Is dyslexia a myth?

[Charlotte]

Your views please.

 

MP Graham Stringer claims that dyslexia is made up to excuse bad teaching.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7828121.stm

 

I have very limited knowledge of this myself and I don't know anyone that is dyslexic. To be perfectly honest, there are more people on this forum that say they are (not doubting it for one second) than I've ever met in 'real' life.

 

What do you think?

[jevansio]

Shouldn't that be "Dyslexia a myth is?"

[monsween]

there are different kinds and i have seen it first hand. Dont think its a myth

[Snooze]

This debate has been coming up for years.

 

I believe the general opinion from what I recall is that while most people believe that dyslexia does really exist, it is a much rarer condition than it appears - many people get called, or claim to be, dyslexic, when in fact they are not.

[DaveK]

I think it exists.

 

But I also think the main condition on this forum is illiteracy, not dyslexia.

[Guigsy]

Ive seen that guy before in the news and whatever he has said has been completely rediculious. Its not a recent thing. Apparently it was first identified in 1880 something. I can see this guy having to make an oppology soon as a lot of people will get pissed off with what he has said.

 

I was diagnosed with it from a very early age. something like 7 i had a whole batch of scientific tests to do with coordination and that kind of thing then had to answer a load of questions and solve puzzles, it took a good couple of hours. I then had to have another done just before my GCSE's to see if i still had it. And i had extra lessons often in my own free time all the way through my school life. Its not something that has been invented at all and there is a huge ammount of information about to back that up. Dyslexia and dyspraxia are quite complex things that i will confess myself that i dont know everything about. However they are very often confused with being lazy or thick like this idiot is saying.

 

You probably have met quite a few people in real life that are dyslexic Charlotte, Its not like we have a stamp on our foreheads or are made to put on a silly hat . I dont bring it up simply because i dont feel i need to. However on the forums its more obvious because people type rather than talk

 

Personaly i hate when people post something with HORRIFIC spelling half of which is txt speek and and then a few posts down say they are dsyslexic. Makes the rest of us sound like retards. There are a huge number of people who are dyslexic you might not have realised. Many of them with a high IQ. Being dyslexic and being thick are in no way related. Check this out. http://www.dyslexia-test.com/famous.html or http://www.dyslexia.com/qafame.htm Im sure there are some names you recognise.

 

As someone who is Dyslexic i hate it (and get quite offended) when people pick at my spelling on forums. Especialy with there, their and they're thing. As i say ive had people try to teach it me since i was 7. I still dont remember it. And i dont know why.

The same with ee and ea's in words sometimes. I often have to think it through several times and end up just leaving it because i cant make my mind up. Other words that im not sure on i just typre them or write them down how i think the words look like they should sound. Most of the time im correct, but not always.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia If anyone wants to read about it.

P.S - If anyone corrects any spelling in my post (i havent been over it and checked it) you can FOAD!

[supra matt]

It's no myth and f*ck all to do with teaching there are many type of dyslexic. When i was at school i had all the usual tests done and at the age of 16 i had the reading and spelling ability of a 7 year old they said buy 21 i should be normal i'e have the reading and spelling of a 16 year old. but my spelling is still not great and my reading is still very poor .I can read fine one my own just like normal really but if i have to read out loud my brain only read 's one word at a time rather then looking at the hole sentence like most people's . but as most dyslexic I'm very good with my hand's and problem solving . hope this gives you an insight into it .

[JamesF]

My sister is very dyslexic and so is the girl I work with. Its definitely not made up. Your MP is a tool.

[Charlotte]

My sister is very dyslexic and so is the girl I work with. Its definitely not made up. Your MP is a tool.

 

I don't believe he's my MP.

[j1mb0b1]

I have it, its a pain in ass i get my words mixed up and put letters were they are not needed

[benkei]

The brain is a complex organ... You can't expect them all to be faultless and without complication. I stuggle with my left and right... And like you say Guigsy, how you can't seem to remember the 'their there and they're's, I'm the same with left and right... If you ask me which is which, after a moment of thought I can tell you... Giving directions to me in a car causes confusion sometimes however

It's just one of those things.. Some people will fake it and use it as an excuse, and some will live with it and not let it bother them...

 

Don't these MP's have better things to occupy their minds with??

[Tannhauser]

It's an interesting question.

