Dyslexia - are we too willing to use this label for children who are simply poor academic performers?

Question

I am NOT for one minute suggesting dyslexia does not exist, simply that maybe teachers, and more importantly parents, may be unwilling to concede that their child has a poor reading ability.

Read the text - I specifically said I was NOT denying that dyslexia exists, simply that there are SOME children who are being labelled incorrectly as dyslexic, whereas in reality they are just poor performers.

Answer 1

I think that it is used way too often as well.
Usually it is placed on a child when they have no clue as to what is really wrong with the child.
I hear parents and teachers tell me "he/she has dyslexia" and my first response is "oh really who did the diagnosis?" (There are actually a few places in the US that can do the diagnosis)
Long story short many kids don't have the diagnosis, yet it sounded good to someone and so they labeled the child dyslexic.
On a side note many children have undetected vision problems and are labeled dyslexic. These kids are not poor performers because generally reading is taught an an age where children generally do try the best they can.
Many of the kids do have a problem yet dyslexia usually isn't it. Dyslexia is actually pretty rare.

Answer 2

The are no school labels for Dyslexia. It is a medical term. In schools we may use the label, Specific Learning Disability which involves deficits in information processing, memory and visual motor integration. There is also label for a child with an underlying language disorder which also affects reading.

And yes, there are children who do not have the innate ability to read well. However, only testing by a school psychologist will be able to tell if this is the case. There are quite a few cases in which testing shows that children are a very low normal or mentally retarded.

Answer 3

Dyslexia is an umbrella term for many reasons why individuals may have trouble with learning through conventional learning styles yet it does not define it. Dyslexia is a medically certified condition that requires extensive testing and investigation in order to be officially diagnosed. These test require an individual to express unique thought processes that a non dyslexic person ,including people who have learning problems separate from dyslexia, would not be able to express.

Diagnosing dyslexia is defining the problem and that is the first step in fixing anything. When a patient walks in with wound to the foot the first question a doctor asks is ,how did you do it, so he has a history so he knows how to fix it. A snake byte would be treated differently from a chemical burn. Dyslexia (like a chemical burn) is the same, it’s a course of producing negative academic results ( like a wound to the foot) yet its not the only reason ( like a snake byte). In eastern cultures like Japan where their vertical learning style is less effected by dyslexia their number of students being diagnosed with dyslexia are lower. Someone is diagnosed not labelled as being dyslexic and its an important first step improving academic performance.

I am an individual who at year 10 level was explained that their was no longer a place in my school because I did not get the grades that would demonstrate that I would be able to accomplish any further formal education at that school. I was asked to leave because I was a poor academic performer. I changed schools and was diagnosed with dyslexia and taught specific tools that address my specific problem and my grades improved rapidly. I went on to get a distinction in academic literature and got the deans award in my first semester of university and I am about to graduate soon.

Answer 4

While I hate labels, labels can be useful when assisting students in the class room and accessing support services, that may help people with specific needs.

To receive assistance at school & universities etc, the student needs to be formally recognized as having Dyslexia, LD or other disability, they have to be assessed by a professional who is trained in assessing Dyslexia and other Learning Disabilities etc.

Dyslexia should not be used as an excuse for not doing home work, or bad behaviour etc. Parents and teachers need to be careful when throwing labels around, especially if the child has not being formally recognized as having a LD.

When my daughter was struggling at school, I asked for her to be assessed, with the support of her class teacher, I never even thought of Dyslexia being part of her problem, once formally diagnosed and given the information on what and how Dyslexia affects the person, I realized she had the signs & symptoms, since she was very little, when trying to read and write, she'd often mix letters up, have trouble forming letters, as well as putting B's, D's etc backwards.

With documentation my daughter was given a little assistance through the rest of her school years, but I had to be her advocate on many occasions, even teaching the teachers how to assist her and other Dyslexic students.

She is now a qualified Disability support worker and currently trying to enroll into a university to become a speech pathologist.

At the time of my daughters being recognized as being Dyslexic, I was diagnosed as having Dyslexia too, which explained why I struggled with school, I could write and spell fairly well but could not read, even though I kept on trying.

So I went back to school to gain qualifications as a Youth & Disability support worker and a Workplace Trainer & Assessor. I can tell you it has not been easy, but thank God for computers with spell check lol.

Answer 5

I don't belong to any organized religion. Never have and never will. For me the true heaven or hell is the one we live in our souls while we are alive. A person who acts wrong and is immoral and acts badly.... is his own worse punishment. What happens after physical death... that is a mystery and a matter of faith for all of us. No one has come back to tell us about it. For me, God, the higher creature, whatever you or the rest of mankind might call it.... I think is above all that personal stuff, busy with other things much more important that our sins or the way we live our existence. I believe we all know what is wrong and wright and we educate our children accordingly. We have the power to choose. We know why we do it. My kids were raised that way and they have accepted all the important social and moral values, regardless of their not belonging to any church, but out of true understanding not out of fear of hell. I have never in my life threatened my kids with hell or things like that and who ever does such a thing is a moron. If anyone would take the time and the affection to sit with his kids and EXPLAIN things truly.. . use the power of education and love.....I am sure kids are like sponges and can be good persons later on because they want to, not because they are afraid.

Answer 6

no i don't think so, that's like saying 'Downs Syndrome' doesn't exsist, just because u can't 'see' it, it doesn't mean it doesn't exsist... you will find that most Dyslexics have special abilities, you could say they make up for their lack of reading skills in more ways than the normal abled child.
I have a friend who has been 'labelled' Dyslexic and although he did poorly at school he went on to succeed.

Answer 7

Irrelevant of learning difficulties or not .We pay teachers to educate our children.In this day and age we should not ostrisize children.

Answer 8

I teach and I've seen many different kinds of reading disabilities...and dyslexia stands out on its own. I don't think it is misapplied to poor readers - it exhibits itself in a very specific way.

I do think that ADHD / ADD and all that crap are excuses, however.

Answer 9

Some grab people any excuse.

Answer 10

Visit
DNA.CO.UK