Affects Of Dyslexia
Biological
Whist many researchers studying dyslexia come from an interdisciplinary they all agree that dyslexia has a physiological basis and future brain imaging studies will reveal further evidence.
A study into the dyslexic brain identified less grey matter in the area of the cerebellum (Brambati, 2004 & Silani, et al 2005) this is an indication that the brains of people with dyslexia often show symmetry across hemispheres of the planum temporal (Hynd et al, 1989). New technology such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are increasingly being used to observe the active processes within the brain as well as the structure. As a result studies have shown that in phonological and short-term memory tasks the dyslexic sample displayed less activation across the left hemisphere than the control group.
Cognitive
There is a general agreement that dyslexia is the result of brain differences that lead to cognitive difficulties in processing information received from the senses. A principal cognitive deficit relates to poor phonological awareness. As the phonological deficit does not account for all of the behavioural symptoms associated with dyslexia, other cognitive explanations are needed and, as yet, these remain hypotheses with empirical support.
Lovegrove (1991) points out that up to 70% of people with dyslexia experience mild visual disturbances such as words appearing to move and these often co-occur with phonological problems; this suggest that both problems might have a common cause. As Frith suggests, cognitive perspectives cannot be taken in isolation as they relate to biological factors and also affects behaviour.
Emotional
The relationship between self-esteem and achievement is reported in a large number of studies (Filozof et al 1998; Hay et al 1998; Burton 2005) the frustration of dyslexia often centres on a person’s inability to meet expectations, especially within education, parents and teachers see a bright and enthusiastic student who is not learning to read or write. Over time a dyslexic person will hear comments like “You have the ability to achieve, if only you would try harder.” Ironically, no one knows exactly how hard the dyslexic is trying. The pain of failing to meet other people's expectations is surpassed only by dyslexics' inability to achieve their goals. This is particularly true of those who develop perfectionist expectations in order to deal with their anxiety. They grow up believing that it is "terrible" to make a mistake.
Behaviour
Study have shown a high level of disruptive behaviour among children with dyslexia in education which links in with the emotional factors above however studies have shown that anti-social behaviour do not persist in adulthood, showing that the change in environment could alter behaviour or that dyslexic people find out what they are good at after high school and focus their energy onto their strengths rather than people pointing out their weaknesses.
Environmental
The theory that dyslexia can have a purely environmental explanation was excluded in the early exclusion; however there is evidence that while environment does not explain dyslexia, it can dramatically affect the extent to which difficulties are experienced. Snow (1991) showed that children who were exposed to a literate environment were more likely to progress well with reading and MacLean et al (1987) found that children familiar with nursery rhymes performed better at both reading and phonological awareness. Similarly, Clay (1990) found that the school environment was crucial and the methods used to teach reading had a fundamental effect on a child’s progress