The Essentials On Adult Dyslexia

Dyslexia can be a very problematic condition that particularly affects 
a person's daily living activities. However, it is not one of those well 
known conditions like cancer, AIDS, and the likes. To understand how 
dyslexia affects people, specifically adults, you must first understand 
what dyslexia is, its causes, severity, and prevalence. 

What Is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is basically a condition that presents a person's difficulty 
in processing information that is usually related to short-term memory 
deficiency and visual coordination. If you have this condition, your 
short-term memory would be particularly weak. It can be either your 
auditory or visual memory that is affected or both. Due to this, being a 
dyslexic person, it would be difficult for you to learn the connection 
between the spoken sound and the written symbol.

It is mainly categorized to be as a learning disability, since it 
mainly affects the vital areas in which learning is related to. Since 
auditory and visual skills are needed in learning, dyslexia can make one 
disabled in this field.
 
How Severe Can One Be?

The severity and range of the condition can vary widely for dyslexic 
people. The main problem areas of difficulty would be reading, spelling, 
numeration, writing, time-keeping and personal organization. The degree 
of the effect on an individual can be observed from mild spelling and 
reading difficulties to severe problems on organization or even complete 
illiteracy. There are no typical cases for dyslexia, since each case can 
be unique from one another.

Diagnosis

Some people do not even know that they are dyslexic; while there are a 
huge number of people, who are only diagnosed when they have reached 
adulthood already. This may be due to the unpopularity of the condition. 
Sometimes, it can be misdiagnosed too to be as a different condition 
that may present similar symptoms. 

What Are The Causes?
 
There is no pinpointed cause of dyslexia, even though much research has 
been conducted to be able to explain its main cause. However, there are 
some researches that have gathered some relevant findings on the 
condition. Some neurological research suggests that a person who has 
this condition may have some abnormality on how his or her brain's left 
hemisphere functions. This is relevant since the left hemisphere is the 
one that controls your lexical system. 

Cognitive research, however, in the past years has mainly focused on 
the possibility that the cause is related to having problems with 
phonological awareness, which is one's awareness of specific speech 
sounds in words. Additionally, there is a speculation that such problems 
are somewhat related to a specific portion of the brain.

Whatever the cause may be, there appears little doubt that a lot of 
people having literacy problems really do experience sound insensitivity 
in different ways. Due to this deficit, reading problems often occurs. 
What is also obvious is that even though the cause of the problems can 
be multi-causal and can be different from one person to another, they 
can still be the main source of intense frustration and depression for 
any dyslexic person.

Incidence And Prevalence

The estimated incidences of dyslexia can vary greatly every year. It is 
estimated that it occurs from about to 4-10% of the population. It is 
also believed that prevalence in males is four times greater than with 
females.

General Effects In Adulthood

Dyslexia is a condition that is quite hard to recognize. It is also one 
condition that most people who have it try to hide. Simple tasks like 
filling in forms, taking phone messages, or even completing timesheets 
can already be major problems when you have this condition.
How An Assessment For Dyslexia Changes Your Life

Having dyslexia can have a great effect on your life. It can also 
affect how people treat you and how they see you. If you and other 
people are not aware that you have dyslexia, then be ready for a big 
emotional crisis with your life. This is one reason why getting an 
assessment for dyslexia, no matter how old you already are, is 
important.

If you get a formal assessment for the problem, and results show that 
you are positive for having one, then expect a lot of lifestyle changes 
to happen with your life. How your outlook on yourself can change along 
with the outlook of other people around you. That is just one general 
point of how an assessment can change your life, and there is more to 
that.
 
Things Can Now Be Fair

Getting an assessment can make things fair now in your life. For 
example, examiners or your professors may give you a very low grade, due 
to your poor performance. But now, once you get an assessment, they can 
reconsider the marks that they give you and make it somewhat relative to 
your condition or diagnosed ability. 

With dyslexia, what you learn from a course can seem to be less than 
what normal people do. However, it may only appear less when you are 
asked to write about it. There are times that you know the lesson and 
understand it but simply can't put it into writing. If this is the case, 
your examiner will be able to rate you fairly and won't think that you 
are simply not studying for the subject.

A Different Judgment

If you get a formal assessment, the judgment of other people regarding 
how you are fit to do a job or not can change. People such as potential 
employers or admission tutors are some of the people that need to know 
if you are a dyslexic or not. Since dyslexia can affect a number of 
functional areas in your life, performing a certain position or a job 
should be well though of and deliberated on. 

Getting into a program, course or job that requires a lot of writing 
skills can be a problem, especially if this is your major problem area. 
However, your assessment does not only show your weaknesses, but also 
your strengths. If your particular strength is pointed out in your 
assessment, and potential employers see this, their decision can change 
too.

Support And Grants

Getting financial support and grants are another advantage of getting a 
formal assessment. There are some organizations, universities or 
employers that provide additional support to cover for your additional 
training, guidance or therapy. They can also pay for some learning 
equipments that you may need such as computers and digital or tape 
recorders.

Receiving support for this kind of things can be very helpful in a lot 
of ways, most especially if you are financially challenged. A lot of 
organizations, companies and institutions are now opening their doors to 
the disabled population, and this includes the dyslexic population. So 
there is no reason anymore for you to be afraid of being diagnosed of 
having the condition.

Extra Time

Getting a formal assessment can also reveal that you may need extra 
time for taking examinations. In cases of examinations, the extra time 
given would depend on your assessed skill. Of course, you should not use 
your being dyslexic as an excuse for personal advantages, or for 
malingering.

General Instructions For Adults With Dyslexia

As an adult, after you undergo a formal dyslexia assessment, your 
psychologist would give you some general instructions on how you can 
deal with problems that dyslexia can bring about. This is done since as 
an adult, you are expected to understand and know already how dyslexia 
affects your life whether emotionally, socially, financially and the 
likes.

Being an adult you are also expected to be able to deal with these 
problems, provided that you are given correct instructions and advice. 
So here are some of the general instructions that a psychologist may 
give you after your formal assessment yields a positive result for the 
condition.

Acceptance And Information

When you are diagnosed to have dyslexia, the very first thing you can 
do to help yourself is to accept your condition. Denial can not do you 
any good. That's why this may be the first thing that your psychologist 
would want to deal with, especially if they see that you have a very low 
self motivation regarding your problem.

Another general concern would be the people around you. Of course 
people that you meet and mingle with everyday has a big part in your 
life. This is especially true if you are working or studying. Letting 
them know and understand about your condition is the second best thing 
that you can do to help yourself.

By simply informing them and making them understand your condition, 
other people can make compensations and considerations for you. They can 
understand you better and stop thinking misleading thoughts about you. 

The support of your family and friends is also important for your 
progress if ever you need to undergo special training. That's why your 
psychologist may instruct you to tell them about your condition; so that 
they can provide the support and assistance that you may need during 
your training.

Special Considerations

Your psychologist would also likely discuss with you about special 
considerations. He or she may make a recommendation to your professors 
or any authority that you be allowed to have extra time, or other 
special arrangements, when taking any kind of examination or test. This 
is to ensure that your specific difficulties due to dyslexia would not 
improperly affect your performance during examinations.

Other Types Of Support

Another general instruction that can be given to you would be about the 
other types of support that you may need other than your family and 
friends. This support can be obtained by having a computer, which can 
greatly help you achieve tasks that you may have difficulty completing 
due to your condition. 

Your psychologist would likely tell you about how and where you can get 
computers that has this kind of function. They may also recommend you to 
seek help from certain organizations that can provide such kind of 
gadgets.

Special Courses

You would also be briefed about your options regarding special courses 
that you can have. There are short courses that are specially planned to 
improve your performance in specific areas that you may be having 
difficulties with. 

The courses usually include areas like reading, spelling, study-skills, 
report-writing, revision making, exam techniques, general organization 
and time-management. These areas are the common areas in which dyslexic 
people are having difficulties with.

Individualized Learning Program

You also have the option to have an individualized learning program. 
Your psychologist would tell you about how this kind of program works 
and the benefits it can give you.

Reasons You Should Get An Assessment For Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a condition that you should not be afraid of. Additionally, 
it is something that you should not be ashamed of. In fact, a lot of 
dyslexic people are very much successful. Some of these people are Da 
Vinci, Einstein, Susan Hampshire and Jackie Stewart. They are just a few 
of the many dyslexics that are very successful in what they are 
specializing in.

