“What’s wrong with that kid?” “Are they stupid?” “Its time for your special class.” These are all phrase that children with learning disabilities hear through out their life. Most of the time, children with a sever diagnosis hear much more. Though children with a mild case, such as I, are not deemed to be telling the truth. It is assumed that all children with learning disabilities are supposed to be stupid? In movies such as “She’s All that”, a character with dyslexia is acts weird and crazy as well as considered to not as great as another character. because he has dyslexia. As well as thee characters in the movie are characterized as the jock, the cheerleader, the geek, this particular character is “the dyslexic”. I can tell you that these children are not stupid but just simply have a different way of looking at the world. One of these learning disabilities is dyslexia. What is dyslexia and how does it affect the children? Is there treatment? What is a way to understand and help research dyslexia? These are common questions asked to the parents or older children with dyslexia, and I will answer showing you that people with learning disability such as dyslexia are not stupid as the media and society portray them to be.
In kindergarten, my teacher had noticed during writing center I would right my letters backwards or put them in a different order and read it correctly. My teacher then brought this up to my parents. She told my parents to consider to have me be tested to see if I had a learning disability. As the school district was paying for the testing, my parents agreed. A couple months later, I was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a learning disability which the person diagnosed uses a different part of the brain to process information, making it difficult to write, spell, and to read. Dyslexia can effect anything a person diagnosed does that contains language. In some cases it can affect the development of a child’s communication as what they speak or write is out of order so it can not be understood by the listener but is completely correct to the speaker (IDA). This is maybe be the reason dyslexia is misunderstood but people do not even attempt to understand. A person with could be wanting to discuss intellectual conversations but as their peers push them away just because they have already predetermined the person was stupid. Doesn’t this seem wrong to misjudge a person’s intelligence just because that person is misunderstood? (IDA, digital madman)
I myself not only had great difficulty with writing and reading, but still today have great difficulty remembering sequences of numbers. This is common as the brain process mixes up the order of numbers or letters making it be heard or seen out of order but to the person it’s correct. I have difficulty remembering phone numbers and addresses over three numbers. So it was extremely apparent that I had dyslexia as I would write my name out with letters backwards and say my phone number out of order and to me it was correct. Dyslexia effects more than just language but as it varies on what people have difficulty doing that they are considered to be a symptom but do not mean you have or do not have dyslexia. Most commonly people with dyslexia also can have difficulty with number sequences, orders of operations, organization, differentiating right and left, and learning language, rather it be native or foreign. In order for a person to say they have dyslexia they must be properly have gone through physicians to be diagnosed. (IDA, digital madman)
As dyslexia is such a broad learning disability it is common that people could mistakenly think someone has dyslexia but does not. This is why it is important that if it is thought that someone has a learning disability that they should see a professional diagnosis. It is incredible how many jokes people make because someone mix ups or puts information backward, they must be dyslexic. This is a cruel joke to people who have difficulty not be mix up information as they are not the punch line. There is a process which includes a variety of different tests. (IDA)
A first thing that is done is a look into the patients family’s history, it is common that dyslexia runs in a family as well as other learning disorders. The patient than goes through a series of test of their oral, written, and reading capabilities. (IDA)
The oral test is used to see how the patient uses language to express themselves and the complexity in syntax and language that is used. This test is also can be used with people with a language deficit.
A written test is used to see how the child displays their thoughts on paper as well as the order in which they put the letters. When I took the written test, I was told to write a couple of sentences of what ever I wanted. The sentences I wrote were of a first grade level but my letters were out of order or formed backwards. (IDA)
A third language test is reading. Reading is used to see how a child comprehends what they are reading. First they patient is asked to read aloud and then tell the tester what they have read as well as answer questions about they read. The same questions are then asked again once the patient has read a different item silently. On younger children who cannot read, they are told a story which then the same questions are asked. As I was barely taught how to read when I had taken the test, I both read a very short story as well as was told a much longer story to understand my comprehension. (IDA)
A final test that is used to see if the patient really has dyslexia rather than just a reading and language deficit, is an in class observation. The in class observation is key as it can tell if a child is really having difficulty in many in these areas or if they may just have attention deficit disorder. What is seen in this observation is if the child puts their energy in doing so and truly has difficulty. They also are seen in a general setting, such as on the playground, to tell if they also have difficulty talking to peers and if they have difficulty in directions, including a sequence of events and knowing right and left. (IDA)
All these test combined determine if or not a child has dyslexia or if they are diagnosed with other learning disorders. This is one of many different types of diagnosis, but this is one kind according to the International Dyslexia Association as well as the testing I went through. (IDA)
People with dyslexia as well as other learning disabilities are mistaken for being dumb or not using their full potential when really they just have a different way of processing information. Typically it is harder for a person with dyslexia in a classroom than normal student. Students with dyslexia do not comprehend assignments the first time they are read or done so before they are diagnosed it is easy to assume that they are stupid or do not work to their full potential. Once they are diagnosed it can be seen that they are not dumb at all but just need a little longer to comprehend the assignment. Students with dyslexia are as smart and may be smarter than normal children. I would consider myself as an example of this, as before my diagnosis I was thought as not using my full potential but after I was diagnosed and taught the skills on how to comprehend, I was then put in to the program for gifted and talented students. (digital-madman)
People diagnosed with dyslexia should seek treatment as it helps very much with everyday life. I was given a chance to be part of a program called Slingerland, which taught me how comprehend, speak and write so my audience can comprehend, as well as skills on how to use my disability. I was taught not to look at it as disability but as a challenge to work harder. There are many different types of treatment than can also be used, but most are a multi-sensory teaching. This allows people with dyslexia learn how to deal with it and excel in all of areas of life. Some famous people with dyslexia are Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise, and Erin Brokovich. (dyslexia)
As you can see people with a learning disability are not stupid but are different. The media takes parts of it and exaggerate it more than it actually occurs. People are all different and that makes no different with the ways of learning. Next time there is someone who is having a difficulty help them out and not judge.