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The New Science of Dyslexia
The more researchers learn about dyslexia, the more they realize it’s a flaw not of character but of biology–specifically, the biology of the brain. No, people with dyslexia are not brain damaged. Brain scans show their cerebrums are perfectly normal, if not extraordinary. Dyslexics, in fact, seem to have a distinct advantage when it comes to thinking outside the box.
But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests there is a glitch in the neurological wiring of dyslexics that makes reading extremely difficult for them. Fortunately, the science also points to new strategies for overcoming the glitch. The most successful programs focus on strengthening the brain’s aptitude for linking letters to the sounds they represent. (More later on why that matters.) Some studies suggest that the right kinds of instruction provided early enough may rewire the brain so thoroughly that the neurological glitch disappears entirely.
The new science may even be starting to change public policy. When the U.S. government launched an education initiative in 2001 called No Child Left Behind, its administrators made clear that their funding would go only to reading programs that are based on solid evidence of the sort that has been uncovered in dyslexia research. “In education, the whole idea that there is evidence that some programs are more effective than others is new,” says Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a Yale neuroscientist who has written a fascinating new book, Overcoming Dyslexia (Alfred A. Knopf; April 2003), that details the latest brain-scan research–much of it done in her lab. “The good news is we really understand the steps of how you become a reader and how you become a skilled reader,” she says.
via The New Science of Dyslexia – TIME.
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2 Responses to The New Science of Dyslexia
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Kim Roberts - Parent of a child with Dyslexia says:
I agree with Dr Marshall!
Children with Dyslexia are special kids because they think in pictures. They really see the world – they don’t read about it!
My child was diagnosed last year – at my expense $3000 plus a lot of pain and heartache that my child suffered as a result of the bullying she received because she couldn’t read and because she has difficulty with relationships because of how she processes information.
I spent 3 years with the school system pleading for them to look at my daughter and help her as she wasn’t having a pleasant learning experience for her first 3 years of school.
We had to seek private counselling and testing as the school system put her down as struggling but not important enough for testing – however the testing she needed wasn’t offered in the school system anyway.
Now our fight is with the system as her learning difficulty is not recognised and therefore not entitled to the learning support she needs and would benefit from.
I have discussed with her school the strategies that would help my daughter learn best – but teachers, school support staff and the administration – and even higher the system – do not understand the benefits of changing their teaching strategies to benefit children with dsylexia would also assist their mainstream students too.
Every teacher does need dyslexia awareness training – I am a high school teacher too and I know now that I am more aware of the large numbers of children in schools today who have not got the tools they need to unlock learning because to officially recognise dyslexia is to admit that there is a need and needs like this require funding. The government and education system won’t recognise the condition as to do this means that it will need to be properly funded – money talks.
Unfortunately that means a lot of lost learning for my child who is a square peg that doesn’t fit in the round hole of mainstream education and each year we watch as she falls more and more behind.
Dyslexia is poorly recognized and managed in Australian schools, which means this group of children are suffering daily.
They are smart kids that need extra support to understand the written word. Without this support they will fail. That is what is happening currently, and it is their self esteem and feeling of self worth that is damaged , often before they are even 7 years old! Worse, they are then given the “dumb” kid label, which is such a cruel situation,a s these kids are so bright, but have a different learning style. What a tragedy. More so as it is so easily prevented. We need to raise everyones awareness and if you read this article, you are well on the way to understanding .
Raising the profile of dyslexia so that kids are diagnosed early is a human rights issue. .
Early intervention is the key to allowing these kids to learn to read, which is paramount for their life journey.
Every teacher needs to have dyslexia awareness training.
Dyslexia friendly schools are proven to be effective at including these kids-10% of Australian students.(4% have severe dyslexia.)
Let’s step up as child advocates to allow them to thrive