These people are proof that as a person that is suspected to have 
dyslexia, you should not be afraid at all. Even though dyslexia is 
considered to be a learning difficulty, a lot of geniuses have risen 
from the condition. In fact, people with this problem tend to have a 
different kind of thinking and way of solving things, which most of the 
time appears to be their advantage to normal people. 

Most of the time, dyslexic people appear to be very gifted in visually-
based skills like sculpture, art, architecture, design, and engineering. 
They are also usually original, creative, and lateral thinkers. Being 
one, you can devise your own original, often extremely successful, if 
quite unusual, ways to problem-solving. Because most dyslexic people 
have to try hard in able to succeed, a lot of them usually develop 
qualities like determination and extreme attention to detail, to a 
notable degree.

Why Get An Assessment

Getting a formal assessment can be very helpful to you, especially if 
you are already in college or working. In this way you can know what the 
real reason is for all the difficulties that you are experiencing. Other 
than that, there are other advantages that assessment can bring about. 
Here are some of them.

The Need For Additional Guidance

Getting a formal assessment for this condition can reveal if you are in 
need of additional guidance or not. It can show whether you have to take 
some extra training or get some instructions from a professional. 
Sometimes, people with dyslexia have to undergo language therapy with a 
speech and language pathologist, to cope up with the skills that he or 
she is having difficulties with.

In fact, there are some difficulties that one can overcome as a 
dyslexic, provided that you undergo the right training for it. Thus, you 
can still get some improvement, if only you would allow for it to 
happen.

Clarification

Dyslexia is a somewhat misleading condition. People who are not aware 
of it may think that they are simply being stupid or careless. That is 
why; you should get an assessment, so that you can get some 
clarification on the real reason why you have these difficulties. 
Getting to understand what dyslexia and its nature can be your very 
first step on battling with it.

Also, with this clarification, you can actively participate on 
developing appropriate strategies for your problem. You should 
understand that your condition can not change if you are not willing to 
act on it.

A Change Of Perspective

As said earlier, dyslexic people are usually thought of to be stupid. 
If you are a dyslexic, that maybe already be your outlook to your self. 
That is why getting an assessment can change your perspective on 
whatever difficulties that may come your way. You can also identify your 
areas of strength. In this way, your outlook on your problem can 
entirely change, since it would not be all negative, now that you know 
your strengths.

Dyslexia: Symptoms To Watch Out For

Sometimes, a person with dyslexia can reach adulthood without even 
knowing he or she has the condition. To avoid this from happening, there 
are some symptoms of the condition that you can watch out for to know 
whether or not that you should seek the help and opinion of a 
professional to know whether you have the condition or not. 

Dyslexia can manifest itself in a lot of different ways. Some of the 
symptoms are common while some can be very rare. All the presented 
symptoms of the condition, however, are most likely not present all at 
the same time for one person.
 
Difference In Achievements

A person with this condition can have an obvious discrepancy between 
his or her academic skills or achievement, and his or her real-life 
performance in verbal and practical problem-solving skills. This means, 
a dyslexic person can sometimes be very bad when it comes to academic 
concerns, while he or she can perform well when you are simply dealing 
with normal daily problem-solving.

One example would be a person who has a failing grade with basic math, 
but can do well when asked to get a number of objects. Another would be 
someone who has difficulty in reading class but seems normal when you 
talk with them.

Comprehension Problems

Another symptom would be comprehension problems. If it is taking you 
ages just to read a short book and has severe difficulty in 
understanding it then most probably, dyslexia is the culprit. For a 
example, a simple children's fairytale book with illustrations like The 
Ugly Duckling, which has only about ten pages, already takes you 45 
minutes to read and seems that you can't understand what you are reading 
while doing so. 

Reading And Spelling Problems

Comprehending what you are reading may not be the only problem that you 
have. You may also have a problem with reading itself. You can miss off 
the endings of some words while reading it or when you are spelling it. 
This is another one of the most common symptoms that dyslexia can 
present.

For example, you are reading and spelling the word "baby". When 
reading, what may register to your mind is only "bab", thus when you 
spell it, "bab" is the come out.

Poor Writing Skills

With dyslexia, your writing skills can be very poor too. You tend to 
have very bad hand writing and the overall presentation of your written 
work can be very bad. Not only will you have poor spelling, but you can 
also have some misusage of punctuation marks or even no use at all. 

Writing Blocks

Writing blocks happen when most writers suddenly have a loss of ideas 
of what to write. However, in dyslexic people writing blocks can occur 
every time he or she attempts to write something, even if what he or she 
is about to write is only something as simple as his or her name. Not 
being able to concentrate and think of what you are about to write, is 
yet another general symptom of this condition.

These are just some of the general symptoms of dyslexia that you should 
watch out for. So, if you think that you have a manifestation of these 
symptoms in a very extreme level, then it is advised that you consult a 
professional now.

Adult Dyslexia: Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program

Another program to treat adult dyslexia is the Lindamood Phoneme 
Sequencing Program (LIPS). This program generally uses phoneme awareness 
as its method to learn how to read efficiently.

The Program's Premise

This method believes in the premise that the primary cause of problems 
related to decoding and spelling is the individual's complexity in 
judging the identity, sound sequence and number that is found within 
words. This inability is then termed to be "weak phoneme awareness". 

A dyslexic person is basically thought of to have a weakness in his or 
her phonological processing. This weakness is the said cause on why both 
children and adults tend to add, substitute, omit, and reverse the 
sounds and the letters within the words that they read. 

People with dyslexia cannot precisely get the words they are reading 
off the page, simply because even though they can correctly see the 
letters, they are unable to judge whether what they see would match what 
they are about to say. Because of this poor judgment, they are prevented 
from correcting and detecting their errors in spelling, reading and 
speech. Additionally, this can be the cause of difficulty when a person 
tries to learn a second language.

What It Does

The program aims to successfully develop a person with dyslexia's 
phoneme awareness. Here you are able to apply the so-called awareness to 
your reading, spelling, writing, and speech both remedially and 
preventively. 

If you train in this kind of program, you are aided to find out the 
different mouth actions that can produce real speech sounds. By the use 
of this kind of sensory information, you can verify sounds and know 
their order within words. Once you know this kind of skill, you are then 
enabled to correct yourself when reading, writing, spelling, and 
speaking.  

Program Intensity

Generally, people under this program tend to gain several grade levels 
on their decoding ability within four to six weeks of having intensive 
training and treatment. If you are to undergo an intensive program, then 
you are required to undergo therapy for four hours in a day. 

However, if you still have the choice on how intense you want your 
program to be. If you want it light, then they can adjust it so.

Findings have also shown that additional gains in speech and language 
skills have also occurred by the means of this sensory-cognitive method. 
This was observed even after the individuals have already reached a 
plateau through the traditional approach of speech therapy.

Where You Can Find It

You can undergo this kind of program by going to a Lindamood-Bell 
Learning Processes Center. You can find one in over fifteen states in 
the United States and United Kingdom. The public can have access to 
materials that are included in the program such as a manual with a 
detailed presentation of the steps that you have to take in the program. 
Some outlines and sample dialogues are also included.

You would also need some of their support products. Some of these are 
their classroom kit, program clinical kit, training videos, a practice 
CD, and a testing kit. These products are included already when you 
apply for their program.

Other Conditions For The Program

The program also caters to other conditions related to dyslexia, such 
as hyperlexia. This is a condition where you may have specific problems 
in comprehending the data that you just read, even though you can read 
it accurately.

Misleading Symptoms Of Dyslexia

Dyslexia can also have some misleading symptoms that when manifested 
seems to be not a condition at all. Sometimes, this kind of symptoms 
seems like just incidences of carelessness. However, if they happen too 
often, it is something that you shouldn't overlook. So here are some of 
the misleading symptoms that dyslexia has. 

Reluctance In Writing

When a person is reluctant in writing things down, this can sometimes 
be thought of as simple laziness. However, unknown to many, a simple 
trait like this can already be one manifestation of dyslexia. Some 
people, who know that they are dyslexic, try hard to cover up their 
condition. That is why they may seem to appear as if they are just too 
lazy to write. Yet, the real reason behind this is that they are having 
writing difficulties, due to dyslexia. In cases when a person is not yet 
diagnosed to have the condition, this symptom can purely appear as a 
lack of enthusiasm with writing. 

Telephone Message Problems

When a person gets confused with telephone messages, it can appear as 
simple carelessness or inattentiveness. But if this kind of confusion 
carries on, then it is already something serious, such as dyslexia. This 
symptom can be a really big problem, especially if your job somewhat 
entails you to answer the phone and take messages, like secretaries or 
receptionists.

