I've got two younger brothers both of whom are dyslexic and have got ADHD.
These are two very serious learning disorders than can hinder a child from
learning like his peers.

For those who don't know:

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that mainly affects reading and spelling. Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties in processing word-sounds and by weaknesses in short-term verbal memory; its effects may be seen in spoken language as well as written language.  The current evidence suggests that these difficulties arise from inefficiencies in language-processing areas in the left hemisphere of the brain which, in turn, appear to be linked to genetic differences.  

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. This disorder leaves a lot of kids acting on impulse and being unable to concentrate on the task at hand. Major symptoms of the disorder include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention.

I know that there are SO MANY kids in Nigeria that have this disorder (my brothers used to be part of that group till we moved out of the country) and because there is little (if any) provision for kids with special needs, these kids end up not learning, being written off by impatient teachers and ending up living meaningless lives (unless God intervenes).

I haven't been to Nigeria in a while and I would like to know if people know about these disorders (that are only 2 on the list of many other leaning disorders that a lot of people have) and what is being done to help kids with them. If nothing's being done yet, do yall have any ideas? I've got loads and I would love to share my ideas with whoever is willing to contribute to this thread. I think that is very important and should be a VERY big part of the whole Education for All campaign.

CHEERS EVERYBODY!! 

Its rather interesting that some people are thinking along with me .In the last few days my thats has gone out to young men and women with learning difficulties in Nigeria and how they are coping.Specifically i had been thinking about pervasive developmental disorder -autistic spectrum disorder and how people and family with children having these disorders cope . i know fully well that our social service is poorly developed,occupational therapy non existent and nursing and medical skills no where to be found.
Naija people to deal with this problem education is vital as our people are too stigmatised to seek help. Until people start to seek medical help and hospitals see a need for establishing this departments something will star to flow.
people with learning disability deserve the best just like any body out there-although we no know who better as the difference no much self -joke.
i currently work as a psychiatrist in the UK with experience in learning disability and the situation back home in terms of caring for this group of patients is depressing. Baba God will help us.

PrincessMo, your article attracted my interest as i have a son with dyslexia and i am finding it very difficult to get a solution to it here in Nigeria. Its getting frustrating. Please tell me more how your brothers were able to overcome it. Direct mails/hints to my e-mail box is welcome - nike_adegoke200@yahoo.com

Thank you.

bless you poster for bringing this topic to light. i fear dyslexia is what my neighbour's nephew is suffering from but i can't just explain it to them in basic layman terms. at 13 his handwriting is indecipherable, he can't spell simple everyday words (kettle, police, lizard etc) and he can't read a sentence straight. i didn't know what i got myself into when i agreed to tutor him at my leisure. but as we went on, it occurred to me that maybe he's dyslexic not dull. but i'm no educational therapist to diagnose such and i don't know how to explain the condition to semi-literates. what even beats me more is the way the poor boy get called all sort of names by his guardians, its really hurting his self esteem and affecting his progress.

I haven't been to Nigeria in a while and I would like to know if people know about these disorders (that are only 2 on the list of many other leaning disorders that a lot of people have) and what is being done to help kids with them. If nothing's being done yet, do yall have any ideas? I've got loads and I would love to share my ideas with whoever is willing to contribute to this thread. I think that is very important and should be a VERY big part of the whole Education for All campaign.

CHEERS EVERYBODY!!  Smiley

it will be nice if you shared it with us here, it'll go a long way in changing at least one  person's life.

cheers to you too

Nice thread. So what are the likely causes of this disorder and what are the basic steps towards its correction?

.

This is indeed a rare and uncommon diagnosis in Nigeria. The care giver is likely to conclude-'the pikin not know book'. Nothing do am.

