Why can people not accept that some children are not as clever as others, 50 years ago if someone was not as academically gifted as other children there were no excuses.
Now days if a child isn't as clever as his peers he is told he is "dyslexic"!
Is being "dyslexic" just a condition invented to make children who are not very good at school (and their parents) feel better or does it actually exist?
2006-09-01 08:59:46 · 28 answers · asked by Dangermouse 29 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
Just to clarify with people - I am very aware with what the syndrome "dyslexia" is
And I am not calling people labelled "dyslexic" think.
The point I am trying to get across is this - I cannot draw - Should I have a label something like "artlexic" or should I accept I cannot draw as well as others???
I am asking for no excuses, why should people who cannot grasp numbers or words as well as others have a label???
2006-09-01 09:10:02 · update #1
My niece was found to be dyslexic when she was about 9 years old. She got special teaching for a year which taught her how to read in a way that she could understand.
After that year she was able to go back into mainstream education, and she has just graduated from uni with a degree in teaching!
She doesn't whine about it, but having been diagnosed early, has been able to adjust to how she has to learn, and get on with her life just like anyone else.
It is not about having a label to make excuses for doing badly in school - it is about being able to get the right help at the right time.
If a child was found to be hard of hearing, and as a result was doing badly in class, would you allow them to be fitted with a hearing aid (and labelled "hearing-impaired") or would you say,
"What nonsense! It's just a condition invented to make the child feel better- why can't they accept that some children are not as clever as others!"
I don't see what the problem is about having some sort of labels - for example my husband has a problem with colours, green,brown,pink and orange are all similar to him. Well, that is a type of colour-blindness.
There's nothing wrong with the label, it is only if it is abused that there is a problem.
For example - I must have the front seat in the car because I am dyslexic or have ADD or whatever. Well, obviously the answer is No! Wait your turn!
2006-09-01 09:26:03 · answer #1 · answered by Rose 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many children with dyslexia are actually very bright. Some of the most famous geniuses like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison did not function well in a school environment. Edison's mother was told by a teacher that he was retarded because he could not read (probably dyslexic). The condition involves certain perception problems which can be overcome. I have worked with children who can comprehend any material when it is presented to them as speech, they simply have a difficult time processing visual cues.
In years past there were no "excuses" for a lot of things. People were locked away for having conditions that today are understood and treatable. Yes, some children are less clever than others but dyslexia is real.
2006-09-01 09:14:27 · answer #2 · answered by Daphne 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well I am extremely intelligent and I have mild dyslexia. The condition has nothing to do with intelligence levels. It is when you mix the letters up. That's all. I actually developed dyslexia later in life. When I was going through school, I was fine. My eyes have gotten worse and it also caused ADD. Dyslexia is not a handicapping condition. It is just how some people see things. Maybe it has aided in my "seeing the world" differently than most people. Anyway, there is no need to place negative connotations with dyslexia.
2006-09-01 09:08:48 · answer #3 · answered by Metacoma 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Dyslexia is not a made up diagnoses.
It is a condition that interferes with a child’s ability to intake or output information. It is more that just seeing/reading things backward.
I know cause I have dyslexia. When I was a child I was seen as not as bright as the other kids cause I had trouble reading and writing. I was put in remedial reading class and still could not grasp certain things (letter backwards). This has a large impact on my life. I felt stupid and dumb and no matter how hard I tried I could not overcome these issues and could not relay my problems to others. I suffered in silence.
I gave up and my schoolwork suffered, I barely passed any of my classes and developed a hatred towards reading.
I suffered until I was in high school (Grade 10). My Algebra teacher showed me methods to use to take each problem I had in math step by step. I took that same method and applied it to everything I do. I started to develop a new way of understanding the classes I was taught. Memorization was not helpful. I had to restructure the way I took in information, the way I took notes, the way I read problems and the way I relayed a message.
When I entered into grade 10 I was a Low "C" or high "D" student. By the end of high school I was a straight "A" student (Physics, Chem., Trig, Stats, Calculus, English, History, Biology, and Welding)- With less studying and more organization. I was actually Valedictorian (A with Honours) and was offered help from my teachers to help pay for University.
In university I applied the same methods and I received my undergrad in Science (graduated summa *** laude). I then went on to receive my Masters and currently working on my PhD.
In my life all I needed to do was recognize that it was not my intelligence that was the problem it was the way I organize the information. I needed find a way that my brain can digest the information and pay attention to deals.
I still have a problem with left and right or other simple things like phone numbers if I try to do things to fast. But other than that I have an IQ of 140+ (not to brag) but intelligence and dyslexia are not related.
I love learning but to this day I hate reading and if I read SAM I AM to fast I trip over the words (talk about funny when my kids correct my readings) LOL
2006-09-01 09:30:05 · answer #4 · answered by smartypantsmbcanada 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dyslexia is the way the human brain operates and this simply means that the way this person's brain works is different than the way Donald Trump's works. But, within the education system, the brain just needs to be retrained to work differently and do get the same results as Donald Trump's brain works. Look, at Desi Arnaz and even Steven Spielberg and all the success that they have had. They both have dyslexia and they can both think like Donald Trump only with different ways of figuring out the same problems.
2006-09-01 09:06:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Dyslexia (and Dyscalcula - the same condition except its with numbers) indicates itself in two major ways - letters that appear similar, such as d and b, p and q and e and f are often interchangable. (For example a person with dyslexia may mean to spell 'dog' but may right 'bog' instead)
The other major symptom is letters appearing to move on the page. They may appear to wriggle up and down, side to side, may 'tunnel' to look like a funnel. This effect usually goes away if the words are written on orange paper or viewed through orange tinted lenses.
2006-09-01 09:07:48 · answer #6 · answered by ty_rosewood 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I am dyslexic.
I got straight A's for my GCSEs, As and Bs for Alevels and a first for my BA and Masters. And I am in Mensa.
Dyslexia effects my spelling, writing and reading but I know lots of stupid people who have lovely handwriting and can spell well. I am not stupid but yes, I am dyslexic. I was not diagnosed until my Alevels and I think that going through school I taught myself to think in different ways because the teacher taught the standard (non-dyslexic) way that wasn't how my mind was set. This made me more creative and artistic and if anything increased my ability to think.
Intelligence and dyslexia are very different things and you just sound plain ignorant.
2006-09-01 09:09:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
lol
I totaly agree. I'm sure there are some people who do have dyslexia and various other problems, but these words are overused and I certainly agree that people who don't want to admit they aren't doing as well accademically will try and fall back on one of these names. This really showed up when I was doing my GCSE's and about 10% of people had extra time, down to dyslexia (supposedly) or back ache, and coinsidentaly the same 10% were the ones who didn't want to work as hard and weren't as intelligent anyway.
2006-09-01 10:32:17 · answer #8 · answered by Gypsophila 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There definately is such a thing as dyslexia,someone I was at school with had it.Its a certain way they write different words that gives it away.You will often find that people who suffer from this spell the same word in the same way.
2006-09-01 09:08:21 · answer #9 · answered by Julie 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Dyslexia just means a difficulty with reading and writing (and I don't think we can deny that exists). Although it does often envolve problems with organising thoughts etc.
Maybe you aren't good at art, but that isn't really an essential life skill. If a person never learns to read or write they are going to have severe problems in life. If giving that difficulty a name is what it takes for them to get help, then why is that a problem?
2006-09-01 09:23:43 · answer #10 · answered by guest 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