Dyslexia is known to affect areas of the brain that process language and involves difficulty in reading due to problems in identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. This fact is still largely unknown to many students with dyslexia, and unfortunately there exists a huge knowledge gap among many parents and teachers about the academic needs of these students. In Nigeria and many other African countries, dyslexia has not yet been recognized as a specific learning disability.

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Globally, it is estimated that dyslexia occurs in at least one in 10 people, putting more than 700 million children and adults worldwide at risk of life-long illiteracy and social exclusion (Dyslexia International, 2017).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Nigeria, it is estimated that there are more than 1.5 million cases per year. These alarming statistics and the significant impact of dyslexia on the learning and educational development of students requires urgent and intensive efforts to address from policy levels down to actual implementation of teaching strategies by teachers and parents. 

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Fortunately, research shows that when teachers are trained in early dyslexia identification and intervention, 90 percent of children with dyslexia can be educated in the regular inclusive classroom (Dyslexia International, 2017). Even more heart-warming is the fact that strategies for teaching students with dyslexia will be of great benefit to both students with dyslexia as well as their non-dyslexic peers who are only learning how to read.

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