What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia was first defined by Berlin in the 1870s.

Synonyms

"The term dyslexia has been interchangeably used with many other terms like 'word blindness',' specific developmental dyslexia', 'developmental dyslexia', strephosymbolia', 'reading disability'; 'reading difficulty', 'primary reading retardation ,learning disability', 'poor reading', inferior reading', inadequate reading'.

The symptomatology and populations described by the above terms are variable but they all share one main factor, the severe reading problems which cannot be explained by the same factors which cause reading backwardness".

*From: George Th. Pavlidis, Dyslexia Research & its Application to Education, Ed by G. Th. Pavlidis & T. R. Miles,1981,1985. Chapter 5, Sequencing, Eye Movements and the Early Objective Diagnosis of Dyslexia, Page 102, John Wiley & Sons

Many other synonyms, meaning faulty sensory sequencing, always accompanied with other pieces of the syndrome as listed in the test following, are frequently coined. A recent addition is ADD or attention deficit disorder. 'A rose by any other name. . . '

The information coming from the environment through our senses must be ordered, lined up, sequenced and stored in the memory so that we may retrieve it to express ourselves in writing or speaking or deciphering text when reading.

Inability in this low level organising is separate from intelligence and often occurs in gifted and talented people as well as in those from all other levels of ability. Programmes using several sense memories together help memory and retrieval. To use holistic, multi-sensory ways, see/hear/feel and say, letters and syllables of words, then blend the parts. Numbers similarly.

Definitions

'Mirror writing and similar' problems are usually blamed on defects in visual perception but in truth dyslexia seems to be a complex linguistic deficiency. The remedy is proper instruction in reading"

*From: Cover Story, 'Dyslexia', Scientific American. March, l985

"Children with special (specific) learning disabilities exhibit a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language.

These may be manifested in disorder of listening, thinking, talking, reading, writing, spelling or arithmetic. They include conditions which have been referred to as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, developmental aphasia, etc. They do not include learning problems which are due primarily to visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, to mental retardation, emotional disturbance, or to environmental disadvantage"

*From: Notes and Working Papers. . . 'Education of handicapped children.' Prepared for the Subcommittee on Education of the Committee on Labour and Public Welfare, United States Congress (Washington, D. C. :U. S. Government Printing Office, May, 1968). page 14.

There are two kinds of dyslexia. To have both is common. They are:

1. Primary Dyslexia

This is genetic, (familial or inherited), and sex-linked, with six males to every four female cases.

These 'native' dyslectics tend to excel in imaginative and innovative spheres such as architecture, art, invention, sculpture, surveying, farming the 3D rather than the linear.

If not taught by 'look and say' but multi-sensory, they experience little problem with the basics of literacy and numeracy.

Neither do those with secondary dyslexia, which I shall now describe, for the symptoms and the treatment are similar.

2. Secondary Dyslexia

Acquired from illness or accident, this causes brain injury which is usually too minimal to register in brain scans yet has effects as for primary dyslexia.

Premature- (40%), trauma-, cocaine-(100%) born babies are often secondary dyslectics.

Drug therapy, and lenses other than ones correcting eyesight, produce no significant 3Rs gain for dyslectics in scientific tests.

Holistic teaching is recommended, NOT piecemeal programmes. A TEAM OF SENSE MEMORIES helps retain and retrieve information.