Theories Of Dyslexia

Discussions of dyslexia require a definition of the term, and this is where we can come into some confusion if we are not careful. In fact, the “problem” itself exists in the defining of the word, and thus the labeling of those to whom the definition applies. However, with some knowledge of the etiology of “dyslexia” we can begin to ply our beliefs off the population of “dyslexics” and start to gain some understanding of their experiences with language learning. This is, after all, the intention of this research. Guardiola (2001) also assisted in redirecting the academic focus in this direction, towards the etiology of the term and how its history has shaped current social work, education, neurobiology, and psychology perspectives.

There are many different types of learning disabilities; the most common ones are dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. (Jerome Rosner. –third ed. 1)

A. Dyslexia is defined as a learning disability marked by impairment of the ability to read. In essence, it is a disability in which people jumble letters; for example, confusing God with dog or box with pox.

According to Hull Learning Services (2013), dyslexia continues to be a subject of great debate. The word dyslexia is originated from the Greek dys- meaning ‘difficult’ and -lexia meaning to do with language. There are multiple definitions of dyslexia, because the matter in which in manifest in children and adults vary greatly. Definitions of dyslexia often focus on difficulties with the processes of writing, reading, spelling and general organization of everyday tasks. Dyslexia has been defined as the inability to acquire literacy despite normal intelligence. Other definitions have described dyslexia in terms of a list of symptoms. The symptoms often included are laterality problems; reversals in numbers, letters and/or words; reading

However within the documentary there was no definition of dyslexia given; instead the documentary focused on dyslexia as a ‘myth’, stating that the term was coined hundreds of years ago because puzzled doctors could not understand why intelligent children failed to learn to read. The documentary focused on dyslexia as mainly an ‘emotional’ construct which is far from what current research suggests.

On that basis the rationale behind this assignment is to further understand the term ‘dyslexia’, to consider the definition and diagnosis, as well as the barriers to learning it can generate. Consideration will also be given to the strategies that can be employed to assist learning, as well as promote the

Gersons-Wolfensberger, D. & Ruijssenaars, W. (1997). Definition and Treatment of Dyslexia: A Report by the Committee on Dyslexia of the Health Council of the Netherlands. Journal Of Learning Disabilities, 30(2), 209-213. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002221949703000208

Since dyslexia is a neurological condition along with difficulties with different aspects of reading dyslexia can have cognitive aspects as well, such as speech perception, recognizing and manipulating the basic sounds in a language, language memory, and learning the sounds of the letters (citation). All in all, up to 10% of the population is predicted to have some form of dyslexia therefore it is imperative that educators are able to identify these students and know strategies that can help them early on in their formal

The term “dyslexia” was first introduced in 1887 by Dr. Rudolf Berlin when he suggested that difficulty with reading may be caused by “cerebral disease instead of brain injury” (Hennigh 1995).

According to The International Dyslexia Association, the impact that dyslexia has is different for each person and depends on the severity of the condition and the approaches of the remediation. The

There is no doubt that reading and writing are vital in today’s society. Without basic comprehension skills you simply cannot become educated let alone survive. It was a common belief that anyone who wanted to read, or to learn to read, would be able to, right? With Dyslexia, that is not the case. Dyslexia is described as the difficulty to comprehend language through reading and writing, despite a normal level of intelligence. Dyslexia is not only the most common learning disability, but is also highly recognized. There are three proposed distinctions within dyslexia that includes auditory, visual, and attentional. Understanding dyslexia would help the educational community as long as the medical community. Although the scientific community has extensive research on Dyslexia, there are still neurological aspects to consider and to learn about. Dyslexia is a complex disability that has interested physicians for centuries. Students with dyslexia should not be overlooked and deserve equal opportunities in the classroom.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability. The word dyslexia comes from the Greek meaning “difficulty with words”. Dyslexic children usually have trouble with spelling and writing, and sometimes with reading and numbers. It is characterized by problems in coping with written symbols, despite normal intelligence or motivation. This type of reading disorder makes student fails to recognize and understand written words. Dyslexic people may have problems putting things in sequence, following instructions, and confusing directions. Children born with dyslexia have difficulty with text, memory and basic mathematics. They are hard in sorting out the sounds within words, therefore they have troubles with reading, writing, and spelling. The cause of

The characteristics of a dyslexic person can be very different from one person to the other, just as the characteristics of students without disabilities are different. These students show a different combination of learning problems. “Such characteristics are learning style, motor dexterity, time/math, memory/cognition, language/reading skills, behavior and vision. Sometimes the dyslexic youngster has early or late developmental stages, such as crawling, walking or talking” (Grolier’s).

Of the three previously mentioned diseases, Dyslexia impairs a person’s ability to read, write, and spell (NINDS 2003). Although they are of normal intelligence, their reading level is below average. They will usually have “trouble with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds) and/or rapid visual-verbal responding.” (NINDS 2003). Children with dyslexia complain they cannot read their textbooks, do not have enough time to finish tests, cannot take notes, and are unable to read their own handwriting (GVSU 2000). Dyslexia does not affect every person the same way, and signs of the disorder may not be prevalent until later, when grammar and more in-depth writing skills are introduced. Dyslexia can also create a difficulty in processing vocabulary and thoughts correctly when speaking, and understanding what one says when they are spoken to. Dysgraphia is another neurological disorder that focuses on writing. When a child with this disorder is first introduced to writing, they will make unnecessary spaces between their letters, and some letters will be

One of my primary focuses was to find out how different literatures dealt with Dyslexia and how best to support the child. Dyslexia can be described from a number of different perspectives as we see in Ball et al (2007) who explain that it can be “how one learns (Cognition), what parts of the brain are involved (neurology), what genes are involved (genetics) and behaviour (p14). Their book entitled ‘Dyslexia: An Irish perspective’ is very relevant to my research as it gives a great insight into the history of the special education sector in Ireland. It also looks into some of the key debates that are facing the educational sector today.