Why is Dyslexia discouraging and frustrating to the Dyslexic learner?

• their inability to meet expectations :
  • other people’s eg, parents, teachers
  • his own

This is particularly true for those who develop perfectionistic expectations to deal with their anxiety. As a result, the dyslexic learner feels chronically inadequate.

• Inconsistency in performance, makes a dyslexic learner feels like he/she is walking into black holes.

The dyslexic learner’s performance varies from day to day; confusing to dyslexic as well as others in his/her environment.

Emotional Issues

Anxiety

This is the most frequent emotional symptom reported by dyslexic adults. They are fearful because they anticipate failure; thus leading to anxiety. With anxiety, comes avoidance behavior; and hence often dyslexics are labeled as lazy or apathetic

Anger

Frustration with school or social situations often leads to anger. A dyslexic may feel Angry with school and parents and it is very common for dyslexics to vent anger on parents especially mothers in the safety of the home.

Self Image

A dyslexic often has poor self image :

when he succeeds, he attributes it to luck, when he fails, he thinks he is stupid

Research shows that feelings of inferiority develops by the age of ten

Depression

Dyslexics have a higher risk of depression, often having negative thoughts about themselves

They sometimes view world negatively and has trouble imagining anything positive about the future

Problems with social relationships

Dyslexics tend to be physically and socially immature in comparison to their peers. This social immaturity often leads to awkward social situations. Often they are teased and ostracized by schoolmates as a result of their learning difficulty.

Some dyslexics have difficulty with reading social cues such as personal distance and body language which is a disadvantage as they enter adolescence.