Myths and facts about dyslexia

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

These myths were written by Tom Burkard.

Myth 1: There is no ‘cure’ for dyslexia.
The facts: Dyslexia is not a disease. Given the right kind of teaching, dyslexics can learn to read (and even to spell) just as well as anyone else.

Myth 2: Dyslexics have ‘special abilities’.
The facts: Other than their problems with reading, dyslexics are pretty much the same as everyone else. There is no specific dyslexic ‘profile’. Some dyslexics have exceptional abilities, but exactly the same thing can be said about non-dyslexics.

Myth 3: Dyslexia is a ‘gift’.
The facts: For dyslexics who haven’t learned to read properly, dyslexia is a condition which causes nothing but unhappiness. We have taught over 1,000 pupils, and not one of them has ever had a good thing to say about being dyslexic. One commented, “If dyslexia is a gift, they can have it back”.

Myth 4: Dyslexics have high intelligence.
The facts: Repeated studies have shown that there is very little relationship between dyslexia and intelligence in young children. Our pupils are just as likely to be low-ability as high-ability, and most of them fall in the middle. However, if dyslexics don’t learn to read, their IQs tend to fall behind as they get older.

Myth 5: You can’t diagnose dyslexia in young children.
The facts: Teachers who use intensive phonics can identify dyslexics in the first few days of school. The notion that some children are just ‘late developers’ is pure moonshine.

Myth 6: Dyslexics need specialist professional help.
The facts: You would say this if you invested years in university becoming a specialist. However, almost anyone can teach a dyslexic to read and spell if they have a good program.

Myth 7: Dyslexics should be encouraged to used different strategies to cope with their disability.
The facts: All good readers can decode print to sound. You can’t fudge this question, and attempts to teach alternate strategies are completely misguided.

Myth 8: Children ‘learn to read by reading’.
The facts: If this were so, every child in Britain and the US would be able to read. Giving children books before they have the skills to read them is tantamount to child abuse. You should never force children to make a public display of their incompetence.

Myth 9: Boys are 3 or 4 times more likely to be dyslexic than girls.
The facts: In schools that use intensive phonics, boys actually outperform girls by a very small margin. Boys are far more likely to fail with ‘modern’ teaching methods, but this is not because they are more prone to dyslexia. The methods used in the first term of school are absolutely critical; any kind of whole-word teaching puts boys at a serious disadvantage.

Myth 10: Reversing letters is a good indication of dyslexia.
The facts: If children are taught to form letters properly (something which almost never happens in primary school) they never reverse letters, dyslexic or not. Children who are encouraged to copy letters however they choose—lest their ‘enthusiasm’ for writing be dampened—usually go through a phase of reversing letters or numbers. Dyslexics may take longer to recover from this, which has given rise to this myth.

Myth 11: Left-handedness is a sign of dyslexia.
The facts: No studies have ever found anything more than a very weak link. Most have found none at all

Myth 12: Dyslexics are clumsy, and have difficulty learning (for instance) to tie their shoes.
The facts: Some dyslexics are indeed clumsy, but most aren’t. Once again, no convincing link exists. Most clumsy children learn to read without trouble.

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

Read Susan Godsland's 'Myths and Facts about Dyslexia' via her site:

http://www.dyslexics.org.uk/dyslexia_myths.htm

[Susan Godsland]

https://theconversation.com/seven-myths ... rest-49201

Myth 1: I’m a bad speller because I’m dyslexic

Some researchers and organisations include spelling problems in their definition of dyslexia. This can be a problem because spelling and reading are different skills even if they are both based on written language.

There are some processes involved in both spelling and reading, so some people will have problems with both skills. But research has clearly shown that many people are good readers, but poor spellers; or good spellers, yet poor readers.

To avoid grouping different kinds of problems together, it is less confusing to use the distinct terms dysgraphia (or spelling impairment) for problems in spelling, and dyslexia (or reading impairment) for reading problems.

Myth 2: I have trouble with (insert problem here), because I’m dyslexic

Reading problems are about problems with reading. That may seem obvious, but sometimes problems in other areas become so strongly associated with reading difficulties that they start to be talked about as if they were the same as having a reading difficulty.

For example, some people with reading problems also have problems with some aspects of memory. This can lead people to say things like, “David forgets his lunch box a lot because he’s dyslexic”, but this assumes a connection between the two problems. If dyslexia leads to poor memory, then everyone who has a reading problem should also have memory problems, but this is not at all the case.

In the extreme, one website claims that Leonardo da Vinci had dyslexia not because of any evidence that he had trouble reading, but because he could write backwards and reversed (as in a mirror image). This is clearly using the term far too broadly.

Myth 3: Dyslexia is the same for everyone

Though it may not feel like it to many of us, reading is a very complex task which involves many sub-skills and processes. It requires identifying and ordering letters, mapping letter patterns to sounds, and accessing knowledge stored in memory (among other things).

This means that the process can fail in a variety of ways, so as researchers we will almost never say “dyslexia” or “reading impairment” without first discussing what kind of problem we mean.

Does the reader have trouble with new words they have never seen before? Do they mistake broad for board more often than others their age? Do they read have as though it rhymes with save? Do they have trouble understanding what they have read? These are different problems, which don’t necessarily go together.

Myth 4: There is one way to treat dyslexia

Since dyslexia is not one problem, there also isn’t a single solution. The particular nature of the reading problem a person has determines the treatment they need.

Based on current evidence, effective treatment of a struggling reader requires first identifying the specific reading problems the reader has, then designing a reading-based program to develop the skills that have fallen behind.

Myth 5: Gymnastics can cure dyslexia

Treatments like physical exercise, coloured lenses or coloured paper are not helpful for two reasons. First, they assume that all dyslexias are the same. Second, they have nothing to do with reading.

There are many more “snake oil” treatments out there, and many of them have been adopted by school boards and education administrators with no reliable evidence to support them.

Currently, the evidence favours treatments that are based on developing reading skills that target the specific reading problem.

Myth 6: Phonics is a waste of time

This one is a particular challenge in Australia, where many teaching programs do not emphasise phonics in early reading education. As a result, some children who appear to have a form of dyslexia are struggling because of classroom teaching methods.

Phonics helps children learn to read by teaching them how to convert letters into sounds and then blend those sounds into words. Effective teaching methods for reading should always include systematic teaching of phonics, particularly in the early years.

Myth 7: Dyslexia runs in my family, so I just have to live with it

Research has found that genetics can play a role in reading difficulties. Sometimes the phrase “genetic cause” is mistaken for “there’s nothing anyone can do”. This isn’t true for reading difficulties.

No matter the source of the dyslexia, there are treatments that can help - provided the problems are clearly identified, and the treatment is targeted.

[Susan Godsland]

Profs Joe Elliott and Elena Grigorenko: The Dyslexia Debate research briefing paper with 5 major myths discussed:

https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/educati ... iefing.pdf

[Susan Godsland]

SEN Magazine (no.49. Nov/Dec 2010) - scroll down to page 2 to read the article:

Six myths about dyslexia

http://www.rrf.org.uk/docs/SEN49_Dyslexia_myths.pdf