Does dyslexia exist?

[Colour Scientist]

So I'm sure that a good percentage of people on this site have dyslexia and those who don't have it are likely to have met a few people who claim to have it.

Recently a debate appeared a few years ago, spearheaded by Julian Elliott of Durham University, who claims that it has 'no scientific basis' and that it is little more than an 'emotional construct'. His points have been disputed by most within the academic world and while I don't argue the existance of dyslexia I find some of his points interesting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2005/sep/02/schools.uk6

There was a documentary made about it aswell, called 'The Dyslexia Myth':
http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dyslexia_myth/

What does the Escapist think on the subject?

 

[Hobo Joe]

Frankly I think it exists but only in a very small minority, most who claim to have it are just dim probably.

 

[HardkorSB]

I think it does but 99% of the people who claim to have it are just too lazy to learn proper grammar and spelling.

 

[Jack and Calumon]

It does exist. I know someone who is incapable of grasping spelling and various things. However, like Newton's laws, "For every action there is an equal and Opposite Reaction." He can know spend his time being focused on making music. He's good, not that I am allowed to show you. Advertising and all.

Either way, Yes it does, but is heavily over used. Just because someone can't spell Onomatopoeia does not mean that they are Dyslexic.

Calumon: It's more overdone than Jack's cooking!

 

[imnot]

Frankly I think it exists but only in a very small minority, most who claim to have it are just dim probably.

my thoughts exactly.

 

[Tharwen]

There isn't any absolute definition of intelligence and there are many areas which you have to be good at to create an impression of it. Perhaps dyslexia is simply a weakness in the area that deals with language.

That doesn't necessarily mean that those people have nothing wrong with them; it just means that there's no specific condition that causes it.

 

[Colour Scientist]

Frankly I think it exists but only in a very small minority, most who claim to have it are just dim probably.

my thoughts exactly.

Well generally when they diagnose someone with it the give the subject an IQ text and you have to have at least a slightly above average IQ before they diagnose it.

 

[HuntrRose]

A fun note on dyslexia. The Japanese don't have dyslexia at all due to their written language being processed differently by the brain. Of course their written language is a ***** to learn compared to the ones using latin letters.

This is probably true for chinese and other languages using a different approach to writing.

 

[imnot]

Frankly I think it exists but only in a very small minority, most who claim to have it are just dim probably.

my thoughts exactly.

Well generally when they diagnose someone with it the give the subject an IQ text and you have to have at least a slightly above average IQ before they diagnose it.

i know but i've seen people say they have it when i know for a fct they don't.

 

[Aerodyamic]

Oh yeah, if you can't read you get given a computer because...I don't know. Maybe letters are easier to read off a screen or some such theory?

My girlfriend has mild dyslexia, and says the highlighting when she misspells a word helps her figure out where she's buggered it up. I think it's got more to do with the standardized teaching methods not working with everyone's learning 'style, for a lack of a better term.

 

[XzarTheMad]

I know a dyslexic person, and one of my former close friends is one as well. It's simply, as I see it, a difficulty with matching the sound of a word with how it's written. The man I know currently is one of the most awesome and respect-inducing people I know, and doesn't use it to gain pity. It's a minor inconvenience that he deals with, and that's pretty much all it is, in my book at least. What scientists have to say - I don't really care. Even if it's not "dyslexia" but rather "truman's disease" or "Decreased Learning Potential (DLP)" or whatever you call it, it exists. The rest is just semantics.

 

[Jack_Uzi]

It does exist. Because of the following reason:

- I know how to spell most words correctly. But sometimes I just mess them up, and next time, I write them in the correct way. If I couldn't spell them at all, I would be consistantly be typing them wrong.

- When I read something, it looks like a different word than it is. Maybe a twitch of unwanted 'fantasy/crativity' that caused it. I tend to read slower than an average person too.

All in all I can only think of it as a different kind of wiring that goes on in the head of people with real dyslexia (and screw the person who came up with that word!!!.. it's really hard to type if you have it). The only reason most people don't know I have it is because I check my spelling and type o's over. But it takes a lot of energy.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

TBH, I saw the thread title and I thought 'OP b trollin'

That turned out to be rather wrong...

Honestly, post #3 summed up EXACTLY what I wanted to say:

I think it does but 99% of the people who claim to have it are just too lazy to learn proper grammar and spelling.

 

[crudus]

I wouldn't be surprised if it is being over diagnosed. It happens a lot with new diagnoses. Almost like a pop-diagnoses if you will (people are just lazy or more likely use apologetic tactics to diagnose).

Frankly I think it exists but only in a very small minority, most who claim to have it are just dim probably.

I think it does but 99% of the people who claim to have it are just too lazy to learn proper grammar and spelling.

Like ADD and ADHD!

 

[Ekonk]

It exists alright. People claiming that dyslexics are just stupid need to get shot in the knee, I just finished grammar school and I have friends that are more intelligent than me but who are horribly dyslexic and spell lots and lots of things wrong.

Dyslexic is not the same thing as being stupid.

 

[Colour Scientist]

TBH, I saw the thread title and I thought 'OP b trollin'

That turned out to be rather wrong...

Honestly, post #3 summed up EXACTLY what I wanted to say:

I think it does but 99% of the people who claim to have it are just too lazy to learn proper grammar and spelling.

Hey, I am no troll!

 

[Thyunda]

I believe it exists. A usually intelligent friend of mine has it, and it's not laziness where grammar and spelling are concerned. Always eager to learn new words, and keep correct grammar and spelling.
He's not dim, and he's not lazy. He's dyslexic.

 

[Aerodyamic]

Oh yeah, if you can't read you get given a computer because...I don't know. Maybe letters are easier to read off a screen or some such theory?

My girlfriend has mild dyslexia, and says the highlighting when she misspells a word helps her figure out where she's buggered it up. I think it's got more to do with the standardized teaching methods not working with everyone's learning 'style, for a lack of a better term.

Indeed, I think it has more to do with how the language is taught than with how the brain of the student works. I also think that the problem could be addressed better if we didn't Latinify it. "I have trouble reading" would get you support and is an admission of difficulty, "I have dyslexia" turns it into a medical condition that needs a special treatment. If we realised that a good percentage of people couldn't read then maybe we'd look at solving it at the source but if you make it sound like asthma it makes it into something you can't solve, a disability to be soothed rather than a failing of the educational system.

Ironically, even though my girlfriend has issues with reading and spelling (for whatever reason), she spends more time than I do reading, and has more books in her 'personal library'. She reads a lot, she just doesn't always spell words correctly, due to some mental disconnect that occurs when she's writing.