Addressing The Misconceptions of Dyslexia
ast...@yahoo.com
A lot of people have misconceptions about what Dyslexia is like seeing
things backwards. A lot of people don't know that in most
cases,Dyslexia involves phonological,auditory processing problems.
Also a lot of people aren't aware that speech problems are symptoms of
Dyslexia and that many have had a history of speech therapy in special
education. A lot of people think that all students in special
education have mental retardation. They don't know that a lot of
children in special education classes aren't retarded even though they
refer to special education class as "the retard class" and refer to
all special education students as "retards". They don't seem to
understand that a lot of Dyslexics benefit from early intervention
special education,and so they can learn to read,write,and spell
well. A lot of people think that speech problems indicate low
intelligence. For instance, I read a lot about how President Bush has
problems with speech,and so they say that indicates how stupid he is.
They don't stop to consider that there are many intelligent people
that do have history of speech problems.
The following is from International Dyslexia Association. I am a
sustaining member of this organization,and that's part of my advocacy.
It is the oldest and largest Dyslexic organization.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a
cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with
specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia
usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as
spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals
throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different
stages in a person's life. It is referred to as a learning disability
because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed
academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more
severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special
accommodations, or extra support services.
(as you see, the severe Dyslexics qualify for special education...so
you see,there are severe Dyslexics in special education classes. I was
one of them. Not everybody in special education classes are
retarded. ..Therefore, special education classes should not be
referred to as "the retard class" nor should special eduation students
be referred to as "retards")
What are the effects of dyslexia?
The impact that dyslexia has is different for each person and depends
on the severity of the condition and the effectiveness of instruction
or remediation. The core difficulty is with word recognition and
reading fluency, spelling, and writing. Some dyslexics manage to learn
early reading and spelling tasks, especially with excellent
instruction, but later experience their most debilitating problems
when more complex language skills are required, such as grammar,
understanding textbook material, and writing essays.
People with dyslexia can also have problems with spoken language, even
after they have been exposed to good language models in their homes
and good language instruction in school. They may find it difficult to
express themselves clearly, or to fully comprehend what others mean
when they speak. Such language problems are often difficult to
recognize, but they can lead to major problems in school, in the
workplace, and in relating to other people. The effects of dyslexia
reach well beyond the classroom.
http://www.interdys.org/FAQ.htm
What are the signs of dyslexia?
The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve
difficulties in acquiring and using written
language. It is a myth that dyslexic individuals "read backwards,"
although spelling can look quite
jumbled at times because students have trouble remembering letter
symbols for sounds and forming
memories for words. Other problems experienced by dyslexics include
the following:
Learning to speak
Learning letters and their sounds
Organizing written and spoken language
Memorizing number facts
Reading quickly enough to comprehend
Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments
Spelling
Learning a foreign language
Correctly doing math operations
(A lot of people think Dyslexia is seeing words backwards,but it's
actually a myth....you can see that Dyslexics can have problems with
speech, and so speech problems aren't necessarily mental retardation)
(As you can see,there are many Dyslexics who have problems with spoken
language and auditory processing. Speech problems nor auditory
processing problems don't necessarily mean mental retardation.
Everybody needs to stop thinking that people with those problems are
mentally retarded when they could actually be Dyslexic)
DYSLEXIA AND RELATED DISORDERS
The word dyslexia comes from the Greek language and means poor
language. Individuals with dyslexia have trouble with reading,
writing, spelling and/or math although they have the ability and have
had opportunities to learn. Individuals with dyslexia can learn; they
just learn in a different way. Often these individuals, who have
talented and productive minds, are said to have a language learning
difference.
Does My Child Have Dyslexia?
Individuals with dyslexia usually have some of the following
characteristics.
Difficulty with oral language
Late in learning to talk
Difficulty pronouncing words
Difficulty acquiring vocabulary or using age appropriate grammar
Difficulty following directions
Confusion with before/after, right/left, and so on
Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs
Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships
Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems
Difficulty with reading
Difficulty learning to read
Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting
syllables in words (Phonological Awareness)
Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (Phonemic
Awareness)
Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (Auditory
Discrimination)
Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters
Difficulty remembering names and/or shapes of letters
Reverses letters or the order of letters when reading
Misreads or omits common small words
"Stumbles" through longer words
Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading
Slow, laborious oral reading
Difficulty with written language
Difficulty putting ideas on paper
Many spelling mistakes
May do well on weekly spelling tests, but there are many spelling
mistakes in daily work
Difficulty in proofreading
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Dyslexia_and_Related_Disorders(1).pdf
(As you can see speech,auditory processing,phonological processing
issues are included in the symptoms of Dyslexia...so a lot of
Dyslexics don't have visual processing issues. Speech problems aren't
necessarily mental retardation even though a lot of people think
speech problems mean little intelligence.....reading is not just a
visual task,it is also a phonological,auditory task.....you have to
know how words sound and how to sound them out and not just know how
words look like)
: Can Individuals Who Are Dyslexic Learn To Read?
