October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
30 August 2021
Help spread
the word
The Australian Dyslexia Association (ADA) conservatively
estimates that dyslexia affects 10 per cent of our population. In other English-speaking
countries, the numbers are closer to 20 per cent.
Albert Einstein, Walt Disney and Leonardo da Vinci are some
of the many famous people diagnosed with dyslexia. Others include Jamie Oliver,
Richard Branson, Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg.
Dyslexia diagnosis
Dyslexia is described as a persistent challenge with
acquiring and using written language and is often found to be hereditary.
It is most commonly diagnosed in school-age children and early
childhood educators and primary school teachers are vital in providing early
learning pathways for children.
ADA
says that children with dyslexia learn in different ways. Many
children living with dyslexia have been shown to have talented and productive
minds.
Take action
During international Dyslexia Awareness Month, schools are
encouraged to spread the word about ways to support people living with
dyslexia, by sharing their stories and planning activities that support their
learning.
Talking about dyslexia helps. Have you helped someone living
with dyslexia? What did you do that made a difference? Can you recount their
achievements and successes for others?
Your students might like to imagine living with dyslexia and
writing, drawing or creating a film about people living with dyslexia.
Watch this
series of three films for inspiration.
Talk about dyslexia in your classroom. Did you know?
- 50 per cent of people with dyslexia are left-handed, compared to 11 per cent of the rest of the population
- Studies have shown that people with dyslexia excel in areas such as creative thinking
- Scientists have found that the dyslexic brain is typically larger than non-dyslexic brains.
Source: Dyslexia Awareness
Week
Long-term support
ADA offers a professional AMADA (ADA Associate Membership)
accreditation for teachers who complete 12-month minimum extensive training
course in Multisensory Structured Language Education.
The association also offers an ADA school award – a certificate
allocated to schools that are working towards MSL accreditation or who have
AMADA on staff. To find out more about
memberships and accreditation click here
Find out more about dyslexia in the classroom and
pre-service teacher training here
For more resources go to:
dyslexiaassociation.org.au and dyslexiaida.org
