The Benefits of Dance for Dyspraxics and Dyslexics
A STUDY OF THE PROBLEMS INHERENT IN THE DYSLEXIC OR DYSPRAXIC CHILD AND THE RELATIVE BENEFITS OF DANCE.
As a consequence of my career in the teaching of dance, I have had some practical experience working with dyslexic and dyspraxic children for a number of years now and have become increasingly interested in the problems they face. In having this study to write an ideal opportunity arose to research the subjects in more detail. In doing so I have discovered how vast it really is and how difficult it is to write even an explanation of the conditions. “No two dyslexics are alike” ,[1] so how can one state precisely what it is? Even the different institutions who are expert in their fields differ. My aim is to open up the subjects, provoking some interest in the reader to learn more about them and then to focus on how I feel dance can be of assistance in the child’s life, albeit in very different ways. To cover just one subject thoroughly would be impossible, but I hope, in skimming the surface, I can demonstrate how important these issues are. I do not claim expertise. The information that I have used comes from reliable sources (see Bibliography) and includes personal opinions. The essential fact is that although the two words sound similar, they are very different problems. There are many definitions of dyslexia. The International Dyslexia Association states that; “dyslexia is a neurologically based, often familial, disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language” .[2] British Dyslexics say simply “individuals….struggle to learn through the medium of written or spoken language” ,[3] but have a list of definitions from other sources which include “dyslexia is the ability to see multidimensionally, all at once, or from any one place at a time. The ability to think in pictures and to register those pictures as real. Thus, you mix in creative thinking with reality and change what is seen or heard” .[4] The percentage of
As a consequence of my career in the teaching of dance, I have had some practical experience working with dyslexic and dyspraxic children for a number of years now and have become increasingly interested in the problems they face. In having this study to write an ideal opportunity arose to research the subjects in more detail. In doing so I have discovered how vast it really is and how difficult it is to write even an explanation of the conditions. “No two dyslexics are alike” ,[1] so how can one state precisely what it is? Even the different institutions who are expert in their fields differ. My aim is to open up the subjects, provoking some interest in the reader to learn more about them and then to focus on how I feel dance can be of assistance in the child’s life, albeit in very different ways. To cover just one subject thoroughly would be impossible, but I hope, in skimming the surface, I can demonstrate how important these issues are. I do not claim expertise. The information that I have used comes from reliable sources (see Bibliography) and includes personal opinions. The essential fact is that although the two words sound similar, they are very different problems. There are many definitions of dyslexia. The International Dyslexia Association states that; “dyslexia is a neurologically based, often familial, disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language” .[2] British Dyslexics say simply “individuals….struggle to learn through the medium of written or spoken language” ,[3] but have a list of definitions from other sources which include “dyslexia is the ability to see multidimensionally, all at once, or from any one place at a time. The ability to think in pictures and to register those pictures as real. Thus, you mix in creative thinking with reality and change what is seen or heard” .[4] The percentage of