(no subject)
There was a very interesting program on CH4 about dyslexia last week. Apparently there's no such thing, or not in the sense of there being a special group of people who have difficulty reading because of an exceptional brain problem. People diagnosed with dyslexia are those who have difficulty with reading but who are highly intelligent in other areas and thus would not be expected to have problems. It was therefore postulated that they had some sort of brain abnormality that specifically hindered their progress in that area. To oversimplify, those with reading problems and high IQs had dyslexia (because it was expected that they should be able to read, so there must be something else going on) and those with reading difficulties and low IQs were just your common-all-garden slow-readers (because it seemed to make sense that they would have problems) - or, to put it another way, they were 'just a bit dumb'.
However, apparently it has been known for some time now what causes reading problems and it is the same problem for all, regardless of IQ. It involves a problem in a very specific area of the brain that is involved in distinguishing speech sounds. So kids with reading difficulties are unable to discriminate adequately between words because to them they sound the same.
Strategies have been devised to help with this problem and they can be highly successful. The trouble is, because of the diagnosis of dyslexia, the majority of the funding has been going to those who are diagnosed rather than to all the children that need it. Which basically means that the most vulnerable - those who are less able in other ways - have been getting the least help. Genius.
And it is still happening - the reading scheme that has been shown to help is only available in (I think it was) two areas of the country. Solutions have been arrived at by science, but the information has not been adequately disseminated, meaning it is not being used.
However, apparently it has been known for some time now what causes reading problems and it is the same problem for all, regardless of IQ. It involves a problem in a very specific area of the brain that is involved in distinguishing speech sounds. So kids with reading difficulties are unable to discriminate adequately between words because to them they sound the same.
Strategies have been devised to help with this problem and they can be highly successful. The trouble is, because of the diagnosis of dyslexia, the majority of the funding has been going to those who are diagnosed rather than to all the children that need it. Which basically means that the most vulnerable - those who are less able in other ways - have been getting the least help. Genius.
And it is still happening - the reading scheme that has been shown to help is only available in (I think it was) two areas of the country. Solutions have been arrived at by science, but the information has not been adequately disseminated, meaning it is not being used.