Article: In preschool children, the first sign of dyslexia a parent or caregiver might notice is that the child doesn’t easily pick up on nursery rhymes. For example, “Jack and Jill/went up the hill…” is an easy rhyme that most children find easy to memorize. A child who has dyslexia may not find this easy or simple.  Rhyming words, such as cat, bat, rat, might not be noticed by a preschooler with dyslexia. You might notice a child who has dyslexia showing reluctance or difficulty with rhyming games. A child with dyslexia might have a hard time seeing that b and d are different letters. A preschool or early elementary student might not recognize the letters of his own name.  The child might not connect the sound of the letter with its shape. You might notice that the child relies on the pictures of a text rather than the words. For example, the child might say “puppy” in reference to the word dog, relying on the picture rather than the letters d-o-g. Even if the child has learned to read, difficulties may persist well into teen years. While most students may be able to “sound out” or “take a guess” at the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word, a student with dyslexia is unlikely to be able to do this.  Learning foreign languages is likely to be very difficult for a student who has dyslexia, and he will probably avoid speaking aloud in these courses. The student may have a hard time seeing or hearing the differences between words. Many people with dyslexia pause frequently as they speak. You might notice them saying, “Um….” or appearing nervous as they speak aloud. They might seem to struggle to retrieve the appropriate word, or use more general terminology, such as “stuff” or “things” rather than the proper names.  Their spoken vocabulary is often much smaller than their listening vocabulary. They may understand much more of what’s being said than they can express. Despite an average or above-average intelligence, they may have difficulty participating in class. Someone with dyslexia is likely to have weaker organizational abilities. These might show themselves through difficulties in ordering things sequentially. Their handwriting is often awkward and hard to decipher.  They might seem to have poor time management, or difficulties organizing herself in relation to an expected time frame or deadline. Someone who has dyslexia may have a different concept of time than other people. You might notice that someone who has dyslexia is frequently late to appointments, or even miss them altogether despite good intentions. This means that reading ability is not a sign of intelligence, or lack of intelligence, in a child who has dyslexia. Most children with dyslexia have average or above-average intellectual abilities. Just keep in mind that a person’s reading ability isn’t an accurate reflection of his intelligence.  You might start to notice other signs of intelligence often associated with dyslexia, such as creativity and excellent abstract thinking skills. Often you might start to see strong skills developing in non-reading areas, such as computers, visual arts, music or sports. If a person has unidentified dyslexia, chances are she has developed a good number of coping strategies to minimize the struggles she has with reading. Some examples are:  Someone who has dyslexia might be better at finding clues in pictures or illustrations to grasp content. A person who has dyslexia might be more able than most students to learn from listening to a presentation. She might even memorize what people say as a means of not having to write it down. A student who has dyslexia might be more attentive than most to what teachers and classmates are saying.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Notice a difficulty in learning rhyming patterns. Observe difficulty with letter recognition. Notice avoidance of reading out loud. Observe difficulty in speaking fluidly. Be aware of organizational challenges. Know that dyslexia means difficulty reading at the expected level. Pay attention to coping skills in teens and adults.
Article: Even if you went through a similar experience, realize that everyone copes in different ways. You may describe how you felt during that experience or suggest ideas that might help, but understand that the other person may be going through a different struggle.  Instead, try saying something like, "I can only imagine how hard this must be for you. I know how sad I was when my own dog died." Most importantly, never claim that your own problems are more serious (even if you feel that way). You are here to support the other person. Acknowledge that the other person's problems are real. Focus on listening to his/her problems and supporting him/her as s/he deals with them, not telling him/her that they're not worth the attention.  Try not to accidentally minimize or invalidate your friend's experience. For example, if you try to comfort a friend who has lost her pet by saying, "I'm sorry you lost your dog. At least it could be worse - you could have lost a member of your family," you're actually invalidating her grief for her pet, even if you don't mean it that way. This could make her feel reluctant to share her feelings with you, or even feel ashamed of them herself.  Another example of invalidation is the well-meaning, "Don't feel that way." For example, if your friend is struggling with body image issues after an illness and tells you that he feels unattractive, it would be unhelpful to reply: "Don't think like that! You're still attractive." This tells your friend that he is "wrong" or "bad" for having his feelings. You can validate the feelings without agreeing with the idea behind them. For example: "I hear you saying that you're feeling unattractive, and I'm so sorry that hurts you. That must really suck. If it helps, I think you're still very attractive."  Similarly, don't say "at least it's not as bad as it could be." This can be interpreted both as a dismissal of the person's problems, and as a reminder of additional problems in the person's life. S/he may not be comforted by such statements, or s/he may even be offended by such statements. They can often feel impersonal or prepackaged. It is usually best to keep your focus on the person you are interacting with and what you can do for him/her. For example, you may be a deeply religious person who believes in an afterlife, but the other person does not. It may feel natural to you to say something like, "At least your loved one is in a better place now," but the other person may not get comfort from that. It's reasonable to suggest a course of action that you think might help someone, but don't stress the person out by bringing it up repeatedly. You might see it as an obvious, easy solution, but recognize that the other person might not agree. Once you have said your piece, let it go. You may be able to bring up the point again if new information comes up. For example, "I know you don't want to take pain medication, but I heard about a safer drug that might have fewer risks. Are you interested in the name so you can research it yourself?" If the person declines, drop it. You may think the other person's problems are petty, or less serious than your own. You may even be jealous of someone whose problems seem so minor. This is not the correct time to bring this up, and you may never have a good opportunity to do so. It's better to politely say goodbye and leave the room, rather than express your irritation. Some people think that "tough love" is an effective therapy technique, but this is the opposite of acting sympathetic. If someone is grieving or sad for a long period of time, s/he may be depressed. In this case, s/he should talk to a doctor or therapist; trying to get him/her to "toughen up" or "move on" is not helpful. This may seem obvious, but during stressful times, it can be easy to lose control of your emotions. If you find yourself arguing with the person, insulting him/her, or criticizing his/her behavior, leave the room and apologize once you've calmed down. Do not even jokingly insult someone who needs sympathy. S/he may be feeling vulnerable and easily hurt.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Avoid claiming to know or understand what someone is going through. Avoid minimizing or invalidating the other person's feelings. Avoid expressing personal beliefs that the other person does not share. Stay away from pressuring someone to use your solution. Remain calm and kind. Don't act hard or uncaring. Don't insult the person.