A: Yes.
If children who are dyslexic get effective phonological training in
Kindergarten and 1st grade, they will have significantly fewer
problems in learning to read at grade level than do children who are
not identified or helped until 3rd grade.
74% of the children who are poor readers in 3rd grade remain poor
readers in the 9th grade. Often they can't read well as adults either.
It is never too late for individuals with dyslexia to learn to read,
process and express information more efficiently. Research shows that
programs utilizing multisensory structured language techniques can
help children and adults learn to read.
http://www.interdys.org/FAQLearnToRead.htm
How is dyslexia treated?
Dyslexia is a life-long condition. With proper help, many people with
dyslexia can learn to read and write
well. Early identification and treatment is the key to helping
dyslexics achieve in school and in life. Most
people with dyslexia need help from a teacher, tutor, or therapist
specially trained in using a multisensory,
structured language approach. It is important for these individuals to
be taught by a systematic and
explicit method that involves several senses (hearing, seeing,
touching) at the same time. Many
individuals with dyslexia need one-on-one help so that they can move
forward at their own pace. In
addition, students with dyslexia often need a great deal of structured
practice and immediate, corrective
feedback to develop automatic word recognition skills. For students
with dyslexia, it is helpful if their
outside academic therapists work closely with classroom teachers.
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Dyslexia_Basics_FS_-_final_81407.pdf
(As you see, early intervention therapy can help many Dyslexics learn
to read and write well....Early identification and treatment helps a
Dyslexic achieve in school and in life.......I can't stress enough the
importance of early intervention. I can't stress enough that many
Dyslexics do learn to read and write well. A lot of them do that
through special education. The problem is that too many people think
special education is for the mentally retarded, and so they can't
comprehend the idea of early intervention helps many Dyslexics as
result of getting special education therapies)
How widespread is dyslexia?
About 13-14% of the school population nationwide has a handicapping
condition that qualifies them for
special education. Current studies indicate that one-half of all the
students who qualify for special
education are classified as having a learning disability (LD) (6-7%).
About 85% of those LD students
have a primary learning disability in reading and language
processing.
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Dyslexia_Basics_FS_-_final_81407.pdf
Q: How Common Are Language-Based Learning Disabilities?
A: 15-20% of the population have a language-based learning
disability.
Of the students with specific learning disabilities receiving special
education services, 70-80% have deficits in reading.
http://www.interdys.org/FAQHowCommon.htm
(As you see,half of the children in special education aren't even
retarded. They have a learning disability. Most of those learning
disabled have primary learning disability in reading and language
processing. Therefore, special education is not only for the mentally
retarded children but children with learning disabilities. Special
Education class should not be referred to as "the retard class" and
special education students should not be referred to as "retards" )
I hope that after reading this, you will understand what Dyslexics are
like. You will know that many Dyslexics have
auditory,phonological,speech processing problems like me. You will
know that not every person in special education is retarded and that
half of the special ed students aren't retarded but learning disabled
like me. You will know that majority of those learning disabled are
Dyslexic like me. You will know that it is the severe Dyslexics who
qualify for special education like me. You will stop thinking that
Dyslexics see words backwards and stop thinking of people who have
history of special education and speech therapy as retarded which
happened to me.
I feel that I have to use my experiences of what it was like growing
up Dyslexic,and help people raise awareness of Dyslexia and what it
actually entails and help get rid of myths of Dyslexia that actually
end up hurting Dyslexic. It leads to
confusion,misunderstandings,negative labels,misdiagnoses which often
leads to insecurity and low self esteem which can progress into
anxiety and depression.
I have this dream that all people will understand Dyslexia. I have a
dream that all Dyslexics will understand themselves and never believe
that they are stupid and that they will believe in themselves which
can lead to great success. I have a dream that special education will
no longer be referred to as the "retard class." I have a dream that
special education students will no longer be referred to as
"retards" I have a dream that all Dyslexics will get identified,get
the treatment that they need,and learn to read and write well. I have
a dream that all Dyslexics will not be discriminated against but
treated as equals. I have a dream that all Dyslexics not be
misdiagnosed. I have a dream that all Dyslexics will use their
strengths,talents,gifts to make their lives and other lives better.
This dream is not just for Dyslexics,but all neurodivergents.
Raymond Andrews
Roger Merriman
> A lot of people have misconceptions about what Dyslexia is like seeing
> things backwards. A lot of people don't know that in most
> cases,Dyslexia involves phonological,auditory processing problems.
sterotypes tends to anoy but put it another way, dyslexia is a complex
subject, to expect others to know about it, is probably asking too much,
to expect people to spend time finding out about it. after all there are
lots of condistions one doesn't know about any but the ones that
personaly touch you.
>
snips
> Raymond Andrews
roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com