Numerous studies show that a significant proportion of children with learning disabilities develop pathological anxiety. This proportion rises to 69% for dyslexic children, with girls predominating. In most cases, psychological follow-up is strongly recommended, so as not to add further difficulties to their DYS disorder…
The correlation between dyslexia and anxiety
A study[1 ] of 114 patients diagnosed with dyslexia revealed that 69% suffered from anxiety disorders. Anxiety is a normal response to the perception of danger, an alarm signal that translates into a feeling of unease, distress or even fear. While anxiety is normal at certain stages of a child’s development, it becomes pathological when it disrupts them and causes major problems in everyday life.
In this study, dyslexic children presented with pathological anxiety, with no effect of age or school level (school, primary or middle school). On the other hand, dyslexic girls suffer more than boys: even so, follow-up by a psychologist was recommended for 65% of the 114 patients in the study.
Signs of anxiety in dyslexic children
Manifestations of anxiety are extremely varied in dyslexic children: they can be sudden changes in behavior (agitation, irritability, crying, temper tantrums, etc.), from somatic symptoms (headaches or stomach aches, tension and tension in the body), sleep disorders (difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, etc.), avoidance behaviors (refusal to go to school), unusual concentration problems or an excessive need for reassurance.
Note that there is a type of anxiety directly linked to school: performance anxiety! It’s a state of apprehension, tension and unease, triggered by the fear of failure and often linked to an assessment situation (exam, oral, etc.). This translates into major stress, somatic problems, growing anxiety and even avoidance of the deadline.
Psychology to break the vicious circle
A dyslexic child is more likely to develop anxiety: beyond the difficulties inherent in dyslexia,
anxiety
anxiety itself has consequences for learning. It paralyzes thought and action and has a negative effect on working memory. In severe dyslexia, this memory weakness is already observed, but it becomes even more pronounced with anxiety.
To break this vicious circle, in which the more anxious a dyslexic child is, the less he succeeds and, as a corollary, the less he succeeds, the more anxious he is, the help of a psychologist can prove salutary. Together, they will work on self-esteem and feelings of competence, to improve his perception of things and events.
Don’t hesitate to ask one of the psychologists on the Ora-Visio platformspecializing in DYS disorders: fully aware of the impact of these difficulties, they know how to adapt their approach to the needs of the dyslexic child and the manifestation of its most problematic anxiety disorder, on a daily basis.
[1 ] Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0222961722000721
