A BBC article outlines how dyslexia may vary in other languages.
This BBC article begins by following a student who is a native English speaker who also spoke Japanese at school. It was described that he was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 13 and his English reading level was that of a 6-year-old. However, when he tested his Japanese reading skills, his reading level was excellent. This contrast can be attributed to differences in the languages as a whole.
For English readers, it is essential to know which sounds different letters represent as well as how those sounds create words (phonological awareness). For people with dyslexia, this skill is often difficult. However, phonological awareness is less of an issue with more picture-based characters-such as in Japanese writing. These differences do not lie only between English and Japanese as research shows that children who speak languages such as Welsh, Czech, Finnish, and Spanish tend to learn to read faster than English speakers. This is likely a result of the inconsistent English spellings, which often amplify some of the symptoms of dyslexia such as phonological awareness.
Overall, the article emphasizes how dyslexia may vary between different languages. More research on this concept could be useful in providing insight on how to best support students who may struggle with reading/writing in their language.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.