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Home › Articles › Special Needs Kids › Dyslexia

Dyslexia

Different, Not Dumb

By Kelly Burgess

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Abigail Marshall always says that her son, Ethan, never suffered from dyslexia. Rather, he suffered from being misdiagnosed and misunderstood.

Ethan is in some pretty stellar company. At age 7, Thomas Edison was labeled "retarded" and taken out of public school because he couldn't read. His mother knew he was very bright, so she began home-schooling him, using strategies that played to his strengths. He grew up to become one of the most prolific and successful inventors of all time. Likewise, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Ansel Adams and a host of other extremely intelligent, creative people struggled with, and ultimately overcame, one or more of the various forms of dyslexia.

What Is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a term used to describe one type of language-based learning disability that causes difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. Most people with dyslexia are quite intelligent; they merely process information in a different area of the brain than non-dyslexics. It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of the population have some form of dyslexia, which makes it the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties.

A common assumption about dyslexia is that it makes words look like they're reversed or mixed-up. This is partially correct, but the true problem with dyslexics is that they have difficulties making the basic connection between letters and their sounds. Because dyslexics process information differently than non-dyslexics, a multi-sensory teaching method is more effective for them than the traditional rote memorization that is standard practice in American schools. The flip side of this is that dyslexics tend to be extremely creative and innovative – perhaps because they have to be to keep up.

There are other learning disabilities that are related to dyslexia, but are non-language related. For example, dyscalculia affects a person's ability to solve arithmetic problems and understand math concepts. Dysgraphia affects the ability to form letters properly and write within a defined space. Albert Einstein suffered from both dysgraphia and dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a genetic disorder, not a disease, and often a parent or other relative has the condition as well. This can make it even more difficult for the dyslexic child when he's struggling with schoolwork at home, because the parent may not be able to help. Teresa Ankney is a co-founder of the Parent Advocacy Group for Educational Rights (PAGER), a sociologist, the mother of a dyslexic child and a dyslexic herself. During the course of our interview, she had to write down the last name of someone she works closely with in order to give the correct spelling – even though she's spelled the name a million times. She laughed at her little "trick" but also used it to point out the challenge for a dyslexic child. And that challenge can be even more daunting in school.

Diagnosing Dyslexia
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