The first few years of every child’s school life determine their self-image and feelings of self-worth.
If they do well academically, they feel good about themselves and believe they will succeed.
On the other hand, if they constantly fall short in their reading, writing, and spelling, they develop defeatist attitudes.
It’s important that dyslexic children feel good about themselves. This is not easy to do when they are constantly struggling in school.
Everything they have difficulty with has high expectations from the teachers.
Every year, they see their friends and classmates perform well and move through school without any challenges, and the gap between what they should be doing and what they actually do widens.
When they constantly meet failure and frustration, they tell themselves that they are inferior to others and that no matter what they do they will never be equal to them.
They feel incompetent, abnormal, and powerless.
And call themselves “stupid.”
Some teachers and friends also call them “stupid.”
Research tells us that these feelings of inferiority develop by the time the child is ten years old.
Although not every child with dyslexia develops emotional issues and some are able to shrug off their struggles and move along cheerfully, this is a very serious matter for many of them.
If they do not receive help, they develop low self-esteem, self-doubt, and some withdraw. Others even run away from home.
It is important that parents recognize the signs that their children are experiencing emotional issues.
Here are 3 ways to spot them:
- Watch for signs of steadily increasing frustration when doing homework assignments.
- Look for patterns of avoidance of specific tasks and activities.
- Listen for frequent statements like, “I’m stupid.”
When the adults in their lives help and support children with dyslexia, they are better able to maintain a positive outlook on life and believe in the possibility of their success.
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