I can’t decide whether or not I should be ashamed that I laughed a bit inside when I read this joke today:
Did you hear about the dyslexic atheist?
He doesn't believe there is a dog.
I have decided that since I have gained so much respect for dyslexics from this job, that although it may be politically incorrect to appreciate that joke, I’m not a bad person for thinking it was funny (correct me if I’m wrong).
A couple of weeks ago I received a passionate email from a dyslexic tutor who strongly believes the majority of research about dyslexia is inaccurate. He has written a well researched article about his own theories about dyslexia. His own opinion was a result of his own observations as he has worked with dyslexics. Here is a link to his article:
Phonological Awareness Deficit is not the cause of dyslexics being unable to read fluently - A Myth Busted
If you read his article, we would love to hear what your opinion is in the comment section of this post.
The reason I took notice to his email, aside from its passionate flair, was because I had written a post about the 5 different theories on what causes dyslexia just a few days before. Through all of my research, there was no conclusive evidence about any of the theories. Every piece of information I found made it clear that although many believed in this and that theory, there is yet to be found a sure cause of dyslexia.
So what is known about dyslexia?
If you asked the average person what they knew about dyslexia, they would probably say something related to the joke at the beginning of this post: dyslexics’ reverse letters in words, dyslexics have a difficult time reading, (add what you answered to yourself in the comment section), etc…
One common perception I hate to even write is that many people, including dyslexics themselves, believe that dyslexics are lacking in intelligence. What would surprise many people is that most dyslexics actually tend to have above average intelligence. Although this finding is not widely known, it is true. Some other things that are known about dyslexia include:
Common Symptoms
- Family history of dyslexia
- Lack of reading fluency
- Persistent reading problems
- The substitution of made-up words during reading for words that cannot be pronounced
- A preference for books with figures, charts, or graphics
- Trouble reading unknown (new, unfamiliar) words that must be sounded out
- Difficulty reading small “sight” words such as "that," "an," "in"
- Omitting parts of words when reading, such as "conible" for "convertible"
- A terrific fear of reading out loud; the avoidance of oral reading
- A reliance on context to discern the meaning of what is read
- A better ability to understand words in context than to read isolated single words
- The substitution of words with the same meaning, such as "car" for "automobile"
- Poor spelling
- Reading that is very slow and tiring
- Extreme difficulty learning a foreign language
- The use of imprecise language, such as vague references to "stuff" or "things" instead of the proper name of an object
- Not being able to find the exact word, such as confusing words that sound alike: saying "tornado" instead of "volcano," substituting "lotion" for "ocean," or "humanity" for "humidity"
- Inability to come up with a verbal response quickly when questioned
- Difficulty in remembering dates, names, telephone numbers, random lists
- Difficulty in learning (and remembering) names of letters
- Failure to know the letters in their own name
Intellectual Strengths
- Curiosity
- Creativity
- Strong problem solvers
- A good understanding of new concepts
- A large vocabulary for their age group
- Talent at building models
- Excellent comprehension of stories read or told them
- Learning that is accomplished best through meaning rather than rote memorization
- Excellence in areas not dependent on reading, such as math, computers, and visual arts, or excellence in more conceptual (versus factoid-driven) subjects such as philosophy, biology, social studies, neuroscience, and creative writing
- A high learning capability
- Excellence in writing if content is important but not spelling
- Exceptional empathy and warmth, and feeling for others
- Ability to come up with original insights
- Big-picture thinking
- Inclination to think out of the box
- A noticeable ability to adapt
Solutions for Reading Difficulties
There are several strategies that can be used to help dyslexics improve their reading abilities. By teaching dyslexics phonetic and decoding strategies they can better understand the English language and break down words when reading. Phonetic strategies have to do with helping dyslexics become more aware of the sounds in the English language and connecting those sounds to the letter, and letter combinations in the alphabet.
Decoding strategies help dyslexics improve reading by providing them with a step wise system to break apart and sound out words when reading.
Another strategy that can help dyslexics improve their reading ability is multisensory instruction (also known as the Orton Gillingham approach). Because the dyslexic brain is different, by involving more of the brain by connecting concepts to several different senses, they can better understand what they are learning.
Free Dyslexia Webinar: “Dyslexia: From Symptoms to Solutions,” presented by Reading Horizons Dyslexia Specialist, Shantell Berrett.
Register to watch the free dyslexia webinar! >