Note-taking Difficulties

Note-taking can be a tedious chore to do when you have dyslexia. This 
can be most especially true if you are studying or have a job that 
requires this skill, like waiters. The thing is, sometimes difficulty in 
this skill is thought of to be being plain stupidity or clumsiness, by 
most people. That is why it can be another misleading symptom, unless 
accompanied by more obvious symptoms of the condition. 

Comprehending Other People

Another misleading symptom would be difficulty in following and 
comprehending what other people are saying to you. Most of the time, 
other people would simply accuse you of not attentively listening to 
them. What they don't understand is that you have dyslexia, which is the 
cause of your difficulty in following what they say. Additionally, it is 
even more difficult if the speaker is talking too fast in a very noisy 
environment or setting.

Sequencing Difficulties

Problems in sequencing can also be experienced when you have this 
condition. Even simple problems such as sequencing the days of the week 
can already be difficult for a person with dyslexia. Other people who 
are not aware of the existence of this condition can sometimes label a 
dyslexic person to be an idiot or stupid, since such skill is expected 
to be mastered already, especially if you're an adult.

Figure Or Letter Reversal

If you have dyslexia, writing can be a problem for you. You can 
sometimes reverse how you write the individual letters or figures. You 
can also reverse the sequence of how they are supposed to be positioned 
in a word or in a number.

Time-management

Some dyslexic people can find it difficult to manage their time. 
However, deficiency in this skill can mislead someone to think that it 
is pure disorderliness, or simple personality differences.

These are some of the misleading symptoms of dyslexia. So, if you think 
you have these symptoms and some of the other more obvious signs of 
dyslexia, then be wary and try to get a consultation already.
Adult Dyslexia Late Diagnosis: Is There Still Hope?

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects people of all ages. Just 
as with other disabilities, early detection of the condition and early 
intervention are beneficial to the person with the disability. However, 
this is not always the case with dyslexia.

An Overlooked Beginning 

Most of the time, the beginnings of dyslexia is overlooked, which is 
the reason why a lot of cases are only diagnosed during adulthood. To 
think of it, in present culture when a child has not yet learned to 
fluently read by the age of ten or eleven years, he or she would be 
often thought of to be lacking in motivation or intelligence. 

Most people would think that they are stupid or lazy. However, in most 
cases, they are neither of the two. Most likely, they have dyslexia, 
which is a learning disability that causes their difficulty in 
understanding written language, even though they have normal or even 
higher-than-normal IQ. 

Faulty Wiring And Early Detection

The most recent studies show that the difficulties in reading that 
dyslexic people experience are due to "faulty wiring" in specific brain 
areas that have a relation to learning and language. Research also shows 
that identifiable genetic variations or defects are the partial cause of 
this faulty wiring. 

Early screening and detection for such variations makes it possible for 
you to have appropriate and timely remedial training. Most experts 
suggest that children should be allowed to deal with their condition to 
overcome it and at least learn how to read at an acceptable level. 
However, since dyslexia is sometimes only diagnosed during adulthood, 
the benefits of early detection are not maximized.

Late Detection

Although there are people who only become dyslexic during their 
adulthood, due to stroke and traumatic brain injury, in most cases the 
condition is a developmental disorder. According to experts, still, the 
majority of cases reported of people with dyslexia are adults who have 
had it ever since childhood but only knew they had it when they were 
already adults. 

This late detection of the condition is something most adult dyslexics 
are troubled with since early intervention is not a choice anymore. 
However, if you are one of those who had late detection, there is no 
reason to be troubled. Intervention no matter how early or late is still 
intervention, even though they may have varying effects.

The Issue On Brain Plasticity

Late detection becomes an issue due to the premise of brain plasticity. 
Research shows that younger people or even animals have a more elastic 
brain than older counterparts. The relevance of brain plasticity is that 
it is one important factor in relation to  intervention.

Since the brain is more elastic when you are younger; rewiring of the 
brain is then possible, since it hasn't reached its mature state and 
continues to develop. Thus, if ever a learning disability like dyslexia 
is present, then your brain can still be developed to function at a more 
acceptable level, where the condition has minimal effect.

A lot of adults recently diagnosed with the condition fear that 
intervention would do them no good, simply because their brain is not as 
elastic anymore as children's. However, recent studies show that the 
brain's property of elasticity is still present even with adults.

This recent finding on plasticity in the adult brain is a breakthrough 
for adult dyslexics. So if you are an adult that had late diagnosis, 
then be happy! There is still hope for your condition to improve, even 
if only to an acceptable level. 

Adult Dyslexia Treatment: Using Color

A lot of adults that have dyslexia have learned to device ways on how 
to manage their condition. One of the methods commonly done is the use 
of colors.

A Fight With White

According to research, disorders like dyslexia are occasionally 
affected by color. It is believed that the 'glare' of white paper is the 
culprit on why children and adults with this condition have a hard time 
reading the page.

People that have this kind of dyslexia are not able to focus on the 
information they are reading on plain white paper. Thus, they have a 
hard time memorizing or learning the information that is written on the 
paper. 

White paper is considered to be very aversive, which is the same reason 
why learning has become aversive as well.
 
Putting Some Color Into Your World

Due to this aversion that the color white brings upon, the use of color 
has been practiced in able to make reading somewhat more pleasant, 
especially to a dyslexic reader. So here are some ways on how putting 
color into your life can change your reading and organizational skills 
dramatically!

Color Coding 

This method has been proven effective by a lot of dyslexics. This can 
have a great effect on your organizational skills. For example, color 
coding your computer disks by class can be helpful. You can also try 
making specific colored labels to stick to your disks, or CD's so that 
you know which one is for which use. 

Buying color coded notebooks can be done too. In this way, you know 
which notebook is for what class by simply looking at the color. Color 
coding saves you a lot of time, since you don't have to waste your time 
looking through unorganized material.

Highlighters 

Since most printed material in the market are usually on white paper, 
highlighters can become your best friend, if you want to read the page 
with some color. You can have several highlighters close by when reading 
books. This can also be helpful when you often lose track of the meaning 
of what you are reading and what part of the book are you already. 

This may seem messy for some people, but it can be very helpful for 
dyslexics. However, be sure that whatever it is that you are 
highlighting is yours. Avoid highlighting library books since this can 
cause you to pay fines or even replace the book. 

Colored Paper 

If you don't like highlighting data that you have written, then writing 
it down or printing it on colored paper would be useful. This can help 
you read more effectively, since there is no glare from white colored 
paper. You can do this if you have to print out some data on the 
computer.

Contrasting Colors

If you have problems with differentiating right from left, then you can 
try using colors to help you discriminate so. The use of contrasting 
colors, such as red and blue, would be best. For example, wearing a blue 
sock on your right foot and a red sock on your left can help you 
remember which is which. 

This can be useful if direction is important with what you do, like in 
sports. When in training, instead of directing you with right and left, 
your coach can simply say the color, since it can be one way of 
associating direction for you. 

Adult Dyslexia Awareness: Courses For The Work Place

Recently, a lot of attention has been given to the rights of people 
with disabilities. These rights include being able to have work, and not 
be discriminated by his or her colleagues. The workplace should also 
provide proper support for their employees' condition, no matter what 
kind of disability the employee has. 

One disability that may have great effect in the workplace is dyslexia. 
However, a lot of companies nowadays are trying their best to 
accommodate people with this condition into their working force. That is 
why they have to meet and provide for certain needs, so that employees 
with this condition can optimally work in the company.

Improving Your Workplace

In fact, there are special institutions that provide assistance to 
companies and employers in able to help out their dyslexic employees. 
Some specialized institutions offer courses and sessions that target the 
workplace's improvement in relation to the presence of dyslexia.  

The programs offered can vary, depending on the wanted outcome of the 
company. Each program has a different end goal, but generally they are 
tailored to improve the company and dyslexic employees' relationship. 
Here are some of the common courses offered by some institutions for 
this purpose. 

Professional Development Programs

Professional development should be continuous; thus, there are courses 
that can be taken by your company's HR personnel, psychologists, 
trainers, and managers that are designed to upgrade their skills, 
particularly in regards to assessing dyslexia.

In this kind of program, they can learn and understand more about the 
said condition. The difficulties that are faced by dyslexic employees 
are pinpointed and discussed too. Additionally, some ways on how to make 
adjustments to enable your dyslexic employees to reach success and 
productivity are also tackled.

