Bigg Boss fame Abhinav Shukla has opened up about being ‘borderline dyslexic’. The Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 contestant took to social media and called himself ‘differently abled’.
He tweeted, “I am borderline dyslexic, it is public now! So i will divulge more…its nobody’s fault, not even mine, it is what it is! It took me 2 decades to accept this fact! Now numbers and figures don’t embarrass me! I am exceptional in spatial ability. I am differently abled!
On his Instagram account, the actor also wrote, “Yeah, numbers, alphabets, words confound me, I have difficulty remembering dates, names, relation of those dates to names et al. But I am exceptional at spatial ability. Ask me to put all your extra luggage in your car’s boot (Dicky). I will! I am good at a few things and bad at a few! And I am in a perpetual process of improving on things I am bad at!”
Following his statement, Shukla received a lot of support from fans and his loved ones. It has also intrigued everyone to know more about this condition. That said, from what it is to what symptoms to watch out for to how it can be treated, here’s everything you need to know about dyslexia.
What is dyslexia?
A neurological learning disability, dyslexia is a condition that impairs a person’s ability to identify speech sounds and affects how they relate to words and letters. Besides struggling with word recognition, a dyslexic person may have trouble writing the correct spelling and possess low decoding abilities. However, it is important to note that being dyslexic in no way affects intelligence or vision.
It is best to diagnose dyslexia at an early stage in life. With proper tutoring and specialised education, a child with dyslexia can overcome barriers and be successful.
That said, while there is no specific cure for the condition, early diagnosis and assessment can help in containing the damage it may otherwise pose to the person.
Types of dyslexia and their causes
There are 6 different types of dyslexia.
Primary Dyslexia – Primary dyslexia can be hereditary and is a genetically inherited condition. It affects a child’s ability to process sounds, letters and numbers, which then goes on to impact their writing, reading and doing math.
Secondary Dyslexia – Secondary dyslexia occurs when the baby is not even born. This is in relation to some brain development issue in the womb leading to neurological impairment, which in turn results in dyslexia.
Surface dyslexia – Not every word is spelled the way it sounds. For instance, words like ‘honest’, ‘subtle’ and ‘yacht’ are pronounced differently than how they’re spelled. That said, surface dyslexia can make it more difficult for kids to understand the gap between how the word sounds and how it is spelled.
Phonological dyslexia – People who have phonological dyslexia can face difficulty in identifying the individual sounds that make up a word.
Visual dyslexia – Visual dyslexia affects abilities such as reading and remembering what they had previously seen. That means, the brain is unable to receive the full image of what the eyes see.
Acquired dyslexia – Also known as trauma dyslexia, this condition is caused by a brain injury from a trauma or a disease. It can result in language processing and slow reading.
Symptoms to watch out for
Following are the symptoms of dyslexia in young children or toddlers.
– Delay in speech
– Inability to pick up new words
– Difficulty in sentence formation
– Facing issue in remembering nursery rhymes or simple words
Symptoms of dyslexia to watch out for in a school-going kid
– Facing problems in understanding or comprehending what’s being taught
– Poor reading ability
– Difficulty in finding the right words to form a sentence
– Inability to pronounce new words
– Finding it difficult to spell words
– Difficulty in differentiating and finding similarities in letters and words
Symptoms in young adults and adults
– Spelling issues
– Difficulty in reading
– Pronouncing words and names incorrectly
– Inability to memorize
– Inability to solve math problems
– Problems in comprehending jokes and expressions
What to do if a child is diagnosed with dyslexia?
When it comes to dyslexia, there needs to be more awareness not just in a family setting, but also in schools. All teachers must be aware of the condition and must be taught of ways to handle a child with dyslexia.
Although there is no specific cure, dyslexia can be contained with early diagnosis and proper care. Specialized tutoring can help children with dyslexia look beyond their insecurities and their minds can be taught to overcome the problems induced by their condition.
Reading aloud to your child can also help tremendously. Stay in touch with your child’s teachers and listen to all the feedback. Encourage reading to enhance their skills.
Never brush off the concerns raised by your children. If they have trouble with their reading and writing, do not take it lightly and look for signs and assist them immediately.
Remember, if you leave your child’s condition untreated, it can go on to haunt them even in their adulthood.
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