Causes And Risk Factors Of Dyslexia

Many individuals claim moments of dyslexia when they make a typo in an email or read too quickly and say the wrong thing. However, dyslexia is a real medical condition that affects a considerable amount of the population. At its heart, dyslexia is a learning disorder. It involves a difficulty in reading and language skills due to the individual having a problem identifying sounds and shapes and how they correlate with letters and words. There are varying types of dyslexia as well. Some may be more focused on speech, whereas others might be more focused on sight. There is no cure for dyslexia. However, methods can be used to help someone who has dyslexia live a productive life.

Family History Of Learning Disabilities

As with most disabilities and medical conditions in life, if there is a genetic precursor present, the likelihood of developing the same disability or condition is increased. For individuals who have a family history of learning disabilities, then it's likely the individual will also develop a learning disability, dyslexia or otherwise. For dyslexia, it appears to develop in the genes primarily responsible for telling the brain how to process reading and language. When these genes aren't performing their duties correctly, or are unable to communicate well, the brain has a problem in its processing functions. As such, the individual in question is unable to comprehend, at least with ease, the issue or task they are given.

While it doesn't always mean an individual who comes from a family with learning disabilities is going to also develop dyslexia, the precedence is there. Parents should keep a close eye on their child when they first enter school to determine if their learning processes are impaired or healthy.

Learn more on the causes and risk factors of dyslexia now.

Low Birth Weight

One study examined how children who had low birth weights performed with reading. They discovered children who had experienced a small birth weight were more likely to have a reading deficit than those who had a normal birth weight. Not only that, but these children also had poorer cognition and behavioral problems as a whole. They also possessed vocabulary problems and attention problems. As such, it could very well be a child who has a low birth weight could end up developing dyslexia.

This is likely due to the fact a low birth weight slows the building of the brain and its processes. It can also affect their emotional stability. Both, because the brain regulates emotions, and because the individual may feel isolated when they're not performing as well as the other children. Doctors also have determined one's birth weight can typically determine how large the brain will be in adult life. Since brains and spinal chords require room the more they develop, a low birth weight doesn't allow the brain and spinal chord to have that space.

Get to know more about the causes and risk factors of dyslexia now.