Workplace Awareness Programs 

The awareness of your workplace about the condition of dyslexia can be 
invaluable to the success of your company. There are courses and 
briefings that can be conducted to increase the awareness of all your 
employees about such kind of condition.

Here, dyslexia is explained using layman's terms, in a manner that 
everyone can easily understand. Your employees are also exposed on how 
the condition can affect an individual, along with the skills and 
talents that dyslexic people possess. Basically, they are familiarized 
to the nature of the condition.

Ways on making adjustments and overcoming problems caused by the 
condition in the workplace are also discussed. All of your employees are 
also given tips on how they should relate with an officemate that has 
the condition. Additionally, they are taught how to cooperate with each 
other.

Skill Development Programs

This kind of program is focused on the development of the skill of your 
dyslexic employee. Improvement tips are taught, along with strategies on 
how to overcome common dyslexic problems. Confidence building is also a 
target for the program, since most adult dyslexics are frustrated and 
has low self-esteem due to their condition.

The flow of the program may vary depending on the individual being 
trained, his or her skills and weaknesses.

Work Skills Evaluation Program

This kind of program is made to ensure that the skills of the person 
you are eyeing to hire appropriately meet your job requirement. 
Additionally, it ensures you're your dyslexic employee can work 
productively and efficiently. 

Here, evaluation on whether extra training is needed by the employee to 
improve his or her skills. Also recommendations, on whether or not your 
employee needs computer aid, are also done.

Everyday Techniques In Dealing With Dyslexia

As an adult with dyslexia, you are not excused in dealing with day to 
day tasks that you need to complete for your survival. Thus, practicing 
some ways on how to deal with the common problems caused by the 
condition can be very beneficial, one way or another.

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud can be very helpful, in a way that you get to identify 
your mistakes and monitor your speech. Using a tape recorder for this 
technique is often the way to do it. 

In this technique, you read out aloud while recording on your recorder. 
Then, you play back what you have just recorded and listen if you can 
detect some mistakes. 

Your recorder acts as your "spotter" for the reading mistakes that you 
commit.

Time Keeping

Keeping track of time, appointments and schedules can be one problem 
that a dyslexic can face. Making use of the 24 hour clock format is one 
way so that you wouldn't be confused on whether the time is during the 
night or day. 

Writing What You Can Remember

Sometimes, when you are reading something long, you can have a hard 
time comprehending what you have just read. One way to cope up with this 
is through writing down what you can remember from what you have just 
read. For example, for every page that you finish, you write down ideas 
on your notebook. 

However, this condition may seem to be a long process, since you would 
have to write everything that is on your mind. Nonetheless, even though 
it generally takes some time, it is very helpful during the long run. 

Light It Right

The lighting of your environment can be very crucial, especially when 
you have dyslexia. Many have found that reading under bright lighting 
tends to slow down their reading. This is why having the right kind of 
light is important. Some find comfort in reading under soft white light, 
or even completely dim lighting. 

Get Your Thoughts Back

When you are taking in too much information, you have a harder time on 
understanding what you are trying to learn. Thus, if you feel that you 
are not being productive anymore due to too much information, then it is 
about time that you take a break.

You should get your thoughts back in line. You can do this by simply 
taking a long leisurely walk outside and getting some fresh air. You can 
also try going to a quiet place, where you can do some meditation. 

Finger spelling

If you have bad spelling skills, using the finger spelling method can 
be helpful to you. It works by putting up a finger for each phoneme or 
sound that you hear within the word. This method enables you to "see" 
the sounds. It can also work out which sounds are missing. 

Using A Keyboard

Some people with dyslexia find it easier if they are spelling words 
through the use of a keyboard. The keys can sometimes give a calming 
effect to some individuals, while writing by hand can just cause the 
opposite.

These are some of the random ways on how you can ease up the effects of 
dyslexia in your life. The said techniques are often subjective, and can 
be helpful or not, depending on your condition.

Types Of Test For Adult Dyslexics

An adult that is suspected to have dyslexia can take tests to know 
whether he or she is positive for the condition. If you think that you 
have dyslexia, then it is recommended that you take a test. There are 
basically two types of tests that you can get, namely screening and 
comprehensive.

Screening Tests

Screening tests are specially designed to narrow down the number of 
candidates for the condition. These are typically used in schools, in 
which a number of students take it and those who yield a positive result 
are identified to take a more thorough testing procedure.
 
These are not really specific tests for dyslexia. However, they are 
simply designed to help out researchers to identify and focus on 
students or individuals who appear to have difficulties in regards to 
their studies, and who may have a possible case of dyslexia.

Such kind of test can be taken both by adults and children. Some 
companies can give out a test like this to identify who among their 
employees are somewhat challenged, specifically in reading, writing and 
math.

Usually, a screening test is consisted of a small number of short 
questions, like: "Do you have difficulty with spelling?", "Were you 
unenthusiastic to go to school?", "Do you find following directions 
difficult or confusing?", "Do you have troubles with math?", and the 
likes.
 
A person that yields a positive through this test may be having 
problems due to a number of causes. Some of the possible reasons are: 
Attention Deficit (ADHD), emotional problems, dyspraxia, autism, delayed 
learning, and possibly dyslexia. Screening tests are not really 
considered as a valid test for dyslexia, but these can be very useful 
for researchers.

Comprehensive Tests

The second type of test is comprehensive tests. This kind of test for 
dyslexia takes a look at the person as a whole. It also examines and 
tries to find out the root cause of any kind of learning difficulty that 
you may be experiencing.

Taking a comprehensive test simply means that you would have to undergo 
thorough testing. "Thorough" in the sense that you would have to go to 
the extent of having your brain tested. Here your brain is examined to 
know which of its parts are functioning, which ones are not, and which 
are interfering with your acquisition of normal learning. 

Not only do you have to get your brain checked, but also have to take a 
number of aptitude tests. Initially, your reading, comprehension, and 
spelling skills are to be tested. They also get your Intelligence 
Quotient (IQ) by giving you intelligence tests. Additionally, you would 
also have to take visual tests, visual scanning tests, laterality tests, 
sequencing tests, reversal test and the likes.

These are just some of the general tests that are given when you get a 
comprehensive kind of testing. However, the number of tests given can 
still vary, depending on the institute or professional that is giving 
you a comprehensive assessment. So this means, some may give you more or 
less, than those tests mentioned above.
 
Usually, a psychologist is the one that administers a comprehensive 
test. After all the data are analyzed, all of the test results are 
compiled into one complete report. In the report, you can see the 
conclusions about your condition along with the evidences for them.

Techniques On Managing Dyslexia In The Work Place

Dyslexia can have some effects on you while being in the workplace. 
Here are some techniques that people with this condition usually do to 
deal with problems that their condition may bring upon while working.

Write It Down

When organization becomes a problem, writing things down can be 
beneficial. If you have to manage some work related or personal tasks, 
you try putting them into writing. By placing them in a sheet of paper, 
you can be sure that you don't forget them. 

Starting there, you can go get a notebook and designate your tasks to 
specific days of the week. Make use one page for one whole day. Also, 
try to allocate your tasks a specific time, in which you have to 
complete it. 

When you are finished with that, place the other remaining tasks in 
another page. These would be your long-term tasks. Once you complete a 
task within the day, cross them off the page or try to reorganize what 
you have written. 

If you have some tasks that you do not get to do or finish, then roll 
them off to the next day. You can also put in reminders and birthdays on 
the pages. Basically it's like making a throw away organizer. 

If you are a highly visual person that can learn best if you writing 
things down, then this method can work wonders with you. Additionally, 
it can give you the feeling of confidence since you have managed your 
tasks and have written it on paper so you would not forget. 

Silence Please

Some dyslexic people only need a quiet environment in order to function 
and work properly. Finding a quiet place at home or at your workplace 
may just be the thing you need so that you can gain control and 
concentration on your work.

Some simply go to their "quiet spot," close their eyes, and starts 
typing freely ong their computer. This is one way of letting your 
creative side gush out and take control. If you think of it that way, 
you wouldn't have to bear with the endeavors of trying to think about 
the correct spelling of words.

Directions

If directions are your problem, then you can make use of the landmark 
method. Here, you notice and observe landmarks to find your way around, 
instead of using street names. For example, you can find your favorite 
restaurant by simply remembering that it is beside KFC and McDonalds. 