 

'Medicalisation' or 'syndromisation' has been a powerful trend since the 80s, in which extremes of behaviour, experience or performance are labelled as 'conditions'. These conditions are assumed to have biomedical causes - such as different brain function - and therefore often thought to need some sort of biological solution.

 

An example might be ADHD. Children that were once considered 'naughty' - something to be corrected with behavioural means,are relabelled as suffering from a syndrome of medical origin which requires chemical control (e.g. Ritalin).So, in general, there's a tendency to label everything that moves and impute a biological origin to it.

 

In the case of dyslexia, however, I'm not sure. There does seem to be a distinct subgroup of people that have extraordinary difficulty in distinguishing letters and vowel sounds. And I do think those people need specific, targeted help that others might not.

 

What makes it problematic is that, as with all these labels, everyone and his mother suddenly and magically acquires the condition, as it can conveniently absolve the sufferer from taking any responsibility. If there is such a think as genuine dyslexia, and I think there is, it's swamped by a mass of non-dyslexics who found reading and writing a bit boring and difficult.

[Guigsy]

The brain is a complex organ... You can't expect them all to be faultless and without complication. I stuggle with my left and right... And like you say Guigsy, how you can't seem to remember the 'their there and they're's, I'm the same with left and right... If you ask me which is which, after a moment of thought I can tell you... Giving directions to me in a car causes confusion sometimes however

It's just one of those things.. Some people will fake it and use it as an excuse, and some will live with it and not let it bother them...

 

Don't these MP's have better things to occupy their minds with??

 

Took me ages to learn my left and right. i just couldnt get it in my head. I never needed it that much day to day so it never stuck. Was probably only when i was 15-16 that i started knowing it without thinking. before that i had to sit and think. Im not the best at reading alowd. In my head its fine but as soon as i have to say it the words go all funny.

 

IMO i wouldnt considder anyone dsyslexic unless they have had it proved. So many people just assume they are just because there not so good at spelling. Its much deeper than that. Most of the time i can spell fine. Its the odd word that stumps me. not every other word i write

[RedM]

Who cares about a bunch of brainwrongs?

 

[Charlotte]

What makes it problematic is that, as with all these labels, everyone and his mother suddenly and magically acquires the condition, as it can conveniently absolve the sufferer from taking any responsibility. If there is such a think as genuine dyslexia, and I think there is, it's swamped by a mass of non-dyslexics who found reading and writing a bit boring and difficult.

 

Yes exactly. And I wonder if that's what he meant to say and it came out wrong. I genuinely think people these days have less and less time for reading and writing. I remember when I was at school we had handwriting lessons, reading groups, we were encouraged to write poetry etc etc. I don't know whether that now doesn't fit in with the way teachers have to follow certain procedures, but even if these things were more prevalent would people even care?

[Tannhauser]

Don't these MP's have better things to occupy their minds with??

 

You don't think that this is a really important question? Dyslexia is an industry and its diagnosis and 'treatment' consumes a vast amount of time and money. It's a valid question. in particular, the extremely high levels of literacy in many countries, and the success of synthetic phonics in some high-profile schools are pretty troubling questions.

 

I've never heard of homophones like "their. they're" etc being considered as a sign of dyslexia, but it's not something I know a huge amount about.

[Guigsy]

synthetic phonics... homophones

 

[Tannhauser]

I've never heard of homophones like "their. they're" etc being considered as a sign of dyslexia, but it's not something I know a huge amount about.

 

Just read the wikipedia entry and there it is....dyslexics do often have problems distinguishing homophones. Shows what I know.

[jamesmark]

ti .ton si A htym . aixelsyd morf reffus ohw elpoep eht rof ecin ton si tI !!egartuo na s'ti kniht I

[ivan]

I don't think it's a myth.

 

But I do feel it's vastly overplayed by some of our more intellectually challenged citizens.

[benkei]

You don't think that this is a really important question? Dyslexia is an industry and its diagnosis and 'treatment' consumes a vast amount of time and money. It's a valid question. in particular, the extremely high levels of literacy in many countries, and the success of synthetic phonics in some high-profile schools are pretty troubling questions.

 

 

But it's not going to change anything, is it? All it will do is create frustration and controversy, which we have enough of already! It's probably a ploy to attempt to take our minds off the credit crunch, and all these other things the government is doing which the vast population will not approve!

