As Upcoming School Year Approaches, Experient Health Discusses Dyslexia in Latest Blog Post

(PRWEB) August 29, 2014

As people gear up for this next school year, anxiety may be cast over some students as the first day nears. However, for some students, this anxiousness may be a consequence of the brain-based learning disability, dyslexia.

That's what Experient Health, the health insurance arm of the Virginia Farm Bureau, reported this month in its blog series on health care reform, health insurance and health care issues. The blog was launched last year to keep the community informed of issues and trends that impact their lives.

For people who have dyslexia, reading simple sentences proves challenging as words blur together, letters are out of place and sentences just don’t look right.

It may occur at any intelligence level, and the challenges of dyslexia include the omission and addition of letters/words, incorrect spelling between each word, transposition of letter order and not remembering what was just read. An affected person may see a reversal of word order, confusion of the author’s meaning, and may read worse under pressure or may feel frustrated, stupid or embarrassed with their difficulty to read.

"The disability doesn’t just affect reading; it can cause difficulty with math, handwriting, listening, information processing and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well," Experient Health wrote.

Dyslexia comes in three main types, all resulting from different causes.

Trauma Dyslexia occurs when the parts of the brain that control reading and writing are injured, such as when head trauma happens. Primary Dyslexia is caused when there is a problem with the cerebral cortex (the left side of the brain) that does not fix itself as a person matures. Usually, the cause of primary dyslexia is attributed to heredity, and is found more often in boys. Developmental or Secondary Dyslexia comes as a result of hormonal development while the child is still in the womb.

"Often, dyslexia goes undetected when children are young," Experient Health wrote. "A child may become overly frustrated with the difficulty in learning to read, and may show signs of depression, low motivation and low self-esteem. Most often, dyslexia manifests itself in the form of behavioral problems at home and/or school."

Though there is no cure for dyslexia, with the help of specialists, parents and teachers, those with the disability are typically able to lead fulfilling and normal lives.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the main focus of treatment should be on the specific learning problems of affected individuals. The usual course is to modify teaching methods and the educational environment to meet the specific needs of the person. For example, students with dyslexia may want to use flashcards or tape record classroom lessons instead of taking notes.

To understand more about the causes, symptoms and treatment of dyslexia, visit the Experient Health online blog at http://experientinsurance.com/2014/08/03/understanding-dyslexia/ or visit The International Dyslexia Association website at http://www.interdys.org.

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