is given.

I would be very grateful for any information, good or bad, either on the forum or by pm.

Thank you.

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lola2
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Hello

Postby lola2 » Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:50 pm

Hi Marina, I sent you a pm a while ago. How are things going? Interesting thread you have started. I will keep any eye on it.
Is Dyslexia a problem for you? If so pm me.

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Postby Marina » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:20 pm

Hi Lola, I did send you an email back. Hope you received it.

I haven't had any replies yet but with one person in ten being dyslexic there surely must be some children with dyslexia in the schools in the area!

I don't just need first hand information, anything really would be of interest.

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lola2
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Postby lola2 » Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:39 pm

In the area where I live there is no help for Dyslexic children. I used to live in Gibraltar and worked with The Dyslexia Support Group to raise awareness. The worst thing I find is that parents really think that their child is lazy, even when you can tell they are very bright. Dyslexic people are always very clever they just have to be taught differently.

If anyone has any experience of dyslexia please post about it. We need to raise awareness in Spain. The earlier it is detected the better.

Some of the following symptoms are associated with dyslexia and if several were present, then extra help would be advised.

Slow reading progress - has difficulty in putting the sounds of letters together or perhaps has problems understanding what he or she has read


Muddled pronunciation of words - for example, 'carpark' pronounced as 'parcark'


Spelling problems - will often spell words in a bizarre fashion, put letters in the wrong order, reverse letters etc


Poor handwriting - will often write letters and numbers the wrong way round, takes much longer than expected to do written work etc


Confusion of letters that are similar in shape and sound - for example, p/q b/d m/n


Poor short term memory - has difficulty in carrying out more than one instruction at a time, forgetting where they have left personal belongings etc


Confusion of small words - for example, of, for, from


Poor sequencing skills - for example, the alphabet, days of the week, tables


Co-ordination difficulties - tying shoelaces, catching a ball etc


Confusion between directions - has difficulty with left and right, up and down, clockwise and anti-clockwise etc


Poor organisational skills - often misplacing personal items, forgetting PE kit, homework etc


Poor concept of time - will often have difficulty telling the time, understanding a 24 hour clock etc


Lack of self-confidence and poor self-esteem - will often describe themselves as being "thick" or "stupid"


Poor concentration - often accused of not paying attention, particularly where reading and writing are involved etc


Dyslexia is not due to low intelligence or brain defect, in fact, many dyslexic people are naturally gifted in other areas, for example, they can often be very artistic, good at sport, problem solving etc
Is Dyslexia a problem for you? If so pm me.

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Postby Marina » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:25 pm

Lola, thanks. You are so right in that more awareness is needed!

I mentioned dyslexia to someone this morning, who was amazed that I had brought it up. Apparently he has been very worried about his seven year old son, and didn't know where to turn.

The child's teachers have just been saying "Oh he hasn't learned the language"! The poor child has been failing for the past two years and I can't help wondering how long the problem would have gone on for!

I've spoken to teachers (in international schools) who have admitted that they don't know enough about it!

I would love to know how (and if) it is identified in Spanish schools. At what point would the teachers recognise that this isn't just a problem with the Spanish language, but is something more serious? Do the teachers recognise the problem, or is it down to the parents? If it is, how do they pinpoint the problem with a young child who is struggling?

It can be very difficult for a child with dyslexia to cope when learning in their own language, goodness knows how they cope when trying to learn in a different language.

I've tried "Googling" for information on this, but I haven't been able to find what I'm looking for, so I really would be interested in hearing about anyone's experiences. Maybe it's not a problem, though I really can't believe that!

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Postby avellana » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:53 am

Lola
Thank you for posting the signs of dyslexia.
It will be useful to me as an English teacher to both Spanish speaking and English speaking children.
I'll also post it on the noticeboards in the British bars in my village.
Dyslexic children become dyslexic adults and some of the spellings that are criticised on here are possibly due to dyslexia.

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lola2
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Postby lola2 » Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:42 am

Exactly. My daughter who is now 23 years old could read really well. I never thought she had any problems as her reading was fantastic. Bearing in mind I was a very young Mum with no experience of these things. When she bought her school books home I was really shocked as they were covered in red pen. No-one ever picked up that she was dyslexic. I found out myself, became very interested and then did the IDL Training. Sometimes dyslexic people can read very well they have trouble writing the words.

One girl that I tutor memorised books that were read to her and appeared to be reading them back until her mother noticed she wasnt following the words properly. Dyslexics are very very clever at finding ways round it.

Glad to be of help.
Is Dyslexia a problem for you? If so pm me.

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Postby silver » Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:30 am

No muerdes la mano que te da de comer.

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Postby BENIDORM » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:53 pm

Marina,
I am Dyslexic, but of course it wasn't even recognised when I was at school, I was always accused of not paying attention etc.
I struggled for years , and had a lot of problems, but it made me a very determined person, and I learned ways to hide the fact that sometimes, I didn't have a clue what was going on..
I still have problems with some words and numbers, and have great difficulty with place names. I use my own version of word association, it helps me.
I was so 'fed up' at school, that I joined the Navy at age 15 , it wasn't easy but I did gain more confidence, and strangely all of my life I've been a leader, and not from personal choice..
From an early age everyone with problems came to ask my advice, I seem to look at everything differently, but somehow I usually arrive at a reasonable solution.
It's good that people like yourself are taking the time to try to bring dyslexia to every ones attention.
Even now and in this brief reply, I've spelt 5 words back to front, I have to check what ever I write, so I do apologise for any mistakes.
One of my sons is mildly dyslexic, but at least I recognised it..
Keep up the good work..

