“TO At the end of the preparatory course in May, Alexandre still could not read. We thought he was lazy, that he was not interested in it, says Aurélie, his mother. It was his teacher who alerted us: despite working in small groups, he continued to confuse the sounds p and b, m and n, c and g, as well as the letters t and f, p and q … “
Establish the diagnosis of dyslexia
Like 7 to 8% of school children, Alexandre reads very slowly and with difficulty: words do not automatically unfold in his head. To decipher and write correctly, he must therefore provide considerable effort which tires him much more than his comrades. “It is important to react quickly, insists Monique Touzin, speech therapist at Paris Santé Réussite, member of the scientific committee of the FFDys (French Federation of dys). The sooner these children are identified and taken care of, the less they will fall behind. “
On the teacher’s advice, Alexandre’s parents consulted their family doctor. After making sure that the child could hear and see correctly, he prescribed a check-up to be performed by a liberal speech therapist or in one of the 42 referral centers * specializing in the management of language disorders. These are hospital consultations bringing together doctor, speech therapist, psychologist …
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Talk about it at school “Dyslexia, you are born with it, but you don’t know it”, “it’s like a TGV that passes too quickly”, “it does not go away, but it decreases” … These words of children reflect the difficulties of dyslexics, especially at school. This box set contains an awareness cartoon and an interactive CD intended for primary school pupils and their teachers. |
When the interview and tests confirm the diagnosis of dyslexia, rehabilitation is required, in partnership with the school and parents. As dyslexics have poorer immediate auditory memory, they need more training. During the sessions, the speech therapist reworks, in the form of a game, all the basics of reading, auditory and visual differentiation, spatial orientation … “We give the meaning and the sound of each letter so that the child acquires the automatism of assembling letters into syllables”, explains Monique Touzin. The speech therapist also gives “tips” for visualizing the letters, concentrating on one learning at a time and, for older children, writing summary sheets.
How does speech therapy take place?
Two sessions a week is the right pace for the first six months. We continue once a week depending on progress, for at least a year for mild dyslexia and two to three years in more troublesome forms. In the evening, parents can calmly take up two or three simple concepts with their child, not too long so that they do not experience it as a punishment. It is also advisable to continue reading stories to him at bedtime, to maintain the bond of pleasure with the written word. “Rehabilitation helps them a lot, but their difficulties will not go away completely. They will often keep a longer reading time ”, emphasizes our expert. But thanks to certain adaptations (a third of additional time for exams) and to software making it possible to transcribe in writing what is dictated, to listen to a text while reading it, these young people can continue their studies and find their professional path. like the others.
For further
Dyslexia: rhythmic music would help to read better
Video games to help dyslexic children
