FORUM SCRIPT

TITLE : UNDERSTANDING DYSLEXIA IN CHILDREN

GROUP MEMBERS : NUR AFINI BINTI ZULKIFLI (MODERATOR)
NUR HUSNINA SYAYSA BINTI JOHAR (PANEL 1)
AMIRAH NUR AISYAH BINTI SAMSULAMRI (PANEL 2)
PPISMP PK2

ROUND 1
Moderator :
Assalamualaikum and a very good morning.

Welcome to our forum organise by The Dyslexia Association of Malaysia.

We are bless to be gather here together to write a forum about an important topic, entitle
“Understanding Dyslexia in Children”.

We are proud to be here today to share and gain knowledge on what is dyslexia, the causes,
effects and ways to help them. I would like to introduce our panel for today’s forum. On my
left is Madam Husnina Syasya, Vice President of PERMATA. Next to her, our well-known
Doctor, Dr Amirah Nur Aisyah binti Samsulamri, Vice Caunselor of University Malaya. They
will be sharing their great opinion and experiences on these topic.

My first question that I will be ask to all panels, as we know dyslexia means problem learning
how to read words and deal with language in print. Historically, dyslexia has been used to
describe difficulty in reading as a result of brain damage. The Davis Model describes
dyslexia as difficulty in reading or language processing as a result of intermittent
disorientation. This disorientation comes from conflicting messages to the brain, for example,
when the eyes are telling the brain one thing but senses of balance and movement are
saying something different. So, Madam Husnina Syasya can you explain to us the real
definition of dyslexia?
Panel 1 :

Actually, there have many kind of dyslexia definition. Although there are many formal and
acceptable definitions of dyslexia, the following is offered as a guide for information on
dyslexia. Based on the director of educational programmes at Edublox, Susandu Plessis,
dyslexia consists of a child who has an average or above-average IQ, but with a big
discrepancy between his potential and what he can do in terms of reading, and spelling.
However, based on The Dyslexia Association of Malaysia, the definition of Dyslexia is a
learning disorder characterised by problems in processing words into meaningful
information. This is the most strongly reflected in difficulty in learning to read and write.
Based on the research, there are an estimated 600,000 schoolgoing children with dyslexia
whose special needs often go unnoticed in our education system. Now, this is set to change,
thanks to the efforts of a team of trainers from the Dyslexia Association of Malaysia or
Persatuan Dyslexia Malaysia(PDM).

Moderator:

Thank you Madam Husnina Syasya, that was really great ideas on definition of dyslexia.
So,we can conclude that dyslexia is not a disease but a lifelong condition. Dr. Amirah, in
your opinion, what is the main causes of dyslexia?

Panel 2 :

Thank you Miss Afini. There are many things that might become the factors of
dyslexia among our society. Here are the main causes that I can give:

As of now, Gail Grodzinsky, Ph.D. said that. It is thought that dyslexia may be caused by
hereditary, teratogenic factors (for instance, alcohol or cocaine use during pregnancy),
medical factors (premature birth, diabetes, meningitis of mother or offspring), and/or
environmental factors (malnutrition, poor prenatal healthcare). A leading theory among
scientists is that learning disabilities stem from subtle disturbances in the way brain
structures are formed. Researchers are also studying genetic links.
Besides that, Sheldon Horowitz, Ed.D said that,. Some possibilities include:

1. Heredity: Often, learning disabilities run in the family, so it’s not uncommon to find that
people with learning disabilities have parents or other relatives with similar difficulties.

2. Problems during pregnancy and birth: Learning disabilities may be caused by illness or
injury during or before birth. It may also be caused by low birth weight, lack of oxygen, drug
and alcohol use during pregnancy, and premature or prolonged labor.

3. Incidents after birth: Head injuries, nutritional deprivation, and exposure to toxic
substances (i.e. lead) can contribute to learning disabilities.

Learning disabilities are NOT caused by economic disadvantage, environmental factors, or

cultural differences. In fact, there is frequently no apparent cause for learning disabilities.

David Urion, M.D.:

There appears to be no one cause of learning disabilities. We know that some appear to be
hereditary — for example, dyslexia and certain other language-based learning disorders
seem to pass through families. In other instances, early brain injury — such as can occur as
a consequence of prematurity — is associated with learning disabilities. Certain toxic
exposures, such as lead, can produce injury to the developing brain and lead to learning
disabilities. Many remain obscure in their origins.

Cheryl Weinstein, Ph.D.:

More generally, there are multiple factors that cause learning disabilities, including atypical
brain organization. Specifically, there may be differences in cells or in the basic “hard-wiring”
of the brain. One patient explained that his brain “was wired by a non-union electrician.”
There also may be differences in brain development due to metabolic disorders such as
maternal diabetes or thyroid disease. Parental alcohol abuse and maternal smoking are well-
known agents contributing to childhood learning problems. In addition, there may be stress
to the baby during birth when there is sudden lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain (anoxic
events).
ROUND 2

Moderator :Thank you Dr. Amirah. That’s very helpful information from Dr. Amirah. We must
keep it as an advice from a specialist in special education. Next, I would like to ask Madam
Husnina Syasya to explain to all of us the symptoms of dyslexia in children?