Highlighters

The use of highlighters can prove to be very beneficial, whether you 
are working or studying. When you are reading books, try to highlight 
them to mark where you have left off. You can also highlight memos or 
written instructions that are given to you at work. In this way you can 
read them without the white glare, which highly disturbs a lot of 
dyslexics when reading.

Key Point Marking 

Whenever you are reading a written document or memo, try to mark the 
key points so that when you reread them, it can be easier for you. 
However, be sure that you only write on documents that you are allowed 
to write on, or else this can be a cause of a big problem for you. 

These are just some of the ways on how you can lessen the effect of 
dyslexia when you are working. A specific technique can be effective to 
one person, but not to another. Thus, doing some experiment and testing 
on which techniques are effective for you are needed.

Adult Dyslexia And Related Conditions: Irlen Syndrome 

One condition that a dyslexic person may have is the Irlen Syndrome. 
This condition is very much related to dyslexia since, they both have a 
number of similar symptoms. Additionally, a lot of dyslexics have this 
syndrome, along with having dyslexia itself. 

From research and testing, it was found that a diversity of problems 
could result from seeing a distorted page of numbers, words, and musical 
notes. It can actually affect reading, spelling, and writing. Also, 
there are times that math, copying skills, music reading, driving, 
sports performance, ability to work on a computer, and being comfortable 
under fluorescent lights are also affected.  

Defining Irlen

People with this syndrome perceive the printed page in a different way 
than those people that has normal vision. If you have this, you are 
obliged to constantly adapt to the distortions you are seeing on the 
printed page. 

You can become a slow or inefficient reader because of this. 
Additionally, you may exhibit poor comprehension, since you don't really 
understand what you are reading. You can also suffer from headaches, 
strain, or fatigue. 

The condition can affect your attention-span, motivation, energy-level, 
depth-perception, handwriting, and most of all, your self-esteem. People 
who sufferers from this condition are sometimes labeled as 
underachievers that have behavioral, motivational or attitudinal 
problems. 

This syndrome is considered to be a variable and complex condition that 
is often found co-existing with other learning-disabilities, such as 
dyslexia.  

The Beginnings

The syndrome was identified first by Helen Irlen, an Educational 
Psychologist. This happened in the 1980's while working in California 
with adult-learners. She was able to observe that a number of her 
students can read with better ease every time they used a colored 
overlay to cover the printed page they are reading. 

Treatment

If you are a dyslexic with this condition, you would have to undergo 
the patented treatment-method. Here you need to use specially 
formulated, colored overlays or colored lenses. You can wear these as 
glasses or even contact lenses. Once you use the lenses, a reduction or 
even elimination of perceptual-difficulties is experienced. 

Their program is specifically designed to fulfill the needs of people 
with learning difficulties, such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other 
conditions that can interfere with sufficient functioning inside the 
workplace, classroom, and socially.
    
Symptoms

Some symptoms of this syndrome are poor reading comprehension, reading 
in dim light, misreads words, skipping of words or lines, slow or 
hesitant manner of reading, and avoidance of reading itself.

While reading, a person with this condition can have numerous 
complaints like strain, fatigue, tiredness, sleepiness, headaches, and 
nausea. A person may also seem restless and fidgety while doing the 
task.

In regards to writing, you can have some trouble copying words, unequal 
spacing between characters, uphill or downhill direction of writing, and 
inconsistent spelling of words.
  
When using the computer, you can also feel fatigue and strain. You may 
also experience some difficulty when reading music. Also, you often have 
sloppy or careless math mistakes. When you write numbers in columns, 
they are also misaligned. 
 
One obvious symptom however is the syndrome's effect on your depth 
perception. You are often clumsy and have difficulty with sports that 
involve catching balls. You may also have problems in judging distances.

Most of the time, when people with dyslexia undergo treatment, the 
intervention is not successful since there is an underlying presence of 
Irlen Syndrome. That is why getting an assessment for this condition is 
equally important when you have dyslexia.

The Breakthrough Of Childhood To Adult Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that can affect children greatly 
during their school years. However, this condition doesn't only have its 
effects on childhood but on adulthood too, especially in the workplace. 
The thing is, unlike in childhood where dyslexia has a great negative 
effect; in adulthood, the effect can vary from positive to negative.

A Look Back At Childhood Education
 
The educational methods used today are somewhat limited in regards to 
teaching students with reading, math and writing problems, the basic 
literacy skills that a child needs to know. Although most wouldn't 
observe this problem, a lot of people with dyslexia are greatly affected 
by this limitation.
 
From the very start, the school system is observed to be stacked 
against dyslexics. This is because a person with dyslexia is "real 
world" thinker, which means the use of concepts and pictures is the main 
method to learn, instead of using mental sentences. 

Thus, special training is required for them in able to master written 
language's basics easily.

A Disability With A Twist

Even though dyslexics have lots of problems with learning, this is not 
an indicator that they are stupid, unlike what most people think. 
Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Churchill, Edison, Whoopi Goldberg, Greg 
Louganis and Walt Disney, were well thought-out to be "dummies" by their 
classmates, teachers, family and friends, during their first few years 
of school. 

However, one way to look at the situation they were in is that they 
weren't really suffering from a learning disability, but instead a 
teaching disability.

A lot of teachers just do not know the correct and appropriate methods 
for teaching and presenting information in the way that a dyslexic child 
can understand. As a consequence, these children are sometimes 
warehoused into "special ed" classes.

But sometimes, getting into a special ed class can cause the loss of 
self-esteem. This then becomes the trigger to the syndrome, which makes 
dyslexia even worse. 

Sadly, this kind of attitude is sometimes carried over into adulthood. 

Additional confusion, stress, coupled with heavy concentration, can 
only increase the attention and perceptual problems that the child is 
already having. The more struggle a dyslexic has, the more hard reading 
becomes.

Out Of The Cage: Welcome To Adulthood

As a dyslexic, once you get to finish school and start adulthood, life 
may seem easier for you. In fact, a lot of "learning disabled" people 
turn out to be highly successful once they are free from the boundaries 
of school. 

With this condition, you may think that you simply have a knack for an 
activity. What you don't realize is that this knack actually stems out 
from the same root as dyslexia -- your ability to mentally combine real 
world and imaginary images in an intuitive or creative way. 

This talent can cause tremendous turmoil with your reading and writing. 
But when it is used for fields like the arts, sports, engineering, 
invention, salesmanship, and strategy, it can actually produce wonders!

This breakthrough from childhood to adulthood is really a notable event 
in the life of a person with dyslexia. More often, they can get their 
lost self-esteem back since they have found something where they are 
successful in. 

Sadly, not all cases of dyslexia have this kind of pattern. There are 
times when adulthood comes, the worse the condition gets. However, this 
mainly depends on the personal outlook of the person. That is why a 
positive outlook should be promoted.

Programs For Adult Dyslexia: Audioblox 2000
 
The Audioblox 2000 is a program that is based on the premise that the 
main problem is not the physical disability of the learner. The main 
problem is said to be the method on how the message is delivered and the 
learner's preparation for it. This is just another one of the many 
methods how you can cope with your dyslexia.

How It Works

This method concentrates by working on the learning process' basic 
tasks. It is believed that in able for a person to learn effectively, 
the educator should observe a sequence in teaching. 

Similar to scaffolding, one simple skill should be taught first, before 
teaching a more complicated one. Certain things should be known by the 
learner first, before he or she can learn other information. This 
"prerequisite" kind of system makes learning an organized system. 

The main objective of this program is to put into practice and automate 
your needed skills that lie beneath reading, writing, spelling, math and 
the whole process of acquiring more knowledge on different subject 
matters.  

Basically, Audiblox is comprised of a system of different cognitive 
exercises. These exercises are generally aimed for the development of 
your foundational learning skills. When you are trained in this kind of 
program, your foundational skills are developed. Additionally, they are 
automated. 

Concentration

One fundamental skill that you need in able to learn is the ability to 
concentrate. Concentration is one important key in learning, because 
without it, you can not really achieve anything. You cannot grasp ideas 
or concepts if you are easily distracted. Optimal learning requires full 
concentration, or else, nothing is learned.  

Perception

Another needed skill is perception. This may be auditory, visual, and 
haptic. The way you perceive things would highly affect how you 
understand them and how you can use them appropriately with your 
everyday life.

Proprioception

Proprioception is yet another skill that you need. Discriminating, 
synthesizing, and analyzing by the use of foreground, background, size, 
form, color and position in space or time, is a skill that can be useful 
with your everyday life.
  
