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.
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
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.
Yes,
I thoroughly agree
My third child has dyslexia, diagnosed at the beginning of year five despite the “education experts at the school”.
I knew in kindergarten she was struggling different from my other children, bright but could not grasp the sounds. Problems with tracking vision and seeing three of everything. Years of testing, being told I was an over pushy mother. Private tutoring and testing. Finally we pushed on desperate and had the full testing done, best $1000 We ever spent but by now she was 10 years old. The school had withdrawn help saying she was fine, tested 10 words spelt correctly out of 100, her very high IQ masked a lot of the issues.
The most valuable thing I could tell any parent is, never give up, fight for your child, test them FULLY early, be the tigger mother and push the system
We had a “label” however the schools do not think this is a diagnosis that allows for special help. Luckily we have had some extraordinary teachers at an expensive private school who wave helped and she is now achieving with huge effort daily at year level. With technology, ipad, dragon dictate, one minute readers for fluency which were fun, phonics work over and over, endless patience. These kids are exhausted as they bfrom givie 100% all the time because they want to achieve. My daughters wonderful teacher gave me a copy of Sally Shaywitz, as soon as we had the diagnosis. The teacher read the book agin took notes, helped, gave suggestions, was such a ray of hope. We have extensively researched also, technology can be great for these kids. We spend much time with homework, organisation, breaking things into bite sized pieces so she can achieve. When she goes to high school next year there are no special provisions no allowances, no help.
What about all those kids who do not have a strong advocate, the money or a teacher as great as we have. I worry what investment the future of our children is worth, we all know preventative measures or interventions are so much more effective.
Education should be more scientifically evidence based not just this is how we teach.
How long will it take for the “system” to realise these children can be some of the most positive, think outside the box if they are allowed to achieve.
As I type I can hear my lovely girl practicing her rostrum speech on -“if you knew what I knew”. About her dyslexia, explaining how it feels to live with dyslexia every day and educating her peers.