Pennywise:

This is indeed a rare and uncommon diagnosis in Nigeria. The care giver is likely to conclude-'the pikin not know book'

There is nothing rare aboout it or uncommon about it,its just underdiagnosed
the yoruba will say the boy no dey hear word
hausa people will say yaron nan dakiki ne
and ibo people will say the boy get ogbanje

so many underdiagnosed ailments,

A friend and I were discussing this a few days ago. The fact that people in our society do not see the need to visit the doctor once in a while except for some serious ailment is one of the major reasons why people do not even detect these disorders in children, as one poster mentioned the children are quickly classified as olodos by care givers, teachers and peers. non of the many NGOs around care to look into such issues, they are only concerned about what will bring them quick money.

It is high time we rise up and make known some of these issues that are secretly lurking in the background and putting alot of strain on families.

It might interst you to know that Albert Einstein was regarded as a slow learner which resulted to his withdrawal but today, we all know became of him.

Also, I knew a number of friends who had this problem but today, they are dominating where they are.

Just watch out for those your brothers.

Aha!

Now we need the services of Dr. Gregory House (Identify the problem and profer a lasting solution)

I am really interested in this! pls inbox me tips, if u can't share them here: kuulmc@yahoo.com thanks

I have seen them before and they dont have solutions for them expect technical skills.

Interesting topic. I wanted to ask about something related to this but never did till now. My niece is so hyperactive i think something is wrong somewhere. She is ten but can't tell time,she lies,forget things immediately you say it, and very careless. The positive side is that she is brilliant in school except for maths. Her teachers complain she doesn't pay attention in class. Does it mean that she is suffering from ADHD? I will appreciate a good answer. Thanks.

This thread was started in April 2008, that's about 3 years ago and there's been no response from the original poster. I hope this gets his attention and he comes back to shed more light on the cause and solution of this very serious problem.

I have a cousin had this problem His younger and elder siblings made jest of him so much that his self esteem was at the lowest ebb.

Today, he's 19 and studying Engineering in a Nigerian University. Everyone is surprised that he's achieved so much and gone as far as he has but I must tell you that it wasn't easy.

I was his tutor for a short while. I was very patient, loving and encouraging and I am proud to say; I contributed to his success story because he learnt to read with my help.

I am not a professional but I think what these set of people need most is patience and encouragement.

Its quite intresting. When i was a kid, i was always called stubborn, playful, knuckle head. My Pops would want to beat book into me.

Some how as far back as my Primary 1, i got to understand that as long as you passed the 3rd term exam, you moved to the next class. so i could be the last in the class but by 3rd term i was top 5. Anyways moved on to secondary school from class 5, was doing well but when i wasn't getting the attention i wanted from my folks; my grades started dropping. By ss3 i couldn't say the multiplication table.

my tutor told me i was just wasting my Pop's money. I swallowed it but still kept pushing.

Right now there's hardly anything under the sun that i don't have a clue about. I got degrees & certification under my portfolio, and will defend them, any day.
I have gathered so much knowledge and experience because i wanted to prove the world wrong.

