Dyslexia Awareness Week runs from November 3 to November 9 2014 and is an annual event that aims at not just raising awareness, but also showcasing the amazing achievements that people with dyslexia have made. This year’s theme is “Dyslexia Matters…” and will cover everything from creating a dyslexia friendly environment, supporting and encouraging those with dyslexia, and the ongoing campaign to include dyslexia awareness in initial teacher training. (This information was taken from the British Dyslexia Association website.)

Facts about Dyslexia

• 10% of the British population are dyslexic.
• Dyslexia is identified as a disability under the Equality Act 2010.
• Dyslexia is not an obvious difficulty, it is hidden, as a result is can be difficult for sufferers to get the help and support they need.

Dyslexia is a learning difference – this means that children who have dyslexia learn in different ways to other children.  It can mean that those with dyslexia may find some aspects of learning more difficult, but they also may find some areas of learning easier.

Here are some of the areas that children with dyslexia may struggle with.  Your child may not struggle in all these areas – each child is different:

• Reading
• Writing
• Maths
• Telling the time
• Hearing certain sounds
• Spelling
• Handwriting
• Speech and language
• Remembering instructions
• Organisation
• Processing information quickly

Information and support for parents and children/young people

The British Dyslexia Association has dedicated part of their website to provide information about dyslexia and related issues (i.e. education, books, choosing a school, etc.).

They have also produced two guides:

Understanding Dyslexia: a Guide for Families,7-11yrs

Understanding Dyslexia: a Guide for Parents, Carers and Young People, secondary years

Psoriasis is a skin condition caused by accelerated skin growth, resulting in flaky, crusty patches of skin, which can feel itchy and sore.

These patches usually appear on the creases of elbows and knees, the scalp and lower back areas, but can appear anywhere on the body.

Psoriasis is not contagious although it can run in families.  It is thought that the immune system of sufferers attacks some of their healthy skin cells, causing them to grow more rapidly than normal.

Symptoms can come and go, with sufferers often experiencing ‘flare ups’ of the condition.  These could be triggered by stress, illness or certain medications.

Psoriasis in Children

It is quite rare for babies and young children to have psoriasis, but it can occur.  Ordinarily people get their first outbreak between the ages of 15 and 35.

The most common form of psoriasis in children is plaque psoriasis on areas such as the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back.  The plaque can look red and shiny and well demarcated (i.e. you can clearly see where it ends and normal skin begins).

Guttate psoriasis is also more common in childhood and teenage years.  This is often triggered by the Streptococcus bacteria (ie. After a throat infection). It looks like a rash of small, scaly patches up to 1cm in diameter, over the trunk, limbs and occasionally the scalp.

Treatments available

Topical treatments such as creams and ointments can help manage the condition.  Moisturisers and emollients help smooth and hydrate the skin, keeping it in good condition.  Active creams such as coal tar-based ointments, vitamin D analogues and topical steroid creams can also help soothe the symptoms.

If topical treatments don’t work then your child’s doctor might refer them to a dermatologis for more specialised treatments such as UV light therapy or oral medication.

Support and information

The above information was taken from the following websites:

Psoriasis Association: https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/pages/view/about-psoriasis/children-and-psoriasis

National Psoriasis Foundation: http://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/children

The psoriasis Foundation also provide advice for parents, coving topics such as:

• About the condition
• Bullying
• Telling others