Not Stupid, Not Lazy Understanding Dyslexia and Other Learning Disabilities
Linda Siegel, published by International Dyslexia Association, 40 York Road, 4th Floor Baltimore, Maryland, provides an insight into living with dyslexia. Siegel provides practical guidance for teachers, parents, and educators to aid their students in their learning. The book answers many questions about dyslexia, how dyslexia affects peoples’ lives, and people cope with dyslexia. The author Linda Siegel is a Professor Emerita from the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Throughout the first section of the book, Siegel illustrates how dyslexia and other learning disabilities differ from person to person utilizing Historical figures we relate with. Additionally, debunking common myths about dyslexia and that Albert Einstein could not have dyslexia. Students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities often possess talents with art, music, or another creative outlet. Allowing students’ opportunities to excel at their hidden talent allows students to maintain self-esteem throughout their education. A misconception about students who possess extraordinary talents is that they cannot have a learning disability. However, the opposite is true.
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Siegel exemplifies I.Q. scores are irrelevant in diagnosing learning disabilities. I.Q. scores provide a misconstrued illustration of a student’s ability to read and comprehend what he/she is reading. Educators who rely on I.Q. scores to diagnose students will misdiagnose students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities since they will have average or above average I.Q.
Dyslexia is the most prominent learning disability here in the United State but, it is also the most misunderstood. For centuries, those with dyslexia have been labeled as stupid and incompetent, when in fact they extremely intelligent, excelling in areas such as art, science and music. Due to our lack of knowledge and understanding, we as a nation are ignorant, deeming truth to the stereotypes that have long been associated with this so called “disease.” In order to reverse the damage that has already been done, we must differentiate fact from fiction. In order to fully understand dyslexia, individuals need to be provided with resources that address every aspect of the disability, including what it is, the possible causes, signs, symptoms and treatments available. Awareness is key to change.
Robert Buck once said, “If children can’t learn the way we teach, then we have to teach the way they learn.” The Wilson Language Program has become disclosed to amplify this mentality. Dyslexia is a common disease among ten to fifteen percent of the United States, where a human being has trouble in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols. Programs are reaching out to try to terminate as much distress of dyslexia as possible. Up and coming programs, The Wilson Language Program for example, are making their best efforts to start working with children from a young age with the slight signs of this common problem. Catching dyslexia earlier in life brings more assurance that the child’s future will have little to no setbacks or disadvantages for success. In order to enhance the regressive literacy of dyslexic individuals, the Wilson Language Program is progressively being implemented into regular schooling to ensure that reading standards are met, through structure, hours of research, copious practice, and strong evidence.
Doctor Morgan of Sussex, England, published the first case of what is now known as dyslexia in 1896. Dr. Morgan wrote about Percy F, a 14-year-old boy who was intelligent, bright, quick with learning games, and the intellectual equal of his peers. He fell behind, however, in his inability to learn how to read. Today, as in 1896, most people associate intelligence with the ability to read, but Percy F and the experience of millions of people with dyslexia breaks down the relationship between reading and intelligence (1). But, researchers were left with the question, "What causes dyslexia if intelligence is not the marker?
Dyslexia has been a commonly known problem in the Unites States. Even though, dyslexia is a mental problem that causes disabilities in reading, most people do not know the truth about it. There have been movies where a person with dyslexia sees letters moving around, yet people with dyslexia do not have disabilities like moving letters around. The truth is that there are plenty of misconceptions. The myths going around of what dyslexia supposedly is, is not the truth. These myths are just misconceptions and the truths about dyslexia are more complex than what it seems like. Dyslexics have different learning processes and different ways of handling the problems at hand.
Millions of people in the world struggle with dyslexia. While dyslexia can be hard to overcome, people with the disability can still achieve their goals. One of the most famous dyslexics is Cher.
Students with Dyslexia can progress very quickly in some areas, it just depends on how their brain “lights up”. Students with Dyslexia can be gifted in art, computer science, design, drama, electronics, mechanics, music, physics, and sports. So not everything can be a problem for your student. Students with Dyslexia don’t have anything wrong with them except they have a hard time reading and
Goldish, Meish. Everything You Need to Know About Dyslexia. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 1998.
