What are DYS disorders?
DYS disorders are related to the impairment of one or more cognitive functions (brain processes through which humans receive information, process it, manipulate it, communicate it, and use it to act).
They are called “specific cognitive disorders” because they affect individuals with normal, or even above-average, intelligence, without any sensory or psychiatric pathologies, neurological lesions, or autism spectrum disorders.
DYS disorders are developmental in origin, linked to atypical brain development during pregnancy. They are neurodevelopmental disorders that are not attributable to a lack of educational or socio-cultural input. They appear during a child’s development, before or during the early learning stages, and can persist into adulthood.
Specific developmental disorders include:
- Oral language (speech-language disorder / dysphasia)
- Written language, commonly called dyslexia and dysorthography
- Motor skills and/or visuospatial functions (dyspraxia or disorders of coordination acquisition)
- Attention processes and/or executive functions, commonly referred to as attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD)
- Numerical activities or dyscalculia
Consequences
DYS disorders significantly affect school, professional, and social integration and may also have psychological, emotional, and behavioral consequences. Individuals may experience behavioral difficulties, blocks, or inhibitions that worsen learning challenges.
Additionally, difficulty or inability to automate a procedure, slowness, rapid exhaustion, and fatigability are frequently observed characteristics common to all of these disorders. While these impacts can be identified for each disorder and may accumulate in most situations, they are not systematically observed in every case.
Specific learning disorders, or “DYS,” are a genuine public health concern as they affect around 5% of the school population and may represent approximately a quarter of children experiencing academic failure.
Support and intervention
However, such difficulties can be avoided if challenges encountered by children from preschool age are identified and addressed early and appropriately. In daily life, the consequences of these disorders on school and later professional integration can be prevented or mitigated through early, tailored interventions and appropriate rehabilitative measures, which are a valuable investment for the future.
Diagnosis of a DYS disorder and any associated conditions, as well as assessment of severity, rely on a rigorous, stepwise, multidisciplinary diagnostic approach (physicians, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as speech therapists, psychomotor therapists, occupational therapists, and orthoptists).