Memory

Memory should also be developed. Just think how can you remember what 
you are learning if you do not have any kind of memory. That is why all 
kinds of memory such as short term, long term, auditory and visual are 
considered to be invaluable. Most dyslexics have problems with short 
term memory. However, when they associate some words with other things 
such as colors, remembering becomes easier for them.

Decoding And Integration

Next is your ability to decode information. Additionally, you should be 
able to integrate this decoded information, so that you can synthesize 
your learning process. If you cannot decode information that is given to 
you, then acquisition of new information is hampered. 

The ability to understand the concept of numbers is also important. 
Today's world revolves around math. Understanding simple number concepts 
is your first stepping stone in using numbers for daily application such 
as the use of money.
  
Motor Skills

Lastly, you also need your fine and gross motor skills. Body 
coordination is needed to perform simple tasks such as walking and 
difficult tasks such as writing. Flipping a page of a book already 
requires you good fine motor skills. Just think how you can learn 
without being able to simply turn a book's page!
 
Assessment And Support For Adult Dyslexia

A lot of adults who are potential dyslexics have second thoughts on 
getting a formal assessment for dyslexia. If you are one of them, then 
it's about time that you stop thinking this way. Getting an assessment 
is actually not so hard at all. In fact, it is very easy as long as you 
know where and how to get one.

How To Get A Formal Dyslexia Assessment

One institute that can help you with getting a formal dyslexia 
assessment is The Dyslexia Institute. They can help arrange an 
assessment session for you with a certified professionally qualified 
independent psychologist who has proficient knowledge on dyslexia. 

It can be helpful for the psychologist to have additional background 
information about you from your tutors or employers; however, sometimes 
you may want to get advice first before involving other people. 

Confidentiality Issues

If you are worried of your condition's negative effect on your 
identity, then fear no more. You can be assured that the institute's 
Consulting Psychologists and Institute staff would definitely treat all 
information that you give them confidentially. They would not release 
any kind of information without your permission.

What Happens During An Assessment

The assessment session would usually last for about two hours only. In 
this time span, discussion about the findings is already included. 
Additionally, you get to talk with a psychologist about different ways 
of dealing with any difficulties that may arise in the future regarding 
the information that were revealed during the session. 

During an assessment, you will undergo a somewhat "investigation" about 
your learning, thinking, and problem-solving skills. This is done to get 
indications where are your areas of strength and difficulty. 
Additionally, it can examine your achievements on basic writing, 
reading, mathematics and spelling skills.

Relevance Of The Results

The details that are gathered during your assessment are used by the 
psychologist to ensure whether you have areas of performance that do not 
meet up to the expected level for your age. If the results are like 
that, then it is usually a sign that you have a specific learning 
difficulty, which is responsible for your complexity on developing 
certain abilities. 

If your results yield complex data, then sometimes, further elaboration 
may be needed. In able to do this, more test are usually done. After the 
extra tests are done, you will have another talk with your psychologist 
to discuss about the new data gathered on your condition.
 
Need Help?
 
After getting an assessment, the first question that would probably pop 
into your mind is whether someone out there is capable of helping you. 
That question is immediately answered since after your assessment 
session, your psychologist would give you practical instructions 
depending on the severity of your case and difficulties that you are 
experiencing.

The instructions can also highly depend on your career and educational 
goals, which you sought out for. 

Typically, these instructions would include making other people aware 
of dyslexia's presence in your life. This is important so that they 
would not relentlessly pass judgment on your poor handwriting or 
spelling skills. There are a lot more other instructions that your 
psychologist can give you after the assessment; however, they greatly 
vary on a case to case basis.

So, now that you know how a typical dyslexia assessment for adults 
carries through, you can see that there is really no reason why you 
should be afraid of getting one and knowing if you have the condition or 
not.
Adult Dyslexia On Numbers And Codes

People with dyslexia can have problems on remembering numbers and 
codes. In the adult world, having this ability is important, since this 
is related in managing bank accounts and dealing with monetary issues.

Here are some techniques that most dyslexics use in order to cope up 
with their number problems. 

Whole Number Method 

Some people with dyslexia use the whole number method when they are 
trying to remember phone numbers. Here, you basically group the first 
three digits and consider it as a whole number. Then you divide the last 
four digits, into two groups, and consider them as two whole numbers. 

For example, the phone number is 806-6757; this can be read as Eight 
hundred six, sixty seven, and fifty seven. By doing this method you are 
allowed to visualize the sounds of words, which make it harder for you 
to forget them.

Dates

Some dyslexics use the date method when remembering codes. For example 
you can use the year you were born as your door code number or pin 
number. 

Pattern Method

Another method used in remembering numbers is through the use of 
patterns. By creating a pattern of numbers in the phone pad, it can be 
easier for you to remember the numbers. For example, "1478" makes a 
pattern of a capital "L" while "25846" makes a cross. 

Use Your Knuckles

Most kids use this method to remember how many days are there in one 
month. Using this, even though you are not a kid is alright. In fact, a 
lot of dyslexic adults use this method, since you have your knuckles 
anywhere you go. 

Comparing Numbers 

Some dyslexics have problems with comparing numbers. Some do not have 
the ability to visually compare numbers. If you are having the same kind 
of problem, then you can try using your calculator to know that the 
numbers are different. You can do this by subtracting one number from 
the other. If you get a zero, then this means they are the same, if not, 
then they are different. 

Money Matters

Some conditions of dyslexia may give you problems in counting money. 
Some people find this very embarrassing. To avoid counting out change, 
what is usually done by dyslexics is to be ready by simply having a 
larger bill than your estimated amount of purchase. 

In this way you can accumulate a lot of change. You can then get rid of 
these by already counting out the exact amount of small purchases that 
you will be making in the near future. Putting the counted amount into a 
separate change purse then would make the whole process easier for you.

Dot Method

Some dyslexics that have problems in understanding number concepts and 
using this method is one way they help themselves. Here you visualize a 
specific pattern of dots for the numbers one to nine. Using a dice can 
be helpful too. 

Drawing

Some use their ability to draw in remembering phone numbers. In this 
method, you perceive the numbers as parts of a whole picture or drawing. 
The picture is what is then stored in your mind. With just a little 
concentration on your part, remembering numbers won't be a problem 
anymore. 

These are just some of the ways how some adults with dyslexia have 
managed to deal with their condition. However, you should take note that 
each technique can vary from one case to another. That is why its 
effectiveness can differ too. 

Assessment Choices For Adult Dyslexia

If you are planning to get an assessment for your suspected dyslexia, 
there are some choices that you must consider. Basically, you can get a 
formal dyslexia screening or assessment from a couple of professionals 
that are allowed to do so.

Assessment From An Educational Psychologist (EP)

Your first choice and probably the best would be to get an assessment 
from an educational psychologist. This kind of assessment is considered 
to be the most comprehensive. The thing is they cost more.

This kind of assessment, however, are the ones frequently required as 
standard of proof by Tribunals, Examination Boards, Local Education 
Authorities, Colleges and Universities; which is why getting one can be 
really worth it, even if it can cost you much.

Usually, you have to answer a questionnaire for important background 
information. This is then sent to the Educational Psychologist. Next, 
you have a vital talk with the EP. You would have to undergo some 
activities that would usually take 2-2 1/2 hours. Then, the EP would give 
a brief discussion about your results. 

Lastly, you will get a confidential full written report, coupled with 
recommendations. You can get the report more or less in 3 weeks time 
from your assessment date.

Specialist Teacher Assessment

This kind of assessment is also comprehensive but is not that widely 
accepted as proof of the condition than the psychologist assessment. The 
same procedure is usually conducted, as with getting an assessment from 
an EP. 

They also conduct brief assessments, where you have to do some 
activities for about an hour or so. After you have completed the 
activities, the specialist teacher will briefly discuss the results with 
you. He or she would also make some recommendations.

Occupational Therapists (OT)

You can also get an initial assessment of dyslexia from an independent 
occupational therapist. The yielded results are usually written into an 
intervention program that is specially tailored for you. You can then 
arrange follow up treatments, if you have to do so. 
 
Undergoing occupational therapy would address particular difficulties 
related to balance and co-ordination. Such difficulties can vary from 
large or gross movements like riding bicycles to small or fine movements 
such as penmanship. However, occupational therapy is sometimes 
considered to be more helpful in addressing dyspraxia, which is a 
related condition to dyslexia. 

