An in-depth study on dyslexia
Misconceptions of Dyslexia
The University of Michigan, Dyslexia Help website lists common myths relating to dyslexia. Some of the misconceptions regarding dyslexia are listed below.
Dyslexia can be outgrown.
Dyslexia is lifelong. Yearly monitoring of phonological skills from first through twelfth grade shows that the disability persists into adulthood. Although many students with dyslexia learn to read accurately, they may continue to read slowly and not automatically.
Dyslexia is innate, incurable, and permanent.
While dyslexia is a lifelong learning disability, early, intensive, and systematic intervention can help a student keep up and retain his/her grade level in school, as well as minimize the negative effects dyslexia can have, such as low self-esteem and poor self-concept as a learner.
Dyslexia cannot be diagnosed until third grade.
Professionals can make a definitive diagnosis as soon as the child begins to struggle with learning to read, spell, and write. The sooner a diagnosis is made, the quicker the child can get help. A combination of a family history of dyslexia and symptoms of difficulties in spoken language can help identify a child with a specific disability that includes dyslexia.
People with dyslexia cannot read.
Most children and adults with dyslexia are able to read, even if it is at a basic level. Spelling is one of the classic red flags alerting parents and teachers of a serious underlying problem. The student may be unable to understand the basic code of the English language and cannot break down or reconstruct (with spelling) words using codes (letters).
Children with dyslexia will never read well, so it’s best to teach them to compensate.
Individuals with dyslexia can become terrific readers with the appropriate intervention. It is important to test a student early in order to identify any problems and attempt to prevent major reading difficulties before they even start.
Only children with an IEP or 504 plan can receive classroom accommodations.
General education teachers can provide classroom accommodations to any student, regardless of whether or not that student has an IEP or a 504 plan.
If a child with dyslexia reads aloud for 20 minutes per day, it will improve his/her reading.
Reading aloud will not help a child sound out unknown words. Instead, instruction that centers on understanding the sounds of individual letters and how they blend to create words will assist the student to improve his/her reading abilities. When the student is expected to read unknown words, he/she may try to memorize the shape of a word and use pictures and context clues to guess the word, which may lead to frustration.
Students with dyslexia see things backward.
Students with dyslexia do not see things backward because dyslexia is not a problem with the eyes. While new research has demonstrated that letter reversals of kindergarten children predicted spelling at 2nd grade, typical learners may reverse letters when initially learning.
Children with dyslexia are just lazy; they should try harder.
Research has shown, with the technology of functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), that students with dyslexia use a different part of their brain when reading and working with language. Students with dyslexia show a different pattern of brain function when reading; underactivity in some regions and overactivity in others which, according to research, accounts for the difficulty students have in extracting meaning from the printed word. If students with dyslexia do not receive the right type of intervention and/or classroom accommodations, they often struggle in school, despite being bright, motivated, and spending hours on homework assignments.
Gifted children cannot have dyslexia or a learning disability.
Many people with dyslexia are also considered gifted or talented and have gone on to accomplish outstanding things in their lives. Many famous authors, researchers, actors and actresses, politicians, athletes, and others from different professions have dyslexia.
Retaining a child will improve his/her academic struggles.
According to several institutions (U.S. Department of Education, American Federation of Teachers, National Association of School Psychologists), there is no benefit to retention because it may not improve a student’s academic struggles. These students do not need another year of the same instruction – they need a differentiated intervention that is research-based, systematic, and explicit.
If a child is not eligible for special education services, that child doesn’t have dyslexia.
Dyslexia comes in many degrees from mild to severe. Most children with dyslexia will not receive special education services unless they score very poorly (10 percentile or below) when comparing their level of performance to their peers or to the expected level of performance on grade-level standards.
There is a test to determine if an individual has dyslexia.
There is no single test for dyslexia. A comprehensive evaluation must be administered to support the conclusion of an SLD that can include dyslexia. Areas of assessment, determined by the multidisciplinary team, may include phonological processing and oral language, alphabet knowledge, decoding, word recognition, reading fluency, reading comprehension, spelling, written expression, and cognitive functioning.
Dyslexia is a condition that only medical professionals can diagnose.
Even though dyslexia may be diagnosed by a physician, it becomes an educational issue when it significantly affects the student’s performance in the school setting. Even when dyslexia is diagnosed by someone outside the school system, the school district is required to conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine if the child is eligible for special education and related services.
A comprehensive evaluation may include the information obtained from sources outside the school setting as part of the process; however, the majority of assessments and tests are administered by educators who are trained in, and knowledgeable of, the instruments and procedures to successfully identify SLD in the area of reading, which may include dyslexia. To be eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), assessment results must demonstrate that the disability has a significant impact on the child’s learning and the student is in need of specially designed instruction.
Resources
Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)
Council for Exception Children (CEC), Division for Learning Disabilities International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
LD Online
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)
University of Michigan, Dyslexia Help
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDAA)
National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
Teaching LD
Understood for Learning and Attention Issues
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity