Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a type of specific learning disorder that primarily affects reading and writing skills.
Children with dyslexia may have difficulty recognising and spelling words accurately and fluently. They may also experience difficulties with reading comprehension. As a result, some children may become less interested in reading, which can affect their overall learning progress.
In Hong Kong, dyslexia is estimated to affect approximately 10% of children—around one in every ten students. It is identified approximately two to three times more often in boys than in girls.
According to information published by the Department of Health, common signs of reading and writing difficulties among school-age children include:
-
Has difficulty recognising words or Chinese characters despite repeated practice
-
Easily forgets words or characters that have previously been learnt
-
Confuses characters with a similar appearance, such as reading 「毛」 as 「手」
-
Confuses characters with similar or related meanings, such as reading 「友」 as 「朋」
-
Reads slowly and has difficulty understanding words and sentences
-
Skips lines, words or characters while reading
-
Easily becomes tired or develops headaches when reading
-
Has difficulty writing or spelling simple words or Chinese characters from memory despite repeated practice
-
Has difficulty understanding the structure of Chinese characters, frequently makes copying errors, and writes slowly
-
Produces poorly formed or uneven handwriting, reverses the direction of strokes, or has difficulty with spatial organisation
-
Adds or omits strokes, for example writing 「凍」 as 「涷」 or 「瓜」 as 「爪」
-
Reverses letters or parts of Chinese characters when writing—sometimes referred to as mirror writing—for example, writing “b” as “d” or 「防」 as 「邡」
-
Easily becomes tired when writing
Example 1
Example 2
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental condition, and no single definitive cause has been identified. There is currently no medication or treatment that can completely cure dyslexia. However, with patient support and appropriate educational interventions, a child’s reading and writing skills can improve significantly.
If parents notice that their child’s reading or writing abilities are considerably behind those of other children of the same age, they should arrange a professional assessment as early as possible.