Chairman Board of Trustees, Dyslexia Foundation of Nigeria, Mr Ben Arikpo, made this known in Abuja, while expressing concerns about the rising cases of the learning disabilities among students in Nigeria.
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He said the report of a team of experts ondyslexia has also indicated that over 32 million Nigerians in and out of schools face educational exclusion and negative life outcomes on account ofdyslexia.
He disclosed that dyslexia affects everyone from the age of five and above, adding that before the age of five there would be signs and symptoms ofdyslexia on a child.
“For those of us who have children, there are certain developmental milestones that we expect children to have. If a child is nine months and is not making any sound, is not crawling, not sitting straight or able to sit, there is a tendency that the child might develop learning disability.
“At the age of two years, we expect a child to start to speak. When a child doesn’t speak at the age of two, sometimes they even get to the age of five six years before they begin to make first sound of words. So, delayed speech is another sign ofdyslexia.
“When they get to school while others are writing and learning letters, they find it difficult to write, read, spell and comprehend, children with dyslexia count their words ad do not have phonetic awareness, These signs and many others are what parents should look out for in their children and ensure they get special education,” he said.
He lamented that despite this alarming rate of school-age children affected by dyslexia, no attention has been paid to it by the government and other relevant stakeholders.
Arikpo noted that dyslexia has become the most common learning disability in the country and elsewhere in the world as it is estimated that the problem affects 15 to 20 per cent of persons in any given population.
He noted that awareness and necessary accommodation for persons with dyslexia are nonexistent in the Nigerian educational system adding that about 32 per cent of teachers attending trainings organised by the Foundation never heard about dyslexia before the training.
He said this lack of awareness among teachers, parents and peers had resulted in abuse of victims with the condition who lose their self-esteem in the process and sometimes, drop out of school.
He, therefore, called on government to take over the license for training of teachers in primary and secondary school ondyslexia to correct the condition among students.
Arikpo further decried the lack of workplace policies to protect the rights of people with the condition, adding that this has resulted in a culture of silence and denial among many people with dyslexia as they are afraid to come public with their status. “It is for this reason that the foundation has decided to mark the International Dyslexia Awareness Month with the 2nd National Conference ondyslexia in Nigeria and a follow-up teachers’ training this October,” he said.
He said the conference which is slated for October 29, 2018 would discuss and advocate for policy frameworks to support persons with dyslexia in Nigeria, as well as launch the first handbook ondyslexia for schools, teachers and families.
Dyslexia Foundation of Nigeria was established in 2015 with the goal of creating awareness, providing remediation, training and support to people with dyslexia.
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