Dyslexia vs Visual Perception

How does the child present in the classroom/at home:

1.Dyslexia

• Reverses letters/numbers
• Skips words/lines when reading
• Performs poorly in spellings tests
• Has anxiety when reading
• Guesses words when reading
• Reading and/or spelling below age level
• Knows the work when mom asked them at home but
• performs poorly in the exams
• Adds extra letters to words/omits letters
• Poor comprehension
• Poor sequential memory
• Day-dreamer
• Struggles to copy work from the blackboard

2.Visual perception

• Reverses letters/numbers
• Struggles to find a specific word in a paragraph
• Skips words/lines when reading
• Has anxiety when reading
• Guesses words when reading
• Poor sequential memory
• Day-dreamer
• Struggles to copy work from the blackboard
• Struggles with comprehension
• Will steal words/letters from other words
• Struggles with spelling
• Omit/add/transpose letters in words
• Confuses p/d/b

As you can see a lot of the symptoms overlap and look the same for Dyslexia and impairment in Visual Perceptual SkillsC

Definition of Dyslexia

Neurological-functional problem manifesting as a deficit in word decoding (reading), encoding (spelling) and nemkinesia (writing) due to a minimal brain dysfunction and/or differential brain function

Types of dyslexia

• Dysnemkinesia

Deficit in the ability to develop motor gestalts (engrams) for written symbols, e.g., letters, and write them without reversals

• Dysphonesia

Deficit in visual-symbol and sound (grapheme-phoneme) integrations, and the inability to develop phonetic word analysis-synthesis skills

• Dyseidesia

Deficit in the ability to perceive whole words (total configuration) as visual gestalts and match them with auditory gestalts

• Dysphoneidesia

Deficit in grapheme-phoneme integration and in the ability to perceive whole words as visual gestalts and match them with auditory gestalts (Mixed dysphonetic and dyeidetic coding patterns)

• Dysnemkinphonesia

Deficit in the ability to develop motor gestalts for written symbols and in grapheme-phoneme integration (Mixed dynmekinetic and dyphonetic coding patterns)

• Dysnemkineidesia

Deficit in the abililty to develop motor gestalts for written symbols and the ability to perceive whole words as visual gestalts and match them with auditory gestalts (Mixed dynemkinetic and dyseidetic coding patterns)

• Dysnemkinphoneidesia

Deficit in the ability to develop motor gestalts for written symbols, grapheme-phoneme integration, and tin perceiving whole words as visual gestalt and matching them with auditory gestalts (Mixed dysnemkinetic, dyphonetic and dyseidetic coding patterns)

Definition of Visual perception

The ability of the brain to interpret and add meaning to what the eyes see

*Discrimination

To recognize the differences and similarities between objects, numbers, letters and pictures

*Memory

To recognize previously seen objects, numbers, letters and pictures

*Foreground-background

Recognize important/relevant objects, numbers, letters and pictures and to disregard irrelevant/unimportant objects, numbers, letters and pictures within a complex background

*Form Constancy

Recognize o/n/l/p when it’s presented in a different format/context thus mentally visualizing the manipulated objects, numbers, letters and pictures

*Sequential Memory

Remember a series of
objects, numbers, letters and pictures – very important for spelling

*Spatial Relations/Position in Space

Recognize the position of objects, numbers, letters and pictures in relation to itself/environment/another objects, numbers, letters and pictures

*Analysis and Synthesis (closure)

Ability to take parts of objects, numbers, letters and pictures and make a whole objects, numbers, letters and pictures or knowing what an object is by only seeing part of it

Signs and Symptoms

The same as ‘How does the child present in the classroom/at home

Treatment

1.Dyslexia

*Dyslexia Screening /Determination Test – Look on the Rooi Appel website for specialists in your area

*Dyslexia an only be diagnose from Gr. 3 term 3

*If Dyslexia is diagnosed always refer for an in-depth vision and eye muscle functioning evaluation

*Play therapy for emotional support

#Dysnemkinesia must see an OT to treat Laterality/directionality impairment

#Dysphonesia must see an Speech Therapist and Remedial Teacher

#Dyseidesia must see an Occupational Therapist to treat Visual Perceptual Skills and a Remedial TeacherOT (Visual perceptual skills)  and RT

#Dysphoneidesia must see a Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist and Remedial TeacherST, OT (Visual perceptual skills) and RT

#Dysnemkinphonesia should see an Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist and Remedial Teacher

#Dysnemkineidesia must see an Occupational Therapist and Remedial Teacher

#Dysnemkinphoneidesia must see an Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist and Remedial Teacher

2.Visual perception

• Occupational Therapy
• Optometrist
• Remedial teacher if necessary