Such kids need only to be loved and they are special

This is a great post indeed, even if its only to enlighten others. They say enlightenment is the death of ignorance. I had a personal situation that Id like to share with everyone. My last child,a boy of 12 yrs was not doing well in math. I have two other kids older then him, a boy in university and a daughter doing very well at the highest level in secondary school. I brushed it off as not being anything major, but in his last year in primary school, I noticed a steep decline in his grades. I couldn't figure it out. I thought well it must be the school etc etc. Being a partime business school lecturer and a banker, I thought if I can help bachelor level students and investors, then I should be able to help my own son. I just need to make time. So i did. In the weekends Id make time and during the week I would leave small assignments he could do just to keep the brain warm so to speak. But it wasn't long before I noticed strange things. He would mix up his numbers, 17 would be written as 71. Also steps in calculations he just couldn't grasp. Basic math analogies he could understand. His handwriting was also not that good. It took a lot of patience to not want to scream of get angry, since he is a bright and a sweet kid. Also when he expresses himself in speech you cant believe its the same kid. To cut to the chase, I started investigating and talking to learning disability experts. Turns out he has dyscalculia. In short Dyslexia with numbers. Every characteristic he had, everything. So we took him to get tested. Turns out he has it. In short the section of the brain that takes care of how you visualise and due calculations is not functioning at 100%. IQ for verbal was high around 120, but non verbal assessment was in the low 90/80. When I found out I shed tears, not that I felt he was any less, but I could only imagine the hurt he must have been going through at school for something he couldn't help. I spoke to him about it and he even said he wanted to end his life at times because he just couldn't understand what the teacher was going on about and the other kids did and made jokes about him. Turns out I have a very small form of it myself. When I see more than 4-5 numbers together, I need to really concentrate to see them, and I'm an investment banker I always though it was my eyesight as I had a habit of not always putting on my glasses. Anyway as for my boy, we found him a special secondary school which he will attend next year. Here they will teach him how to manage his problem. He will be with kids with the same disability so no more shame and he will get special attention. Usually within 1- 2 years he will stream into the regular secondary school. My Lil man wants to be an archaeologist. Sweet kid, we love him dearly and wouldn't know what to do without him  (see his pic taken last summer vacation in the Caribean, a darling he )But I couldn't help but think about children in 9ja. Some will be flogged, abused and told they are lazy or dumb whereas its not their fault. When I thought about that, I was even more sad then when I found out about my boy. At least he will get help in this society. So this post is fantactic, chapeau. I'm thinking of taking out an add in a newspaper even if its just to inform the society of this ill (dyslexia/dyscalculia).

spawnx:

Its quite intresting. When i was a kid, i was always called stubborn, playful, knuckle head. My Pops would want to beat book into me.

Some how as far back as my Primary 1, i got to understand that as long as you passed the 3rd term exam, you moved to the next class. so i could be the last in the class but by 3rd term i was top 5. Anyways moved on to secondary school from class 5, was doing well but when i wasn't getting the attention i wanted from my folks; my grades started dropping. By ss3 i couldn't say the multiplication table.

my tutor told me i was just wasting my Pop's money. I swallowed it but still kept pushing.

Right now there's hardly anything under the sun that i don't have a clue about. I got degrees & certification under my portfolio, and will defend them, any day.
I have gathered so much knowledge and experience because i wanted to prove the world wrong.

Such kids need only to be loved and they are special

Bless you for yr endevour and fortitude!!!!

yimiton:

This thread was started in April 2008, that's about 3 years ago and there's been no response from the original poster. I hope this gets his attention and he comes back to shed more light on the cause and solution of this very serious problem.

I have a cousin had this problem His younger and elder siblings made jest of him so much that his self esteem was at the lowest ebb.

Today, he's 19 and studying Engineering in a Nigerian University. Everyone is surprised that he's achieved so much and gone as far as he has but I must tell you that it wasn't easy.

I was his tutor for a short while. I was very patient, loving and encouraging and I am proud to say; I contributed to his success story because he learnt to read with my help.

I am not a professional but I think what these set of people need most is patience and encouragement.

If you think about it they are really strong willed and are more determined then other kids. If you think about what they have to shoulder and yet try amd maintain, they are stars. Its hard enough trying to learn to play the piano, and harder when yr blind. What about these kids doing their best with a deficiency. Tell yr cousin he is a STAR!!

@PBundles, your story is really touching. I have a close friend here that deals with children with special needs. Its a pity  that our society would not deal with this issue. I only wonder, what doctors are really being taught in the University and why they cant help the society by speaking out on this?  For all the doctors in house (as i'm not one) I think you need to do a show on NTA, AIT or other stations now popular in Nigeria to bring awareness to this problem, so that innocent children will stop being flogged and illtreated.

That is why we must look up to a government that can solve mankinds problems nomater what the problem is. Imagine a world without sickness, deformities and abnomalities. Please vote for GKM under CJ.
We have got firm promise of better life and living conditions. They have done it before

A Lot of disorders (not only learning) is prevalent in our society but nobody really cares. Look at the way the handicaps are being treated, no safety provision for them in our public buildings and car parks. Tens of thousand children and elders with special needs in Lagos alone crying out for help that will never come. The problems lies with the religious society we live in. Every problem is linked to spiritual attacks and can only be solved with prayers. The fact is that they have been set up not to survive in Nigeria. The lucky ones are those that leave the country. If you think Nigeria is a working country, you are one deluded son of god!