[Jake]

Dyslexia is definitely a real thing. Most really thick fookers have it.

 

Actually, our Josh has it. He's been diagnosed by his school and everything. He gets really frustrated when he has to read or write anything, so he gives up quickly. Same as he does with most other things actually - odd coincidence that.

He genuinely is dyslexic though, ask his mother. Luckily it doesn't seem to affect his ability to read gaming magazines or the instructions for PC and XBox games. We thank God thank he's only been partly affected.

 

 

[Tannhauser]

But it's not going to change anything, is it? All it will do is create frustration and controversy, which we have enough of already! It's probably a ploy to attempt to take our minds off the credit crunch, and all these other things the government is doing which the vast population will not approve!

 

Now you're just being silly. If no one ever challenges accepted dogma, how does knowledge ever advance? It's not as if this idea has popped out of nowhere; those who lazily dismissed him as a 'tool' or the equivalent could do with reading a bit more (or watching some videos ).

 

Developing real understanding is all about frustration and controversy, because the world isn't a GCSE textbook - it isn't simple and easily understandable.

 

'Distract attention from the credit crunch'? C'mon, you don't believe that, do you? Do you know anything about Graham Stringer? He's notorious for being outspoken on all sorts of issues, claims that the government tries to keep him quiet, has called for Gordon Brown's resignation, etc etc.

[Tricky-Ricky]

Ive seen that guy before in the news and whatever he has said has been completely rediculious. Its not a recent thing. Apparently it was first identified in 1880 something. I can see this guy having to make an oppology soon as a lot of people will get pissed off with what he has said.

 

I was diagnosed with it from a very early age. something like 7 i had a whole batch of scientific tests to do with coordination and that kind of thing then had to answer a load of questions and solve puzzles, it took a good couple of hours. I then had to have another done just before my GCSE's to see if i still had it. And i had extra lessons often in my own free time all the way through my school life. Its not something that has been invented at all and there is a huge ammount of information about to back that up. Dyslexia and dyspraxia are quite complex things that i will confess myself that i dont know everything about. However they are very often confused with being lazy or thick like this idiot is saying.

 

You probably have met quite a few people in real life that are dyslexic Charlotte, Its not like we have a stamp on our foreheads or are made to put on a silly hat . I dont bring it up simply because i dont feel i need to. However on the forums its more obvious because people type rather than talk

 

Personaly i hate when people post something with HORRIFIC spelling half of which is txt speek and and then a few posts down say they are dsyslexic. Makes the rest of us sound like retards. There are a huge number of people who are dyslexic you might not have realised. Many of them with a high IQ. Being dyslexic and being thick are in no way related. Check this out. http://www.dyslexia-test.com/famous.html or http://www.dyslexia.com/qafame.htm Im sure there are some names you recognise.

 

As someone who is Dyslexic i hate it (and get quite offended) when people pick at my spelling on forums. Especialy with there, their and they're thing. As i say ive had people try to teach it me since i was 7. I still dont remember it. And i dont know why.

The same with ee and ea's in words sometimes. I often have to think it through several times and end up just leaving it because i cant make my mind up. Other words that im not sure on i just typre them or write them down how i think the words look like they should sound. Most of the time im correct, but not always.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia If anyone wants to read about it.

P.S - If anyone corrects any spelling in my post (i havent been over it and checked it) you can FOAD!

 

It's no myth and f*ck all to do with teaching there are many type of dyslexic. When i was at school i had all the usual tests done and at the age of 16 i had the reading and spelling ability of a 7 year old they said buy 21 i should be normal i'e have the reading and spelling of a 16 year old. but my spelling is still not great and my reading is still very poor .I can read fine one my own just like normal really but if i have to read out loud my brain only read 's one word at a time rather then looking at the hole sentence like most people's . but as most dyslexic I'm very good with my hand's and problem solving . hope this gives you an insight into it .

 

I am lucky, as being older generation, mine would never have been picked up on, if it wasn't for a very good Junior school headmaster, who twigged there was something not right and spent a lot of time in extra tuition with me, for which i am very grateful, as i think i would have had a lot more problems, than i do now, without his help.

