BY GINA SADD
Dyslexia is often portrayed as differences in neuropsychology which impacts the quality of reading and writing. It is part of a group of conditions called specific learning difficulties. These difficulties impact the way information is learned and processed. In many cases, those who deal with dyslexia may have difficulty with fluent word recognition and decoding phrases which can lead to a reduced learning experience. This can often demote overall learning opportunities for those with dyslexia, and lead to a shortfall of background information.
How you experience dyslexia
Some young females with dyslexia are only diagnosed when they reach adulthood, and many of their traits differ as they age. Dyslexia is a lifelong condition and many of the signs can be manifested in unpredictable ways. Given that reading and writing are often a substantial part of an adult’s life, dyslexia can impact many areas in the day to day lives of those with dyslexia. Those who suffer with dyslexia, as an adult, can often experience word recognition difficulties and may often “zone out” without realizing it. They may also have a tendency to struggle with slower reading speed and prefer to answer questions if the content is read to them out loud, instead of reading the text themselves.
People with dyslexia may often lose their concentration when reading and writing. Many times, adults with dyslexia often have deficits in their working memory. When the working memory is not fully functional, a person with dyslexia can have issues with short term recall when engaging in cognitive activities. This can become very overwhelming because they may have trouble centering their focus to complete tasks.
Dyslexia in adults can be presented in many other ways
Trouble formulating texts with increased number of spelling and punctuation errors
Difficulty learning foreign languages
Poor ability to shift focus onto several tasks
Variable degrees of reading comprehension and writing skills
Difficulty with spelling and oral reading
As tasks may be harder to accomplish, many adult women with dyslexia can experience a lowered self-esteem, and portray additional emotional and behavioral difficulties than those without this language processing difficulty. The lack of confidence can be viewed as a component of emotional problems that are correlated with dyslexia. These emotional troubles can lead to intensified feelings when undiagnosed. Moreover, females with dyslexia may experience an increased number of traits of depression and anxiety than their male counterparts. Many individuals may appear very intelligent but may not come up to the mark when it comes to work or academics.
Issues with reading are not discernible at a young age
Sometimes, issues with reading are not discernible at a young age, which is why the diagnosis may idle until adulthood. People with dyslexia often have learned strategies to cope with the challenges that they may face. Some of these compensatory strategies include subvocalization, which is typically an internal speech made during reading to help with language comprehension. This allows them to comprehend material that they may come across. Often, there are several areas in the brain that have increased neural activity, compared to those without dyslexia. These include regions of the brain that are not involved in reading, and portray the idea that dyslexia is not just one simple neural pathway, but it rather involves several different interacting processes. Hand in hand, these mechanisms work together to help compensate for their learning difficulties.
Women with dyslexia can experience difficulties in many ways. It is important to recognize the traits and find a supportive environment. Dyslexia may be frustrating, but it does not prevent individuals from achieving their goals. With compensatory techniques and strategies, coping with dyslexia can be facilitated!