What are “dys” disorders? Behind these three letters are hiding neuro-developmental disorders that affect more and more children but also adults, often diagnosed late. Like ADHD, they have been mediated problems for only a few years but which, in reality, affects young people, especially, for a very long time. There are 5 major dys disorders: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysorthography, dyspraxia and dysphasia. These disorders concern 1 to 2 children per class, according to the French Federation of DYS.
On the occasion of the “National DYS Day” on October 11, we offer some signs, not exhaustive, associated with dys disorders frequently observed in children. The presence of these signs does not automatically mean that there is a proven disorder. If you have a doubt, it is essential to get closer to a healthcare professional to evoke the possibility of a diagnosis. These are disorders that strongly impact the daily lives of children, in particular, but also certain adults, and personalized support can help considerably.
A child who, due to certain difficulties, feels different
Table of Contents
The family of neuro-developmental disorders is complex: it is not only a question of identifying dysgraphy, or dyslexia. Unfortunately, the dys attract and accumulate. We speak, for example, of dyspraxia, when we see difficulties related to writing-when it is irregular, illegible or clumsy-but this disorder also refers to persistent clumsiness, difficulties in actions such as cutting, for example, or coloring, but also a delay on laces, bicycle …
In “Super Dys”the first graphic novel for children on neurodiversity and Dys disorders, Christelle Bechouche and Juliette Bertaudière treat the subject admirably by exploring the daily life and emotions of Plum, 8 -year -old girl. We follow her through her difficulties to the right diagnosis. The girl evokes the start of the school year as “The worst day of his life”and suffers from the mockery of others as she feels different. If your child sometimes seems to be affected by the gaze of others, if you yourself feel that there are atypical things in his learning or his relationship with others, it is relevant to explore the subject with a professional.
A child who sulks reading
“He doesn’t like to read”: Thus, too often, parents miss the presence of dyslexia in their children. Some children seem to sulk this activity. We quickly see that they are affected by a particularly slow reading, with a lot of hesitations or errors, for example.
It can be, not a certain “lazy” with respect to reading, but a real problem of dyslexia. Certain signs are put forward by psychologists, psychomotricians and speech therapists: the confusion of letters or its similar such as for example the B and the D, the forgetting of certain words in a sentence, or inversions. This is why taking the time to talk about it with a professional is a good decision in order to verify the possible presence of dys difficulties.
The presence of great difficulties in mathematics
Like writing or reading, the existence of difficulties can quickly become an irritant among parents: “He’s null in math” is a quickly formulated observation when spent a weekend tear off your hair to try to help your child on math homework. Yet, persistent difficulties can be linked to a neur-developmental disorder. Dyscalculia is distinguished in the presence of difficulties in memorizing tables or making simple calculations, confusion in the order of figures or operations, difficulties in understanding concepts like “greater than” / “smaller than” or even the forgetting of certain stages in a mathematical problem.
A child who expresses anxiety about doing his mathematics exercises is a child who suffers from his own difficulties. An in -depth examination with an expert could make it possible to understand the origin of these difficulties and to evoke a potential dyscalculia. Such a diagnosis, which can only be made by a professional, allows the family to find personalized arrangements to help the child overcome these difficulties.
A child suffering from a lack of self -confidence
In their book “Super dys”, the authors underline the‘Importance of the diagnosis to relieve parents as children of a fatality and open up to new adaptive solutions. If your child is concerned, this book is an essential to help him understand what he lives and especially show him that this neuroatypia is a “super power”, a unique, creative way, to understand the world and to acquire knowledge.
Once we have put words on our difficulties, we can indeed tame them. This is the case of the young plum and his parents who will seek tailor-made solutions and boost the potential of plum. It is essential to allow children to compose with their difficulties and make them strength.
Source: Super Dys, Christelle Béchouche and Juliette Bertaudière, Éditions Les Arènes