I still have the silly spelling hicups, its almost like one day you know perfectly well how to spell a word, but on another i just cant, and because of that i get caught out by spelling checkers to, i also have a habit of missing the "s" of the ends of certain words, as i just don't register them, i also do the mix up of left and right, but only in speech? odd!

I also completely agree with the other comments, i am very good with my hands, and work out mechanicals very easily, and even pretty good with the technical stuff, but i do have problems with higher maths, for the same reasons, i mentioned.

It doesn't do any favours for ones self opinion, although i.m not brain of Britten, i do consider myself reasonably intelligent, but due the some of these odd quirks, you don't always come over as very confident, but at the same time you can come over as perhaps a little over explanatory.

[Terminator]

A subject very close to my heart, as I have it, but not as bad as others. It is a spectrum disorder, which means that it varies from individual to individual in its severity. Unfortunately there are many who would take advantage of ill informed parents and exploit them but charging extortionate amounts of money to assess their children. I have worked around children with dyslexia for nearly 30 years. In my local area there are a number of so called dyslexia clinics. A group of head teachers sent a number of very able 10 year olds, with the full support and consent of their parents, to one of these institutions, to be tested for dyslexia. As predicted all of the children came back with a diagnosis of dyslexia and the offer of a program to help them over come their "difficulties" and of course at a price.

 

I was a very poor reader and speller all the way through school, I still managed to get a good degree, and do very well in my chosen profession. How ever dyslexia has haunted me all my life. At meetings and conferences I would do absolutely anything to avoid being elected scribe for the group. I hate being dyslexic as so many people think you are thick or lazy. Too compound matters I am Dyscalculic as well, so I often read and write numbers in the wrong order, I used to have so many void cheques in my cheque book, my phone bill can be bad at times as I frequently miss dial numbers.

 

Dyslexia is very hard to diagnose before 7 years of age, which is well after most children have grasped the basics of reading and writing, so sufferers are already lagging far behind their peers. One test we came across, used coloured filters that were placed over text. By careful analysis of a child's responses, it was possible to identify a colour filter that would make the text easier to read.We found a very enlightened optician who made glasses for the children. Other kid thought the dyslexic kids were so cool with their funky coloured lenses.

 

I used the test on my self; this was my experience. Without any coloured filters,so what I see normally, my eyes appear to be drawn to the spaces between words and lines of text. It is very hard to see beyond the gaps and spaces to read words as the spaces and gaps appear so much clearer than the actual text, and due to a phenomum known as closure, my brain tried to make sense of the gaps by trying to make images out of them, so I see a constantly shifting pattern of white shapes as well as indestinct text. As I tried different filters, some colours made it worse some even making the spaces between words apear to jump about. When I got to a particular shade of yellow/green, I no longer saw the gaps and spaces in the text so clearly, so my brain stopped try to make sence out of the gaps, the text became easier to read. My example is a poor one as, I have learned to read and write so have developed many coping strategies. A child with dyslexia learning to read, is starting from scratch, if what they see is a swimming mass of unknown characters, it is hardly surprising they have difficulty reading.

 

Children that we tested often would describe some form of visual disturbance when they looked at text. To put you in the same situation as a child with dyslexia learning to read, you would need to take a text in a language you can not read, say Japanese for example. To compound your task, you will be learning to read Japanese text, that is not stationary, it will be randomly vibrated, and you will not be allowed to stop it. That would be tough and you would probably give up due to frustration. As learning to write lags behind reading, your attempts at written Japanese would be pathetic.

 

Going back to my own experience, I find it very difficult to find errors, in text that I have written. I can read a piece over and over again and it will appear to be OK. If I walk away from the text and leave it a while I can come back and find errors. It is very hard to describe; but because of my propensity to focus on the spaces between text, I often miss read the middle letters in words, so if the word starts and end with the right sequence of letters,I may see it as OK. If I could not get someone else to proof read my reports, I would often be really embarrassed in meetings when everyone was reading my reports, and I spotted the errors.

 

To blame dyslexia on bad teaching is total rubbish, this MP has not a clue about education. If it were the case, would there not be huge groups in one class,taught by the 'bad' teacher. Or is the idiot suggesting some teachers select pupils at random, that they will teach in a totally deferent way, from all the others in the class, that they just happened to have taught so well. Over the past 20 years there has been far too much government intervention in education. Pratts like this make me sick.

 

Dyslexia does exist and it is a curse to live with for life in many cases.