Speech and Language Therapy (SLT)

Lastly, you can choose to get an assessment from a Speech and Language 
Therapist. The therapist can also give you an initial assessment of your 
condition. Just as with getting an Occupational Therapy assessment, your 
yielded results will be written into an intervention program that is 
tailored for you. Then you can arrange for therapy and treatment 
sessions to start your intervention. 

Speech and language therapy is considered to be one of the major 
intervention programs that people with dyslexia can have. The therapy 
mainly focuses on language problems, which is the main concern of the 
condition. 

Here, the assessment results already identify what your weaknesses are. 
The therapist then, automatically devices an intervention program for 
you to cope up with these specific problems.

Usually, after you get an assessment from an EP or Specialist Teacher, 
they would recommend you to see a speech and language pathologist to 
undergo intervention. If they observe that you also have problems with 
movement, then they would also require you to see an Occupational 
Therapist.

Modern Technology And Adult Dyslexia

Modern technology has wonderfully developed through the years of 
intensive research and testing. The efforts of these researches have not 
come to waste since now the products are used to help people cope up 
with their disabilities and difficulties, whether acquired or natural.

Nowadays, you use a number of accessible devices that could practically 
help you with your difficulties. However, which specific device to use 
would highly depend on your condition's nature and severity.

Devices For Spelling And Grammar

If spelling and grammar are your major problem areas, modern technology 
has something to offer you. There are now devices that have spell-
checkers to correct your spelling, and grammar checkers for your grammar 
correction. 

Additionally, most of the modern computers now also have these kinds of 
features, which can be invaluable to you. Such features work by showing 
you your spelling and grammar mistakes and by providing you with the 
correct form while giving you the option to change what you have already 
written.

Electronic Dictionaries 

Electronic dictionaries are similar to conventional ones, only that 
they are somewhat easier to use and faster. This kind of device gives 
you word definitions, synonyms antonyms, and pronunciation.

This can also be helpful if you are learning a new language, since some 
can provide you translations too. Using one is pretty easy since all you 
have to do is type in the word and you can instantly see the vital 
information about the word.

Audio Machines
 
You can also use dictating machines to aid you with understanding what 
you are reading. Tape recorders are also useful, especially if you are 
studying and you're finding it hard to follow what your teacher is 
saying. In this way you can listen to what you have recorded, even after 
class hours.

 Audio-typing programs are also available. All you have to do is 
dictate the data that you want to be encoded, and your computer would 
automatically do the encoding.

Text to speech programs are somewhat similar, only that they work the 
other way around. Here you can hear the encoded data on your computer by 
clicking on a button that would let the computer speak out the data.
 
Calculators

Even normal people benefit from this machine; for dyslexia that has 
numbers as the waterloo, a calculator is obviously of great help.         

Memory telephones 

Since short-term memory is a big problem for dyslexics, remembering 
phone numbers can already be a tedious task for you. So to save you from 
this endeavor, you can make us of memory telephones that have the 
feature of storing phone numbers and automatically dialing them.
 
Electronic Organizers 

Time management, scheduling and organizing are some of the other 
problem areas that dyslexics face. That is why you can try using 
electronic organizers to help you with your schedule. These can be 
useful by reminding you about your appointments, deadlines and meetings. 
You can also use it to list down some tasks that you have to complete 
for the day.

Voice-activated Computers  

Another great tool would be voice activated computers. Here there's no 
need for typing of any sort of data. You can control the whole computer 
just by dictating your commands. You can also dictate any information 
that you want to be encoded in your computer's word processing program. 
However, this kind of gadget can cost you a lot.

Is It Really Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is one of the many learning disabilities that have an effect 
on language, and the acquisition of new knowledge. However, if you 
suspect that you have this condition, you should get a formal 
assessment. This is because; dyslexia can be mistaken for other learning 
disabilities that are related with it.

Here are some of the general symptoms that you have dyslexia and some 
of the related conditions that can be mistaken for it.

It Is Dyslexia!

When you have dyslexia, you may generally have some difficulty with the 
use of oral language. If possible, ask your parents or some relatives 
present during your childhood, whether you were a late talker or not. If 
they say yes, then this can be one sign of dyslexia. However, it can 
still be some other condition such as language delay. 

Another characteristic would be difficulty in pronouncing words. Also, 
you may find it hard to acquire new vocabulary and use appropriate 
grammar for your age now. Directions are often confusing for you too, 
along with discriminating the difference of "before vs. after", "right 
vs. left", etc.

As a child, learning the alphabet was tedious for you. Even now, 
memorizing nursery rhymes and songs seem to be hard, even if you're 
already an adult. Understanding concepts and the relationships of things 
can be something you don't enjoy much. Additionally, word retrieval or 
naming problems are sometimes experienced.

It is dyslexia if you have had obvious difficulty with reading, such as 
learning how to read back when you were young, and inability to identify 
or make rhyming words. You can also have difficulty in counting the 
number of syllables that a word has.

Your phonological awareness can be damaged too. You may have some 
hearing difficulties. Plus, manipulating sounds in words is sometimes 
pretty hard to do. A little problem with your auditory discrimination 
can also be present, where you find it difficult to distinguish specific 
sound within a word.

Dyslexia can also show some difficulty in remembering shapes and names 
of letters. More often, you reverse your letters when writing or 
reading. You also tend to omit small words when you read, and stumble on 
long words. Comprehending what you have just read can also be a problem.

Your written language is also affected by dyslexia. You can experience 
some trouble in putting your ideas on paper. You can also have lots of 
spelling mistakes, and have problems in proofreading your work. 

It Is Something Else

Some of the other conditions that are related with dyslexia are 
dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADD or ADHD, and dyspraxia. Some of these 
conditions have similar problems with dyslexia. However, they also have 
specific symptoms that delineate them from it. 

Dysgraphia is basically difficulty with handwriting. Here you are 
unsure whether you are right or left handed. You also have very poor or 
slow handwriting. Copying can be difficult. Plus you fine motor skills 
are really in a bad condition.

Dyscalculia deals with extreme difficulty with math. Simple counting of 
objects is already hard. You can also reverse your numbers and have lots 
of calculation errors. Memorizing math facts are not one of your 
favorite things to do, along with copying math problems.

ADD or ADHD deals with difficulty on attention. You are very 
inattentive and easily distracted by things around you. You can also be 
impulsive and hyperactive at times.

Dyspraxia is basically difficulty in coordinating and planning body 
movements. This can affect both gross and fine motor skills. You can 
have some difficulty in coordinating your facial muscles, in which a 
simple smile can be hard to do.

Special Educational And Training For Adult Dyslexics 

Adult dyslexics can face a lot of educational and training issues due 
to their condition. However, such learning problems are addressed 
through special education and training.

Special Schooling For Dyslexics

One common issue is whether there is special schooling that is 
available for dyslexics. Yes, there is special schooling, and often the 
remedial provision that you can receive would highly depend on the 
severity of the difficulties you are experiencing. 

Some adult dyslexics may already have their own well acquired 
strategies to be able to read and cope up with their problems. However, 
these strategies are often temporary, which is why learning techniques 
from professionals is still very much recommended and needed. 

Getting special instruction can improve your reading speed and 
confidence. Additionally, you can learn to make greater use of 
illustrations and diagrams. Problems like spelling and writing 
difficulties may entail a persistent period of special education. 
However, most of the cases are not impossible. 

In fact, a lot of adults easily learn the special techniques that they 
are taught, and because of this, they quickly gain self-confidence, and 
overcome personality and social issues. With the help that they are 
receiving, they can also feel that they do matter and there are people 
who understand what they are going through.

Getting a special education for your condition is not a sign of 
weakness, as a lot of people may think so. Dyslexia is a special 
condition that needs special and appropriate attention. Thus, getting 
into special schooling is just the right thing to do, and is not 
something you should be ashamed of.

Essential Components Of Training Programs

The training programs for adult dyslexics have a couple of general 
essential components. These components should be present in any kind of 
learning program for dyslexic people. So if you are considering on 
getting into a program, try to observe if the program has these 
components or not.

Targeting Short-term Memory

First is to accommodate the dyslexic's weaknesses, particularly with 
regards to short-term memory. Additionally, the materials used in such 
programs should be specialized in a way that it is more manageable to be 
used by a person with dyslexia.

Short-term memory is one if the waterloos, which dyslexics have. That 
is why in any kind of learning program for dyslexics, this is one aspect 
that should be targeted. Whether the problem be with words or with 
numbers.

