I just read an article in the WSJ on this fascinating topic called Unlocking Dyslexia in Japanese. In case you can't read it (I know it's subscription only), here's the gist:
A mom noticed that her 12-year old son, who had spent the past two years at a specialized school for kids with learning disabilities, was excelling in one class in particular at his new, mainstream school - Japanese. Even though he could barely write legible English words, his Japanese characters were sharp and distinct.
Researchers have hypothesized that Japanese and Chinese - both languages where single characters represent entire words or ideas - may be easier for kids with dyslexia to learn. Kids with dyslexia tend to think visually, and to rely on memorization to get through reading challenges - both skills that serve them well in decoding Japanese and Chinese. Now, there's no getting around the fact that English-speaking kids with dyslexia are going to need to learn to read in English. But teachers and developers of curriculum could design reading and writing programs to help develop methodologies that are more effective - working on repetition, memorization, pattern recognition, etc.
I love this story for several reasons. First, I love that his mom didn't give up on him. Yes, he was having difficulties in school, but she didn't assume that was irreversible, or somehow his fault. She kept trying different ideas, and kept believing in him. Second, the fact that a child with dyslexia may have an advantage in learning Japanese or Chinese characters is just yet another example of how we need to support a variety of brains! Our kids learn differently because their brains are literally wired differently. Let's support them, not try to change them. Third, I'm fascinated by this school that offers instruction in Japanese. Maybe instead of teaching kids French or Spanish (French being really only useful in restaurants, sorry Parisians), we should be focusing on Japanese or Mandarin Chinese.
And perhaps most importantly, this story shows just how far we have yet to go in understanding neuropsych disorders like dyslexia. We need more research dollars, we need more creative thinking, and we need to raise awareness that these kids have amazing untapped potential.
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ReplyDeleteThe Primary Cause of Dyslexia has been found go to Youtube
Put in The primary cause of dyslexia to see videos
A visual orientation preference, is easy to confirm
Look at the eye movement of your child
The fact that a normal child cannot read or spell fluently
Shows they have a right to left orientation preference
The Greeks solved this problem 3000 years ago in 900BC.