Unlocking the Potential of Dyslexics

 

Children with dyslexia confuse, for
example, the letters B and D;
© panthermedia.net/Anke St ppel

With over 10 years of history in educating children with learning disabilities, parents can now turn to Manulife Centre for Children with Specific Learning Disabilities developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) for effective early intervention.

"My son Jason had a dyslexia diagnosis at 6. He always confuses a B with a D. Neither can he read English properly nor can he keep up with Chinese classes, even though this is his mother tongue," Jason's mother Sophie shared the problems her son encountered in the past years. Children having dyslexia like Jason have difficulty in learning to read, to write and to spell.

Sophie is not alone. Research revealed that as many as one tenth school-aged children in Hong Kong have learning disabilities, and dyslexia is the most common disorder found among them. Struggling parents can now turn to the Manulife Centre for Children with Specific Learning Disabilities developed by PolyU's Department of Applied Social Sciences for effective early intervention.

With over 10 years of history the Centre specialises in educating children with learning disabilities. Supported by a skilful and passionate team making up of developmental scientists, speech therapists, specialist dyslexic tutors, educational psychologists and clinical psychologists, the Centre offers reading programmes, writing programmes and counselling that make learning easier for dyslexics.

"Dyslexic children are often being considered lazy or stupid, when in fact they have a disability in processing words," said Alice Lai, the person-in-charge of the Centre. Dyslexia does not indicate a lack of intelligence or desire to learn; research studies reveal that the brain of a dyslexic person develops and functions in a different way, which makes it difficult to pronounce words, learn new words, and use words in context. However, with appropriate teaching methods, dyslexic can also learn successfully.

Treatments from the Centre focus on reading, spelling and writing. Powerful techniques such as mind-mapping and writing enable children to master written words and sentences faster. These methods are interactive and fun, which often involve the use of picture clues, such as diagrams, blocks and cubes, to help the children recognise and retain a new word. The use of hearing, sight, and even sense of touch is actually in tune with the Centre’s unique teaching styles. These great techniques will keep the children interested, inspire their creativity and stimulate their learning interest.

REHACARE.de; Source: Hong Kong Polytechnic University