A child who has dyslexia may not be able to hear speech in the same way that other people do. As a result it will be harder for a child to understand how words are pronounced or sequenced. With dyslexic children the brain can become unable to distinguish speech at an early age as it cannot process data that relates to how certain words are handled in speech.

It is widely believed that a common condition known as glue ear causes this. Glue ear often occurs following a cold or ear infection, and the ears become unable to drain effectively. Because the ears of a child with glue ear are filled with fluid, sounds become distorted. If you think of how things sound when you have your ears immersed in a pool or bath, for example, this will give you some idea of how it sounds for a child with glue ear. A child could have this condition for some time before you become aware of it. If they have glue ear during the early years when they are learning to speak, the words will sound different to them, therefore they will pronounce them as they hear them.

In fact, glue ear is a major cause of dyslexia. If your child cannot hear the different sounds that make up a word, they will have difficulty developing the skills that allow them to differentiate the constituent parts of words. This can also result in a delay in learning to speak and problems with remembering words.

As a result of this condition your child will end up pronouncing words incorrectly. This can also influence how your child reads, because words will sound different when they are read aloud when compared to the sound that your child usually associates with that word.

For example, because of glue ear, your child may not hear the sound of the letter ‘j’ properly, and it could sound like a letter ‘d’ to them. Therefore, the word ‘jar’ may sound like ‘dar.’ Consequently, when they see the word ‘jar’ in a book, they may have no concept of the ‘j’ sound.

For many children, once their glue ear is cured, their speech should improve accordingly. However, this will already have impacted on their ability to learn to read. Many schools now use special techniques to help children recognize different sounds.

Diana Vogel