Help at school after meningitis

[SISVI1965]

Hello everyone I am a teacher who works with children and young people with visual impairment. I was asked to assess a teenager who has recently started at a local special school following meningitis. My question is regarding ideas around accessing printed materials. The young lady can no longer communicate verbally and uses an electronic aid. She can identify symbols as small as newspaper size print but finds letters challenging (I believe previously she was a good student and a fluent reader). As she can identify symbols I conclude that it is more of a recognition and memory issue specific to letters rather than vision as such - so not able to process rather than actually not seeing the letters. Does anyone have any strategies for using or regaining print use that have worked?

Thanks

[Barbaustralia]

I think she needs to be assessed by a specialist in areato be sureor ask her to tell you via writingif she can it must be so hard for her

[SISVI1965 in reply to Barbaustralia]

Thank you

[euagelia]

I agree that if she recognizes symbols then it is not only vision issues but likely to be memory problem. Perhaps give it a start with her own books (as she is an older child) and start finding letters in the text or in words. I would suggest to start re-learning the letters on her name first.

[SISVI1965 in reply to euagelia]

Hi, thank you. I believe that her teachers have noted that she can't copy the letters directly and keeps getting them mixed up so I think it is perhaps more than just memory. But I will maybe try a mix of visual and tactile letters as well as associating the letters with their sounds so that she has ways of making new connections.

Kind regards

Rob

[Barbaustralia in reply to SISVI1965]

It sounds like dyslexia and I doubt teachers qualified to address

Please get a specialist depending on your country