Dyslexia Facts And Myths

Dyslexia Facts And Debunking Those Myths

Please continue reading for information on Dyslexia Facts And Myths. Because there are lots of myths floating around the internet about dyslexia. We are here to debunk those myths and provide facts.

• Myth: Smart people are not dyslexic or have a learning disability.
  Fact: Because Dyslexia and intelligence are NOT connected. Many dyslexic individuals are very bright and creative and have accomplished amazing things as adults.

• Myth: Dyslexia does not exist.
  Fact: There has been over 40+ years of documented, scientific evidence and research proving the existence of dyslexia. It is one of the most common learning disabilities to affect children.

• Myth: Dyslexia is rare.
  Fact: In the United States, NIH research has shown that dyslexia affects 5-10% of the population, with estimates as high as 17%, Dyslexia is not rare. There are some people who may have more mild forms of Dyslexia. Then there are other people that may experience it more severely. Dyslexia is one of the most common causes of reading difficulties in elementary school children. Only 1 in 10 dyslexics will qualify for an IEP, that will allow them the special education services for the help in reading.

• Myth: Dyslexia is very uncommon.
  Fact: However, similar to the previous myth, the International Dyslexia Foundation states that between 15% and 20% of the population have language-based learning disabilities. Dyslexia being the most common of these. Furthermore the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 15% of the U.S. population has dyslexia.

• Myth: Dyslexia can be outgrown.
  Fact: Dyslexia is a lifelong issue; there needs to be yearly monitoring of phonological skills from first through twelfth grade. Through yearly monitoring of phonological skills, the results show that the disability persists into adulthood. Many dyslexics will learn to read accurately, however they may continue to read slowly and not automatically.

• Myth: Dyslexia is a “catch-all” term.
  Fact: Research has shown that dyslexia is a specific neurological learning disability. Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and decoding abilities. Dyslexia difficulties is characterized by other secondary problems. These problems are in vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing.

• Myth: Dyslexia is innate, incurable, and permanent.
  Fact: Dyslexia is a lifelong learning disability. The early, intensive, and systematic intervention can help a student keep up and retain his / her grade level in school. Early intensive intervention can help to minimize the negative effects dyslexia can have. These negative effects can be low self-esteem and poor self-concept as a learner.

• Myth: People with dyslexia cannot read.
  Fact: Most children and adults with dyslexia can read. Their reading is at a basic level. Spelling is one of the classic red flags. Spelling servers to alert parents and teachers of a serious underlying problem. The child may be unable to understand the basic code of the English language and cannot break down or reconstruct (with spelling) words using codes (letters).

• Myth: Dyslexic children will never read well. Because it is best to teach them to compensate.
  Fact: Individuals with dyslexia can become terrific readers. They can have the appropriate intervention. That intervention needs to be systematic, explicit, and research-based intervention. It is important to test a child early in his/her school career. They need early testing to identify any problems. This will allow the prevention of any major reading difficulties before any start.

• Myth: Children with dyslexia are just lazy. They should try harder.
  Fact:  The lack of awareness about the disorder among educators and parents often results in the child being branded as [lazy]. What frequently happens is that these children learn that they are going to fail at the tasks of reading, spelling, and writing. For these students it becomes an attempt at self-preservation [i.e., rather than try and fail, it is safer to just not try or work hard, because you know that you will not achieve the goal]. Research has been done with the technology of functional magnetic resonance imaging [FMRI] on Dyslexia. The results show when the individual with dyslexia reads and works with language they use a different part of their brain. They show an abnormal pattern of brain function. There is under-activity in some regions and over activity in other regions. According to research, this accounts for the difficulty that Dyslexic people have in extracting meaning from the printed word. People with Dyslexia are not poorly taught, lazy, or stupid. They have a brain difference that has nothing to do with intelligence. If students with dyslexia do not receive the right type of intervention and/or classroom accommodations. It often results in a struggle in the school setting. These students are bright and motivated students. They spend hours on their homework assignments.