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Postby Alpujarra » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:59 pm

.
Last edited by Alpujarra on Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Postby BENIDORM » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:01 pm

No he isn't....

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Postby dido72 » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:01 pm

My husband is dyslexic too and is terrified of our children being dyslexic too, does anyone know if it is heredatory? We are always on the look out for signs and so far our daughter seems to have no problems apart from occasionally writing number 3, d and b the wrong way round (I assume this is normal, she is 5?), we will wait and see what our sons do when they learn to read and write!

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Postby BENIDORM » Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:29 pm

Dido,
From what I have been told Dyslexia isn't hereditary, however, as I mentioned , one of my sons is mildly dyslexic, but I think many people are , and are probably not aware of it.
Certainly nothing to be 'frightened' of, more help around nowadays, and I've met many 'fellow' dyslexics who have been in top jobs and high powered positions. If anything, I believe it makes you much more able to cope with life's problems..

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Postby dido72 » Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:04 pm

Thanks Benidorm, I am not as worried as Shaun about it he is only so worried because he was labelled as "stupid" from an early age and doesn't want that for our kids. I know that if it is found early enough they can still have a good education.

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lola2
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Postby lola2 » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:35 pm

It is hereditory. Classic signs of dyslexia are muddling the b's and d's. Dyslexic people are very clever people ie. Einstein was dyslexic. They just have to be taught differently which is what I do. I use a multi-sensory computer programme and the children always enjoy the lessons and do very well.
Is Dyslexia a problem for you? If so pm me.

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Postby BENIDORM » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:08 am

Lola,
I was always told my my Doctor, that dyslexia wasn't hereditary, but I suppose there are always different theories.However as I mentioned earlier, one of my sons is mildly dyslexic, but I spoke at length with my parents, and they didn't appear to have been affected,perhaps it 'jumped' a generation.
As a child I found it difficult to read fiction books, but coped with factual books, as a 10 year old I had a passionate interest in archeology, but from memory , I only read a page at a time and then thought deeply about what I'd read. I still don't read fiction, but have masses of non fiction books, but I still read them slowly.
I was wondering , have you noticed any of the above traits with any of your pupils ?

ps. Is the correct spelling hereditory or hereditary ?

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Postby Marina » Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:02 pm

Been away and just catching up. Thanks for posting your experiences.

The correct spelling is "hereditary".

The confusion over whether dyslexia is hereditary or not is because not enough is known about the way it is passed down from generation to generation. It's not strictly hereditary in that its thought not to be passed down in the genes, but it is definitely passed down somehow, particularly through the male line. It is therefore generally considered to be hereditary. I hope that makes sense. If a man is dyslexic there is a very strong chance that his sons will also be dyslexic. For some reason males are affected more than females, but is does also affect girls.

Dido, the letter reversals that you mention are normal in a young child but if they persist and given that your husband is dyslexic, I would watch carefully for other signs over the next year or so.

Many people with dyslexia are very bright and often creative people. Many are very successful in life, but its very easy for a child to lose their self esteem if they are constantly told they are stupid or thick. Even when it is explained to a child that they are having problems because they are dyslexic, not stupid, it can be difficult for them to understand emotionally, because they feel stupid. Every day there is a struggle for them to do what appears to come naturally to everyone else, so no amount of telling them will overcome that feeling of failure. This is why it is so important for dyslexics to be taught in such a way that they can achieve success.

People with dyslexia learn in a different way to people without it, so it makes sense that the teaching should be different. This is probably why Benidorm feels that he looks at things differently to other people. I've been a teacher for many years and have just trained to use the IDL programme that Lola uses, as it has been proven to work.

Benidorm, I have often found that children with dyslexia prefer factual books to fiction, though I don't quite know why.

Often when children are given extra help at school, they are just taken out of class and given more of the same sort of teaching that is failing them, but on a one to one basis. As this has already failed the child, it's not likely to suddenly make a difference because its done on a one to one basis. If anyone has a child who is being given extra help for dyslexia, it may be a good idea to ask the school what type of teaching they are receiving and whether or not it is being evaluated. If its not being evaluated, you can't be sure if its working for your child!

As Lola says it is important to use a multi sensory approach to teaching. The earlier dyslexia is identified the better chance a child has of overcoming their difficulties providing the right sort of teaching is given. Benidorm says that he uses his own version of word association which helps him. A good teacher should be able to help a child to develop a number of similar strategies which will be of help throughout their lives.

Again, thank you for sharing your experiences.

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lola2
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Postby lola2 » Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:28 pm

Excuse my spelling error I had a dyslexic moment. I am normally very good at spelling but had a mental block!!
Is Dyslexia a problem for you? If so pm me.

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Postby Marina » Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:58 pm

:lol: I call them "senior moments"!

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Postby Marina » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:20 pm

Silver, thank you for the links.

Unfortunately my Spanish isn't yet good enough to read the Spanish information but it could be useful just to have the links available for anyone who can read the info in Spanish. Some interesting English sites too.


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