When you walk into a room of people look around you at everybody. Can you pick out one or two people who suffer from a learning disability? Simply by looking at me Could you tell I do. Even educators did not realize that I had dyslexia. Unfortunately, they did not see the signs. I would like to share with you, how I have endeavored obstacles throughout life and still do, to this day.
“The Extraordinary Characteristics of Dyslexia” by Jake Horner is a definition essay on what it means to be dyslexic. He incorporates his own life story to support his definition and his ideas in his essay. Dyslexia is looked upon as a disability that should be treated even though dyslexia has to do with the way your brain processes the information given to you. Horner includes two types of thinkers, spatial and linear. Spatial thinkers are the dyslexic people in the world, and linear thinkers are the non-dyslexic people in the world (Horner 493). As I read this essay, it made me reflect.
There are many different types of learning disabilities; the most common ones are dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. (Jerome Rosner. –third ed. 1)
Multiple cases show dyslexics having exceptional talent in drawing, painting, and music. The appropriate way to describe dyslexia is not calling it a disability but as a learning difference. Despite the fact that the obstacles flourish, treatment, educational techniques, positives can provide wellbeing and overpowers the weaknesses.
Dyslexia is now a widely accepted condition that is prevalent in many classrooms. However, defining dyslexia is difficult as it can be described as a continuum. Although experts largely agree that dyslexia is identifiable as a developmental difficulty of language learning and cognition (Rose, 2009). Dyslexia can pose a host of difficulties for the child and can make daily activities and school life very challenging. The NCLD (2013) states children with dyslexia may have difficulties with ‘accurate and fluent spelling, accurate and fluent written expression, phonological awareness, memory, verbal processing speed and information processing.’ As teachers it is vital that we are aware of the underlying difficulties as the child’s consistent underachievement can appear on the surface as carelessness and lack of effort (Hodge, 2000). Dyslexia is not only about literacy, although weaknesses in literacy are often the most visible sign, it effects all areas of learning as the ability to read and write sufficiently permeates all areas of learning within the curriculum. ‘Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities’ however, the difficulties posed by having dyslexia can affect a child’s ability to learn (Rose, 2009). Every child has the right to succeed and so the teacher must strive to provide the key for learning and implement effective interventions which develop the child’s literacy skills and help them reach their full potential (DCSF, 2007; DfES, 2004).
People tend to think that Dyslexia is only related to reading, but it also causes problems in writing, math, and even music. “People with Dyslexia usually have an 'impoverished written product.' That means there is a huge difference between their ability to tell you something and their ability to write it down” (“What is Dyslexia?”). According to the website, Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, students that struggle with Dyslexia may try to avoid writing whenever possible. When they do write they make errors in sentence structure. Some common mistakes are run-on sentences, fragments, punctuation and capitalization. They will also have many misspelled words (“What is Dyslexia?”). When dyslexics read and write, they don't usually notice errors. And when they read out loud, they will say what they think they wrote, but not what is actually on the page (“What is Dyslexia?”). Most dyslexics are very bright and have good imaginations, but they lose their momentum when trying to put their thoughts on paper. Most of their energy is spent trying to remember grammar rules and fix errors. So, their overall thoughts get lost.
Kids with learning disabilities may not be the best in the class room, but they are smarter than what most people think. A lot of people think that kids with L.D think that they are “dumb” or “lazy,” when really, they just have troubles understanding. One third of kids in Special Ed. have a learning disability. (Nichcy) One million kids between the ages of six and twenty -one, have a L.D. (Nichcy) Five to six percent have a learning disability between six and seven years old. (Daniel P. Hallaham, 2008) Boys outnumber the girls by three to one. (Daniel P. Hallaham, 2008) Since 1976, Learning Disabilities have more than doubled. (Daniel P. Hallaham, 2008)
Dyslexia is a learning disability effecting thousands of students in schools across the world. As with many learning disabilities, dyslexia manifests itself differently in every person. Due to this inconsistency, many people feel it should not be qualified as a learning disability, but because so many students continue to have to overcome their dyslexia it continues to be diagnosed. Thankfully when teachers are aware of their students’ having dyslexia they are able to put supports in to aid their students’ learning. Many strategies exist to aid dyslexic people in carrying out their everyday tasks.