Very insightful article and will be a great blessing to those struggling with this undiagnosed learning disorder. For sometime now I have been wondering how to publicize this learning disorder in Nigeria now, because a lot of kids suffer from it, but we dont have the facilities to diagnose it. Rather, people would ignorantly comment, "Him no sabi book." For the child, it's very embarrassing, particularly if they come from a high achieving family. I dont know how it can be remedied, but thanks a lot for bringing it up on nairaland. Every problem has a solution.

Dyslexia == OLODO in naija! end of story!

PBundles:

This is a great post indeed, even if its only to enlighten others. They say enlightenment is the death of ignorance. I had a personal situation that Id like to share with everyone. My last child,a boy of 12 yrs was not doing well in math. I have two other kids older then him, a boy in university and a daughter doing very well at the highest level in secondary school. I brushed it off as not being anything major, but in his last year in primary school, I noticed a steep decline in his grades. I couldn't figure it out. I thought well it must be the school etc etc. Being a partime business school lecturer and a banker, I thought if I can help bachelor level students and investors, then I should be able to help my own son. I just need to make time. So i did. In the weekends Id make time and during the week I would leave small assignments he could do just to keep the brain warm so to speak. But it wasn't long before I noticed strange things. He would mix up his numbers, 17 would be written as 71. Also steps in calculations he just couldn't grasp. Basic math analogies he could understand. His handwriting was also not that good. It took a lot of patience to not want to scream of get angry, since he is a bright and a sweet kid. Also when he expresses himself in speech you cant believe its the same kid. To cut to the chase, I started investigating and talking to learning disability experts. Turns out he has dyscalculia. In short Dyslexia with numbers. Every characteristic he had, everything. So we took him to get tested. Turns out he has it. In short the section of the brain that takes care of how you visualise and due calculations is not functioning at 100%. IQ for verbal was high around 120, but non verbal assessment was in the low 90/80. When I found out I shed tears, not that I felt he was any less, but I could only imagine the hurt he must have been going through at school for something he couldn't help. I spoke to him about it and he even said he wanted to end his life at times because he just couldn't understand what the teacher was going on about and the other kids did and made jokes about him. Turns out I have a very small form of it myself. When I see more than 4-5 numbers together, I need to really concentrate to see them, and I'm an investment banker I always though it was my eyesight as I had a habit of not always putting on my glasses. Anyway as for my boy, we found him a special secondary school which he will attend next year. Here they will teach him how to manage his problem. He will be with kids with the same disability so no more shame and he will get special attention. Usually within 1- 2 years he will stream into the regular secondary school. My Lil man wants to be an archaeologist. Sweet kid, we love him dearly and wouldn't know what to do without him  (see his pic taken last summer vacation in the Caribean, a darling he )But I couldn't help but think about children in 9ja. Some will be flogged, abused and told they are lazy or dumb whereas its not their fault. When I thought about that, I was even more sad then when I found out about my boy. At least he will get help in this society. So this post is fantactic, chapeau. I'm thinking of taking out an add in a newspaper even if its just to inform the society of this ill (dyslexia/dyscalculia).

what a touching story, after reading it tears rolled down my eyes because i thought of the hundreds of children in Nigeria that have learning disorders and no one out there to help them. Most of them will be called olodos and lazy by the society. I have some friends that work with charity organizations, i will try and find out if they have any information on help for kids with learning disabilities.

[b][size=16pt]Yes, dyslexia is serious learning difficulty which can limit suffers from achieving in life. But hey, it's not an end to ones life because, not all of us are created to be book worms i.e academically bright/gifted.

In fact, people with dyslexia are highly creative geniuses in their respective areas/field of interest i.e. some are highly respected artists, business tycoons, musicians, designers etc. For example above, some one mentioned Albert Einstein and how about the home boy here, a man of our generation at least - Richard Branson owner of Virgin Atlantic Airlines? He is dyslexic and comes from a poor background too and I'm sure there are many others like him. 