Panel 1 :

Dyslexia impacts people in varying degrees, so symptoms may differ from one child to
another. Generally, symptoms show up as problems with accuracy and fluency in reading
and spelling. But in some kids, dyslexia can impact writing, math and language, too.

A key sign of dyslexia in kids is trouble decoding words. This is the ability to match letters to
sounds and then use that skill to read words accurately and fluently.

In some kids, dyslexia isn’t picked up until later on, when they have trouble with more
complex skills. These may include grammar, reading comprehension, reading fluency,
sentence structure and more in-depth writing.

One potential sign of dyslexia is when kids avoid reading, both out loud and to themselves.
Kids may even get anxious or frustrated when reading. This can happen even after they’ve
mastered the basics of reading. Dyslexia doesn’t just affect learning. It can impact everyday
skills and activities, as well. These include social interaction, memory and dealing with
stress.

Moderator:

That it’s a good answer for us. Thank you, Madam Husnina Syasya for the great explanation
regarding the symptoms of dyslexia. Next, I have one question for Dr. Amirah. Can you tell
us the recommendation prevention for dyslexia children?
Panel 2 :

Thank you Miss Afini, these soe methods that will help dyslexia kids to improve their
reading and speaking skills day by day.

1.Multi-sensory: 

Reading instruction should include as many of the senses as possible: seeing, hearing,
feeling (tactile), and awareness of motion (kinesthetic). The more senses used, the more
areas of the brain that are going to be stimulated and more learning is going to take place.
By making instruction multi-sensory, say by building words with tiles and tapping the sounds
to read, we are using sight, hearing, and feeling. For more troublesome tasks such as say
learning sight words, we can add in more kinesthetic exercises like tapping on the arm to
make information more sticky. The more senses used at once the better as well.

2. Direct and explicit: 

Everything in each lesson is explicitly taught – all content is explained to students – what is
to be learned, why it is to be learned, and how it is to be learned. It should never be
assumed that a dyslexic learner will infer information that has to do with reading. Everything
must be taught, practiced and discussed.

3. Systematic:   

I never fully understood this until I did my dyslexia certification course. What this means is
that each rule, that is directly and explicitly taught, is taught in the same manner – or
systematically. For example, when I teach the closed syllable – I teach the rule, provide a
rule card for reference, demonstrate the rule with letter tiles and then word cards and have
my child sort word cards with both open and closed syllables. Then when I teach each new
syllable type (there are 6 or 7 depending on who you ask) I follow the same routine. The idea
behind this is that the progression becomes familiar and less brainpower is used to grasp
the method and is saved for the more important task such as remembering and practicing
the rule being taught.  Also, lessons are the same every day.
ROUND 3

Moderator :Thank you Dr. Amirah for the explaination. I hope that everybody can apply this
ways of prevention to help children with dyslexia.
Alright, ladies and gentleman.
Without wasting our times, let hear the last words from our great panelist as the conclusion
for this forum.

Panel 1 :

"The universe is not going to see someone like you again in the entire history of creation"
-Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Unawareness brings uneasiness, a sense of being lost, and one has the tendency to focus
on the negative side of the story. Furthermore, if we don't understand how a person
functions we can't help them. 

Why not we bring more awareness of the different learning styles and use all our energy on
positive matters by focusing our attention on dyslexia child’s strengths and uniqueness so
they can fully develop in the person they really are.

Having a learning disability doesn’t need to be a disadvantage, it’s just a different learning
style. Why not we approach learning disabilities from their advantages instead of their
disadvantages. There are many famous people with dyslexia, like Albert Einstein, Thomas
Edison, and Walt Disney. For your information, our well-known local rapper, Altimet also has
dyslexia, but from what he achieved today, he proved that learning disabilities people can
also be successful. They are a living proof that learning differences can be a serious
advantage. Furthermore, those advantages are in demand in the information age, and this
trend will grow further.

To name a few creativity, being holistic, There is already a great demand for creative and
problem solving abilities, and the demand will become even bigger in the future. We
can provide humanity with all those important abilities who are already there. We only need
to be nurturing them, so they have the opportunity to shine and to serve humanity.
Panel 2 :

If one develops in a positive, supportive and optimistic surrounding, where one

receives understanding and respect as an individual; it's more likely one will develop
in to self-confident person.

The person will be more focused on his strengths and successes no matter how
small they are; they will give a positive energy and the possibility to accomplish
more. Even to tackle the disadvantage of the learning disability.

Moderator:

Finally, we come to end part of our forum. I would like to thank our two panels for their
contributions in enlightning us about the issues in hand that is Understanding Dyslexia in
Children, and also for the informative and interseting talks. I would also have to say thank to
audience for the attention and active participation. Hopefully this forum will be beneficial for
everybody.

Assalamualaikum and have a great day.