Optimal Results From Education

Programs are also used to compensate for your perceptual weakness. In 
able to do this, most educators use a method of teaching that has a 
multi sensory approach. This kind of learning is very effective and 
efficient since it can stimulate your learning by using all your senses.

Through the use of your visual, auditory and sometimes even your 
tactile and olfactory senses, your learning experience is heightened. 
This is because studies show that it easier for people to remember what 
is being taught to them if all their senses are active.

The Use Of Other Specialized Methods

A program should also make use of other specialized methods to enhance 
your learning experience. Other than the multi-sensory approach, other 
means of making your learning easier should be present.

Some of the other ways to easily grasp what is being taught to you is 
through the use of mnemonics, mind maps, visual images, speed reading 
and the likes.

Being With An Adult Dyslexic

A lot of companies nowadays are opening their doors to people with 
disabilities, including those with dyslexia. If you have a coworker or 
colleague with this condition, it should not be the case that you 
belittle him or her because of his or her condition.

Additionally, it is a good thing that the law has given this issue some 
attention, since dyslexia is an official disability that can be governed 
by the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995.
 
As an employer or a colleague of a person with this condition, there 
are some things that you can do to help him or her out. Accordingly, 
there are some things that you shouldn't do. 

Support

Support is something that most people with disabilities need. This is 
because most of the time they are treated as invalids, which shouldn't 
be the way you treat a person with a disability. This principle applies 
exactly the same with individuals with dyslexia.

Support doesn't mean you should do everything for them, nor leaving 
them alone so that they can do their thing. The kind of support you 
should give is support for them to become an independent individual even 
with the condition at hand.

What dyslexic people need are other people who can understand their 
condition and what they are going through. A little encouragement from 
you can do wonders. Knowing that someone believes in them and that they 
can do it is enough for a dyslexic to carry on his fight against his 
condition.

However, you should only give encouragement when it is appropriate. 
Overdoing this can make your colleague feel that he is being treated 
like a baby. This can only bring about frustration to them, so avoid it 
at any cost.
 
Problem Matters

One thing that you should avoid doing when you're working with a 
dyslexic is regarding them as a "problem." They are people too, thus you 
should treat them as one. A colleague with dyslexia is not an extra 
baggage to the team. Remember, all of you are employed in the same 
company. Thus, this means all of you have functions, even if your 
colleague with dyslexia may seem to have a different kind.

Strengths And Will

As an employer or a superior, you should learn to concentrate on their 
strengths. Try to see the positive side of the situation. Try your best 
not to be discouraged about your employee's weaknesses and difficulties.

Another thing, you shouldn't force them to do things that are against 
their will. They know their limitations, and there are times that when 
they say they can't do it, then it really means they can't.

Pushing them too hard would do no good. It is better to scaffold your 
way into training your employee with dyslexia to do more complicated 
tasks.

Tailoring

Doing a little tailoring would benefit you and your employee. Try to 
see your employee or subordinate's strengths and pinpoint his talents. 
After doing this, try to find a position or a task in which you think 
those strengths and talents can be utilized efficiently.

If you do it this way, then it is a win-win situation both for you and 
your employee. This is because you get to have work done since your 
employee is productive, even if a disability is present.
Helping Adults With Dyslexia In The Workplace

Even though adult dyslexics are tremendously talented, they still have 
some problems that may need special attention, especially coming from 
their employers and colleagues. 

Most likely, adults with this condition are defensive and secretive. 
They also write down inverted financial figures and phone numbers. A 
simple memo can take an hour of their time just to decipher. 

Masquerade

However, even with the acceptance of the condition, most would still 
likely try to hide their illiteracy from their colleagues. They have 
their own subtle ways on manipulating other people to write and read for 
them, which is a skill that most dyslexics have developed during their 
school years. 

In most cases, severe headaches are the result of putting much effort 
into trying to read with accuracy. There is a loss of productivity that 
is obvious to anyone, although it can be hard to estimate up to what 
extent.

Playing such kind of masquerade won't do any good in the part of both 
employee and employer. That is why openness about the condition is 
needed so that the employer and employee with the condition can help out 
each other in able to achieve productivity and success.

Compromise

A little give and take between the employer and employee is important. 
Both sides should cooperate with each other on how they can improve the 
working experience and product of the employee. 

One example would be devising a way to make it easier for the dyslexic 
adult to read while in the workplace. Employers should take charge and 
initiate that they'd be giving support to their employee to make reading 
easier. Adapting the workplace is easy, as long as there is cooperation 
between the workers and employers. 

Some Reading Techniques In The Workplace

One way to help out reading disabled people so that they can 
efficiently work is to give them instructions orally.  Dictating through 
an audio recorder or voice mail would also be helpful. Doing this can 
help save time and increase productivity since there is no more need for 
an hour long memo deciphering sessions.

Assigning someone to read things to them is okay. However, this can 
sometimes make the employee with the condition feel somewhat awkward. It 
would be better to provide a computer that has a voice synthesizer. The 
computer can easily be the one to read the memos for you employee. 

Computers are of great help, since most dyslexics are good in using 
one. In fact, some people with this condition sometimes find it easier 
to read from screens than reading from paper. Additionally, they are 
able to compose presentable reports and letters by using the spell-
checker feature of the computer. 

On Writing

With regards to writing, avoid giving written tests that are similar to 
those given in school. Another is that if possible; avoid asking your 
dyslexic employee to fill in very complicated forms. 

If your employee haven't had remedial training, then he or she has a 
somewhat disadvantage. But there's no need to be discouraged, since they 
have accurate and detailed memories. 

What you can do is to question them orally. You can also assign someone 
to write down their answers while they dictate it. If you really have to 
give a written test, then you are obliged to give extra time for your 
employee to answer it.

Additionally, the test should be conducted in an environment that is 
distraction free.

Issues On Adult Dyslexia Strategies: Holistic Reading

There are several programs and methods used in treating dyslexia. One 
of these is holistic reading. However, this method has undergone through 
a lot of research and testing, which led to the discovery of some issues 
against it.

Holistic Reading

A lot of experts believe that one main issue in field of dyslexia, is 
holistic reading. Because of holistic reading, a lot of people have come 
to be sight readers that have holistic reflex instead of phonetic 
readers that have a phonetic reflex. 

A holistic reader is someone who perceives each word as if it's a 
little picture. It is somewhat similar to the configuration of Chinese 
ideograph, where the reader would try to think what the word the symbol 
or character represents. 

On the other hand, a phonetic reader is someone who associates letters 
to sounds. He or she would have to sound out each syllabic unit, which 
blends into one articulated word.

The Issue At Hand

The main concern here is that, failure to teach someone to read 
phonetically, but requiring him or her to memorize thousands of sight 
words isn't really that helpful, since it can only produce educational 
dyslexia. 

Sight words, by definition, are words that are learned without any 
reference to the sounds that the letters in the word stands for. 
Nowadays, a lot of publishers are selling books coupled with audio tapes 
so that, one can learn how to read using the sight method, even without 
the help of other people. 

If this continues, the individual would only worsen his or her 
condition. A reading handicap is actually developed even more, without 
knowing it.

Experts have reached the conclusion that that when an inaccurate, 
subjective and ideographic teaching technique is imposed on a writing 
system that uses phonetic-alphabet and demands precise decoding, 
symbolic confusion is only created. Plus, frustration, cognitive 
conflict, and learning breakdown, also comes into play. 

Knowing If You Are A Holistic Reader: The MWIA TEST

To know if you have become a holistic reader, you can try taking the 
MWIA test. This is a simple test that is used to measure the degree to 
which you have become a "subjective" reader. 

This test was developed in North Carolina by Edward Miller, who is a 
former teacher and school administrator, back in the early 1990s. A lot 
of reading experts and school psychologists say that this method can 
help identify individuals that are schooled using the Holistic Reading 
method. 

The MWIA test basically consists of two lists of words. The first list 
has words that are taken from the 220 most popular "sight words"; while 
the second list is taken from words in "Why Johnny Can't Read" by 
Rudolph Flesch, which are phonetically-regular words used in the first-
grade level.

The main difference is that the words found in the first list, although 
may include about two dozen or more multi-syllable or irregular words, 
will be very familiar to Holistic readers. However, surprisingly, those 
words found in the second list may not. A holistic reader does not only 
slow down while reading the second list, but also commits some mistakes.  

On the other hand, a phonetic reader is able to read both of the lists 
equally good. In fact, the second list may be read faster than the first 
since the words are easier.

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