It’s not surprising that not many people know that October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. While a lot of people have heard about dyslexia not very many have much understanding of it and may in fact possess some misunderstanding. This little piece is based on a brief comment that I posted on Facebook. It was to recognize those of us who wrestle with the condition of dyslexia, but even more, for those who don’t and are unaware of the problems it causes and the ways people deal with them.
Dyslexia is usually referred to as a learning disorder. It is more complex than that and if we stop at that it can be misleading. Scientific research shows that children and adults, who have dyslexia, process information differently from non-dyslexics. It involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Called a reading disability, it can involve writing and doing math as well. Very simply put, dyslexia effects areas of the brain that process language (and yes, math is a language too).
Dyslexia is a complex business and takes more than one form. I was not diagnosed until I was in my late twenties. At first I thought it simply meant that I was a bad speller but I discovered that my “version” was not one thing. It involved a bunch of issues, which is not uncommon for many people who deal with the syndrome. As far as reading goes, I tend to see a whole section of a text rather than a word or sentence. So, I have to focus, kind of word by word. But then I won’t always get the real meaning of a sentence, or a paragraph, and have to reread the piece, maybe twice. I do a lot of underlining and make notes in the margins and that helps a lot. Of course, I can’t take out books from the library as the librarians would frown on getting back a book all marked up. I have other issues as well. While there are many words I can write correctly, there are many that I cannot remember how to spell without sounding them out. But that doesn’t work with words that have double or silent letters or have letters which sometimes have similar sounds, like a “c” can sound like an “s” sometimes or a “ph” can sound like an “f”. Spell check is a help but, as most of us know, it can give a word that is not what the writer, me, intends. But for the eagle eyes of my editor, this article would be a right mess.
I also have difficulty doing math in my head because I’m unable to keep numbers (other than very simple ones) clearly in my head. Calculators are very useful; too bad I was unable to use one in my ancient high school days. I use them a lot now but even they have limitations for me because I have to then copy the numbers down and there is no guarantee that I will not transpose them.
Here is a very different story from Patricia Young:
I was diagnosed in middle age with "severe dyslexia", I can't remember what I read. I was helped in ancient times by one of my teachers who understood - long before the word dyslexia was coined. I learned to read, but remained having to cram for a test the night before, otherwise I'd forget what I'd read. Interestingly, I learned about using personal computers back in 1980, and went on to an advanced job in IT. That's because degrees weren't required at that time. (I left school after the 10th grade) I never was able to pass a Microsoft test and received no certification beyond an early Novell one, though I worked with computers and servers all day long for years. We learn very differently from most folks.
***
So, there are two stories, but keep in mind there are very different manifestations for different individuals. And in some, not me thank goodness, dyslexia and ADHD go together. I have a grandson who has to deal with that.
It is easy to see people like us as not bright or lazy. One of my colleagues at McMaster, a psychologist, took it upon himself to pronounce (on a CBC radio1 interview) that those of us with dyslexia were not really affected with anything real, we were simply “malingerers. Needless to say, I was angry and I found that some of my students, who also were dealing with learning disabilities, were insulted, hurt and angry as well. We were able, thanks to the help from our Student Accessibility Services at McMaster, to mount a bit of a campaign on campus, which included a “workshop” for faculty and students to raise awareness of the real issues.
One of the things I do at the beginning of any new class of students is to mention that I’m dyslexic and describe my spelling problems (and my poor writing which can be, but is not always, linked to dyslexia). The point of this exercise is simply to be public, to “normalize” us, and to indicate that being dyslexic can be managed. I also hope that students with dyslexia will feel more comfortable in my class, which is usually the case.
While I hope this has been somewhat helpful, as I said, there are many different versions of the condition. Take the time to become familiar with the “disability”, there are lots of us around, (estimated at 20% of the population). To repeat we are neither dumb nor lazy and if given the right accommodations we can make very useful contributions to society. I have had a number of students who, while dealing with the frustrations of various educational systems, have gone on to successful careers in various branches of social work. Given what we know now, many famous people may have had dyslexia, including Keanu Reeves, Leonardo da Vinci, Saint Teresa, Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison.
It is easy to see people like us as not bright or lazy. One of my colleagues at McMaster, a psychologist, took it upon himself to pronounce (on a CBC radio1 interview) that those of us with dyslexia were not really affected with anything real, we were simply “malingerers. Needless to say, I was angry and I found that some of my students, who also were dealing with learning disabilities, were insulted, hurt and angry as well. We were able, thanks to the help from our Student Accessibility Services at McMaster, to mount a bit of a campaign on campus, which included a “workshop” for faculty and students to raise awareness of the real issues.
One of the things I do at the beginning of any new class of students is to mention that I’m dyslexic and describe my spelling problems (and my poor writing which can be, but is not always, linked to dyslexia). The point of this exercise is simply to be public, to “normalize” us, and to indicate that being dyslexic can be managed. I also hope that students with dyslexia will feel more comfortable in my class, which is usually the case.
While I hope this has been somewhat helpful, as I said, there are many different versions of the condition. Take the time to become familiar with the “disability”, there are lots of us around, (estimated at 20% of the population). To repeat we are neither dumb nor lazy and if given the right accommodations we can make very useful contributions to society. I have had a number of students who, while dealing with the frustrations of various educational systems, have gone on to successful careers in various branches of social work. Given what we know now, many famous people may have had dyslexia, including Keanu Reeves, Leonardo da Vinci, Saint Teresa, Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison.
We’ve just scratched the surface so here are a few resources (below) for further information.
_________________________________________________
Resources
Dyslexia Canada. “What is Dyslexia”. https://www.dyslexiacanada.org/
Mayo Clinic Dyslexia, “Symptoms and Causes”. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyslexia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353552
Teens Health (2018) “Understanding Dyslexia”. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/dyslexia.html
Patricia Young lives in the bush on Nipissing reserve, “not as a member, just that's where I live”. She is retired, but busier than ever researching and writing about her family’s Indigenous ancestors for her children.
“I want their stories to never be forgotten again.“
Comments
Post a Comment