British teacher sparks row on dyslexia

	Tweet

A British professor sparked a row on Friday by saying that Dyslexia - a condition that affects millions of people worldwide—was overdiagnosed.

Julian Elliott, professor of education at Durham University in northern England, described Dyslexia as a “construct” that had no scientific basis but had gained wide currency.

“It is hardly surprising that the widespread, yet wholly erroneous, belief that dyslexics are intellectually bright but poor readers would create an impassioned demand to be accorded a dyslexic label,” he wrote in the Times Educational Supplement.

The article, to publicise a documentary on the emotive issue to be aired next week, said there was no proof there was any teaching method more appropriate for children diagnosed as dyslexic than those simply classified as slow readers.

Dyslexia has a very broad definition—ranging from reading to writing and learning difficulties and covering both literacy and numeracy.

Experts say four percent of people suffer from a severe form of the condition, with another six percent have a mild form of the condition—making it quite hard to pinpoint at times.

Dyslexia specialists rejected Elliot’s claims as baseless and potentially damaging.

“Dyslexia is an internationally recognised illness. It affects all races, all religions and, importantly, all ability levels—not just the intelligent as he suggests,” Laura Sercombe of the Dyslexic Institute told Reuters.

“For people who come to us seeking help, the first step on the road to recovery is the recognition that they are dyslexic. Somebody like this can actually do a lot of damage to their self confidence. We don’t need people like this,” she said.

Symptoms can include problems with short-term memory, mathematics, concentration, personal organisation and sequencing. School children diagnosed with dyslexia are given more time in exams.

The Dyslexia Institute’s Web site http://www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk said the condition is biological and tends to run in families.

“We have been working with sufferers for the past 30 years. Yet parts of this article seem to suggest the condition does not even exist—and that is just plain wrong,” Sercombe said. 

RELATED STORIES:
Bayer to test drug to treat eye disease in Asia   Singapore scientists invent drug-dispensing contact lens   Antioxidants Associated with Reduced Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration   Dietary fat intake linked to dry eye syndrome in women   All Eyes on Retinal Degeneration   Elevated inflammatory marker may be linked to increased risk of age-related eye disease   Treating children’s eye infections without surgery   Contacts ‘could deliver eye drugs’   Loss of Central Vision with Age May Be Linked to Quality of Dietary Carbohydrates   Dry Eyes Are More Than a Nuisance   Leicester breakthrough in eye disease   Vision Impairment Costs Billions Lost in Productivity

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]