Is Dyslexia a myth?

[jake-the-peg]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/ 7828121.stm

Labour MP Graham Stringer thinks so do you agree?

[sn�gged]

No. A moth.

[christine847]

No.......my husband and son both have dyslexia

[rnchugg]

God that made me angry reading that. Graham Stringer must have been born with a silver spoon up his a**e and a �30'000 education. My wife has dyslexia and tries her upmost in everything she does. She has worked hard in reading and and I am very proud. Dyslexia is VERY real and people do suffer. I appoligise now if I have offended anyone!

[sqad617]

How was it diagnosed and what anatomical or pathological abnormalities were highlighted.

[R1Geezer]

In most cases I think he's right. It's just one of a number of conditions and syndromes that get invented to cover up failings. Can't spell ? must have dyslexia! Unruly little git? must have ADHD etc etc it's just the modern world. No doubt there are genuine cases but the vast majority are just making excuses.

[R1Geezer]

perhaps they should have a distinction between real cases and false ones. I mean I can quite understand a genuine case getting miffed being lumped in with the pretenders. How about if you can spell Dyslexia the you haven't got it!

[R1Geezer]

did you hear about the dyslexic pimp? Openned up a warehouse!

[jake-the-peg]

And the dyslexic devil worshipper who sold his soul to Santa - yes we've heard them all.

Thing is there are some conditions where there are no physical manifestations - no X-ray or blood test can show them. Like Dyslexia, ME, ADHA etc.

There are certain people with a rather simplistic view of these things who seem to think if you can't measure it it must be made up - A bit like the way shell shock used to be seen.

But Graham Stringer's approach is different - he Claims astronomical literacy rates in the far East couldn't have been attained if they have the same number of Dyslexics that we have.

Are they teaching Dyslexics better?
Do they have fewer due to genetics or diet or upbringing?
Or is it really a myth?

[webbo3]

did you hear about the dyslexic, agnostic insomniac who stays awake all night wondering if there is a Dog. ...


Dave.

[zzxxee]

my eldest daughter has dyslexia its not nice especially when she was at school

[sp1814]

It's not the 'right om' thing to say, and I apologise to all my leftie, 'lettuce-munching' brethren...but I don't believe in attention deficit disorder.

Went to a friend of my partner's house a while back and spent a miserable afternoon in the company of their young son who was rude, hyper-active and violent (he's seven). His mum said, "You'll have to excuse him, he has severe ADD". I innocently asked, "Are you sure he's not just bloody naughty".

Never been asked back.

However, aren't there a huge amount of case studies which prove the existence of dyslexia?

[sp1814]

Christine847 - is dyslexia hereditary?

[tigerlily11]

My son has it and H developed it after his car accident.
And there are one of two ways the other countries arrived at their high percentage rates.
They have, as pointed out, found a very good and effective way of teaching to these children or they have lied about it.

[sqad617]

christine847....you have yet to answer my question.

[ludwig]

Alot of bright kids with dyslexia are mistakenly thought to be stupid, and that's a shame, but the ones who really need help are those that are unlucky enough to be both dyslexic AND stupid. That must be really tough.

[ChuckFickens]

if it is then I've been lied to.

I am mildly dyslexic and myself got treated as being stupid in the early years of school as I was a long way behind everyone else with writing.

[sandbach99]

My daughter and Grandson both had dyslexia, husband avoids reading whenever possible as it is a real struggle and his father was unable to read so both are possibly sufferers.

I say had dyslexia as they had the form where they do not see a colour in black, they both wore coloured glasses, daughters bright orange, grandsons purple. These glasses seem to teach the eye/brain to see the missing colour and after a month or so could read without wearig the glasses.

Daughter could read a single line of print but add another line and all the letters merged into a ball and odd letters would keep flicking out. She spent all her school time in remedial English and still could not read, she was 21 when we saw the item regarding coloured glasses.

[LoftyLottie]

Son had same problem as sandbach's daughter and grandson. which was fortunately recognised when he was 12 after a long struggle and a lot of research by me and a consultation with a prominent optometrist who had helped many others in the same boat!!

At primary school they said he was lazy and a day dreamer! He could read well but no more than a line at a time and very slowly and writing was torture for him. All the lines were distorted and ran into each other. Because he had a high IQ and an adult conversational level it was obvious there was a problem.

To see him read so quickly when a blue overlay was put over a sheet of newspaper was wonderful. Dark blue glasses were prescribed and he has level looked back!! He had never realised that he didn't see like everybody else until then.