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What is dyslexia: Dyslexia is defined in the Webster’s Concise Dictionary as “an impairment or loss of the ability to read”. It comes from the Greek dys meaning bad, difficult or defective and , lexis meaning speech, or lexicos pertaining to words.

Most simply put dyslexia is a difficulty with reading, spelling and writing skills in a child, adolescent or adult of normal intelligence.

In previous articles I have discussed some of the “equipment” your child needs to have in good working order for learning at school to be easeful and enjoyable.

Vision and hearing, good fuel and hydration are obvious to most of us. However, many parents and teachers do not realise the importance of good balance to the process of thinking.

As a parent your first steps are to ensure that your child’s most obvious learning equipment is in good order and functioning well. Parents should submit their children to what is effectively a learning “warrant of fitness” before they enter school.

Every parent who has ever delivered their child to school on their very first day at the tender age of 5 years will recall the myriad of emotions which flooded their parental being at that moment:

Are there more children today with Learning Difficulties?

If you ask any senior teacher they will invariably tell you that there are more children today with learning and behavioural difficulties than there were 35 years ago. In those days there would be one or two children who stood out in the classroom of 30 children. Today it is common to find up to 5-10 children in a class of 30 with some form of mild to moderate learning difficulty.

Who is Rosemary Murphy?

I am a mother, wife, teacher and educator. I began my career path at the tender age of 4 when I entered a small, private, primary school as their youngest pupil. From the first day I loved school so much that I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up!

 There have been many great advances in the area of neuro-physiological research over the past 20 years as researchers and educators have investigated the development and functioning of the brain. This research has helped therapists and teachers to understand more clearly some of the underlying causes of learning difficulties.

A ground breaking, educational research study being carried out by Rosemary Murphy, Director of The Developmental Learning Centre, Tauranga  has yielded its first results. The study’s aim was to explore the effectiveness of sound therapy on children with learning difficulties. In particular Mrs Murphy was interested in exploring the effect of sound therapy on literacy as the most significant learning category.

Dyslexia was accepted by the Ministry of Education as a legitimate learning difficulty two years ago. Since that time a process of consultation has been occurring but little of real help has emerged. There are some who believe the answer is to focus on the advantages of being dyslexic and simply accommodate the right brained learning style of the dyslexic in the classroom. However anybody in today’s society who struggles  with literacy is without a doubt, disadvantaged and every effort needs to be made to address the underlying causes of dyslexia.

Is your child’s learning equipment up and running?