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?

[LoftyLottie]

'never' looked back!! Perhaps I have a problem too?!!!

[christine847]

sp1814......yes it is.....my stepdaughter has it ,so do her two children one moreso than the other

[christine847]

SQAD617
My son went to the Peterborough Dyslexia Ass.
He was diagnosed with Dyslexia,Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia.
He had a PET scan and numerous other tests,ears,eyes andthey said it was something in the left side of the brain which wasnt functioning normally.
I removed him from school at the age of 12( and
with the aid of a private tutor 2 days a week)
taught him myself
DTH?
with the aid of a private tutor 2 days per week

[puddicat]

my son has a mild form of it,how very he dare he upset normal people persay,he is fabulous with draughting plans and alike, i can speak and write the talk,but he can walk the walk!!

[LoftyLottie]

My son took place in a research programme at the Medical Research Council, Cambridge. The paid him, which was great for a 12 year old. He had to be 'wired up' and various brain waves, etc. were transmitted onto computers. Quite frightening for me, but he was unphased.

If anybody tells me that dyslexia (which takes different forms) is a myth, I would thump them!!

[NiceCupOfTea]

Are 10% of his constituents dyslexic? That seems a weirdly high number to me. Where did that one come from?

[LoftyLottie]

From the QIA webite

"All teachers need an awareness of the indicators of dyslexia and dyscalculia and need to know how to respond when they recognise them.

About 4% of the population are thought to be affected to a significant extent by dyslexia. As many as a further 6% of the population may be affected to a lesser extent � but some suggest that the percentage may be higher.

Most literacy, language and numeracy teachers will have some dyslexic learners in their groups and the Disability Discrimination Act requires all teachers to be prepared to respond to their needs."

[jno]

Jake - just to answer your question, a matter that puzzled me too - perhaps the literacy rates attained in other countries are a result of the educational/medical systems there identifying dyslexic children and treating them? I have no idea if Stringer has considered this - he may have and found it to be false.

Anyway, I don't think it's like flu, something you have or don't have, I imagine it's more of a spectrum (this would probably apply to ADD too). A child can't read, and perhaps he's just slow, but at some point along the spectrum his degree of inability may make medical diagnosis and intervention seem appropriate. And different doctors will probably work with different trigger points that prompt them to say 'He can't be that stupid, maybe there's something medically wrong with him.'

[jake-the-peg]

I think personally that there are a number of "self-diagnosed" cases of Dyslexia, ADD, disbraxia or whatever and that rather encourages the view that these are imagined conditions.

Stringer's points are interesting but I really don't think he's in any way qualified to make the stements he has.

A back-bench MP with a big mouth - never!

[carrust]

Why is it that dyslexia only affects the middle classes?

[LoftyLottie]

Can you explain that sweeping statement Carrust?

[jno]

MPs aren't necessarily 'qualified' to speak on anything much other than politics, but it doesn't mean they can't read, ponder and come to defensible conclusions. I think Stringer is wrong, dyslexia is pretty well attested, but he presented a coherent argument, so I don't think it's necessarily fair to accuse him of shooting his mouth off.

[LoftyLottie]

Yes Jake you are quite right. here are some people who make dyslexia an excuse and they have obviously muddied the waters for people with real dyslexia problems. It is bad enough to suffer from dyslexia without people being synical and rude about them.

I am not saying you are cynical and rude Jake, just agreeing with your statement.

[LoftyLottie]

There are some 'sticky' keys on my keyboard. 'There' not 'Here'

[carrust]

I'm sure that there are some genuine cases of dyslexia. However, along with ADHD, it has become a band-wagon for parents with badly behaved, or not too bright children to jump on.

[LoftyLottie]

Not just 'some' genuine cases of dyslexia Carrust. There are many cases and some unfortunately are never picked up! Fortunately, schools are more aware now then they were when my son was small and children, from all classes, are diagnosed.

However, as jno points out, dyslexia is not a disease, it is covered by a wide spectrum. It is generally caused by a brain/eye coordination problem and this is a physical condition. My son's dyslexia is also associated with migraine and epilepsy in many cases.

[NiceCupOfTea]

I still cannot fathom how 10% of the population can be classed as having the condition when I haven't met more than a handful of people who even know anyone with it, let alone have it themselves.