So, it's upto parents to identify their children's interests and navigate them towards that goal instead of persuading their children into areas/fields they are not gifted in or called for, as it's the case in our society today. For example, Nigerian parents would persuade, even to the point of intimidating their children into becoming Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers etc because of at least, these reasons i.e. chances of employment, competing with friends and status quo.

That's why, many who were lucky to be sent abroad (by their parents) to study perhaps these over-rated courses, found them difficult to cope with/handle and thus, abandoned them in the middle of their education and read, courses of interested instead, only to the disappointment of their parents/family.

Therefore, parents should look deeper and gear children with such disabilities towards what they really are interested in doing instead of gearing them towards achieving parental aspirations/dreams.  No one says it's going to be easy in a society such as ours (to raise and educate such children) where no one gives/gets support.  Like most parents, just do your best for your children. [/size][/b]

wow!

was just discussing with my colleague about how these type of conditions, as well as autism and the like are totally under diagnosed in Nigeria, its quite a shame

PrincessMo

I think you will find that dyslexia is actually more deeper than the definition or explanation you have posted.  It is one of those area of health/genetics science that despite various research into it, there are very little answers. There are research which suggest a link to Autism as it is all on the same broad spectrum learning difficulties and what not.  Anyway, let me speak from my own view and my experience.

I was diagnosed with Dyslexia during my First degree, and for me it was just a matter of learning about it and learning to deal with it. My type of dyslexia affects mainly how I process figures and mental arithmetic, etc. This translate to having problems dealing with Maths and what not. (This was evident in my years in primary school, I was below par in maths)

Having said that, there are areas I considered my strength and this strength I would attribute to having dyslexia - For example, I consider myself to be very creative and more of a hands-on technical person.

After my diagnosis - I was seen by an Expert - the support I received are having extra time to do my course work and extra time in exam. I must however stress that I do not use these privileges at all due to the fact that my First degree included very little maths,  I write very fast and I just really do not see the point.

I am currently studying part time for a second degree, and I feel at this point in my life I have either managed to over come it, or learnt to live with it.  I had a test done again, and the conclusion was that I know longer fall into someone that's got dyslexia. (I do however question the test as it was too basic, compared to the first one I had years ago)




On the other side, there are many who feel there is no such thing as Dyslexia and it is more down to the fact that people are lazy etc. Speaking from my experience, I can see why such people may feel so because the dyslexia test is probably easy to fake by students looking to get the extra time to do their work etc.  In my case, I felt it is a real condition, and as such, many more people need to be made aware of it more. Also the consequences associated with it if it goes undetected.

Very Informative Thread

Mental health and social services in Nigeria are supposed to deal with these conditions. Unfortunately they are underfunded and oversubscribed. There is also serious issue of stigmatization and ignorance of mental health in Nigeria.
Britain, America were once at this stage, but now they are light years ahead.

Please the poster has not shared the solutions nau, Pls inbox the steps to my mail bruva,  Solomonintorch@yahoo.com. will appreciarte much bruva.

snowdrops:

Mental health and social services in Nigeria are supposed to deal with these conditions. Unfortunately they are underfunded and oversubscribed. There is also serious issue of stigmatization and ignorance of mental health in Nigeria.
Britain, America were once at this stage, but now they are light years ahead.

This have nothing to do with mental health in my opinion. Social services? May be. As they can provide needed social amenities or services that may be needed as part of Multi-service team, but that is about it.

Most Autistic people and those with dyslexia function well in the society without any mental institution intervention.

ElRazur:

This have nothing to do with mental health in my opinion. Social services? May be. As they can provide needed social amenities or services that may be needed as part of Multi-service team, but that is about it.

Most Autistic people and those with dyslexia function well in the society without any mental institution intervention.

It has everything to do with mental health. Dyslexia [ better known as specific learning difficulty] is grouped amongst disorders of psychological development in ICD 10. Mental health is not just about people running naked in public.