At the
recently concluded Oscar Awards, John Travolta stole the limelight by
hilariously mispronouncing Idina Menzel’s name as “Adele Dazeem”, giving rise
to plenty laughs, parodies and ridiculing statements online. Some people,
however, spoke in defense of Travolta, suggesting that he had dyslexia, in which
case, it would have been unethical to jeer at him if he couldn’t help it. What
is dyslexia, and is it a legitimate excuse for “Adele Dazeem” to happen?
Dyslexia is the difficulty in learning to read (words,
images and numbers), in spite of at least average intelligence, sufficient
opportunities to learn to read and conventional learning methods. This
difficult is a result of the brain’s inability to translate images received
from the eyes or ears into a comprehensible language.
Dyslexia usually begins from childhood and persists
throughout life. It is difficult to detect in very early stages of childhood,
but the following are common symptoms of dyslexia in children:
- Writing letters and numbers in reversed way (most common warning sign, though not an absolute symptom of Dyslexia)
- Missing out words or entire parts of a sentence
- Speaks words that come out sounding funny
- Substituting a similar word that is wrong
- Writing letters and numbers in reversed way (most common warning sign, though not an absolute symptom of Dyslexia)
- Missing out words or entire parts of a sentence
- Speaks words that come out sounding funny
- Substituting a similar word that is wrong
- Frustration and bad temper from being unable to read
- Depression and low self-esteem, which leads to behavioural problems and display for school
- Problem remembering and understanding content even if it involves things he likes
- Uncoordinated movements, and difficulty with organised sports / games
- Difficulty distinguishing left and right, with dominance for either hand not established
- Difficulty recalling things in the right sequence
- Depression and low self-esteem, which leads to behavioural problems and display for school
- Problem remembering and understanding content even if it involves things he likes
- Uncoordinated movements, and difficulty with organised sports / games
- Difficulty distinguishing left and right, with dominance for either hand not established
- Difficulty recalling things in the right sequence
There are two common types of Dyslexia. Primary dyslexia is the dysfunction to the left side of the brain. It is
hereditary. Sufferers usually struggle with reading, spelling and writing as
adults. Secondary or developmental dyslexia results during early
stages of fetal development due to hormonal changes. It goes away as the child
matures.
If you suspect that your child has dyslexia, do consult a
paediatrician. There is no known treatment for dyslexia. However, the condition
can be managed and kept under control. Typically, a psychologist, speech
therapist and reading specialist would also be working with your child, amongst
other professionals. The school should also be informed of your child’s
condition so that the teacher can monitor his learning process accordingly.
Consider bringing him / her to a learning centre specially for those with
dyslexia. The Dyslexia Association of Singapore has many branches around Singapore.
And this brings us back to the question about John Travolta’s “Adele Dazeem”. If he can memorise songs, dances and scripts, just like many dyslexics who are able to read, speak and write normally, he certainly can memorise a name, and his failure to do most likely boils down to unprofessionalism, or having too much to drink. Fortunately, unlike the apologists abusing dyslexia as an excuse, he has done right by publicly apologising for his gaffe.
Sources:
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