In Brief
- Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia may arise in part from faulty sensory processing.
- Testing can identify specific sensory deficits: many dyslexics have trouble interpreting sounds; dyscalculics often show a diminished capacity to recognize quantity on sight, a skill called subitizing.
- Targeted training can improve sensory processing, which in turn has a positive effect on reading, spelling and arithmetic skills.
To succeed in school, children must master the “three R’s”—reading, writing and arithmetic—but not all students readily grasp these basic skills. Among English-speaking children, an estimated 2 to 15 percent have trouble reading or spelling, problems broadly classified as dyslexia. From 1 to 7 percent struggle to do math, a disability known as dyscalculia. Statistics vary; dyslexia appears to be more common, for example, among English speakers than among speakers of highly phonetic languages, such as German or Italian. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that at least one child in most elementary school classes in the U.S. suffers from dyslexia or dyscalculia.
These learning disabilities defy easy explanation. Neither is the result of faulty eyesight or hearing, both of which can also delay language acquisition but are easily corrected using glasses or hearing aids. Instead children with dyslexia and dyscalculia have working sensory organs, apparently normal sensory and motor development and, sometimes, above-average intelligence.
This article was originally published with the title A Sensory Fix for Problems in School.
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4 Comments
Add CommentWe've been using sensory organization training for 30 years with outstanding results. An hour a day, divided into three segments, each devoted to specially designed auditory, visual and motor skill building exercises increases learning skills by 50% in 36 hours. Our first pilot program in 2007-2008, resulted in students' increased STAR scores that totaled more than the scores of all other special ed classes in the entire school district (at that level) combined. www.learningisHIP.org.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe the senses and sense perception can be altered by certain elements in the environment. For example the brain learns to rely more heavily on other senses when a person goes blind. On the same note, when the brain is forced to develop new synaptic connections, it grows stronger in that area. that's why binaural technology is effective in increasing brain power.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCheck out http://www.increasebrainpower.net to learn more.
Why do dyslexia researchers presume that there is something wrong with dyslexic people, when reading and writing is not a normal human way of learning?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would say that it is the barbaric education system that has been setup which is the main problem with dyslexics learning and achieving once they have grasped the basics.
Given half a chance dyslexics seem to be able to outperform none dyslexics in certain areas and may be educationalists should look at changing the way they teach instead of trying to change dyslexics.
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