The word “dyslexia” originated in 1887 with Dr. Rudolf Berlin and was expanded by such people as Dr. W. Pringle Morgan and Dr. Samuel Orton.
The word morphed from “congenital word blindness,” to “specific language disability” and finally in 1968 to the term of “specific developmental dyslexia,” which shortened to dyslexia. The term dyslexia comes from the Latin word “dys” meaning difficult and the Greek word “lexia” meaning word; these put together mean difficulty reading words.
The International Dyslexia Association states that dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
In layman terms, dyslexia begins in the brain where an individual may see the letter “b” but says “d” because the visual and verbal areas do not connect. Messages from the eyes get turned around in the brain. Mary Ann Wolfe says, “Dyslexia is the result of a brain that’s organized in a different way.”
People with dyslexia have difficulty with written language. They may be considered bright and innovative until they meet the written word in formal school that baffles them. This is an unexpected weakness found in a child who appears very capable. How can someone who designs wonderful Lego creations, verbally hold his or her own in an argument or come up with a solution to a complex problem have so much trouble with written language? Our society hinges on the effective use of written communication. The person who has trouble with this is at a disadvantage.
Reading, writing and spelling difficulties can range from mild to severe. Some people will have a very mild form of dyslexia that may not even be detected. This person may read without too much difficulty but will not read for pleasure and will have difficulty with spelling. On the other end of the spectrum is the person who does not know that reading is made up of individual letters with unique sounds that are blended together to make a word nor do they know that spelling is hearing a word, segmenting the sounds and writing the correct letter that corresponds with each sound.
With the mild student, good robust teaching will remediate the problem coupled with spell-checker and academic support. Those in the middle range of severity can benefit from small group to one-on-one instruction with a qualified teacher. All remediation should include a study of the letters, sounds and rules/generalizations that govern our written language. An example of this type of remediation would be the understanding about the rule when to use the letters “c” or “k” in the beginning of a word such as cat: The letter “c” is used before letters “a,” “o,” “u” or consonants “l” or “r.”.Now you know why the word “Kleenex” will stick in your mind – it does not follow the rules! Explicit, systematic and intensive instruction in the areas of reading, writing and spelling should be a component of all instruction. Those who display severe difficulty need careful instruction with a knowledgeable teacher who will pace the lessons to meet the student’s needs. This type of learner will often have other issues to deal with such as low reading comprehension, limited vocabulary, behavior challenges, poor self-concept and difficulty when asked to read aloud in public. This type of learner may also have strengths such as in design, art, music, athletics, math and looking at problems from a different angle.
Dyslexia can be remediated but, as in having blue eyes, it will always be there. Learning how to cope with weakness in written language and how to compensate for this weakness is a sign of successful academic remediation. Dyslexia does not define a person; in fact people displaying characteristics of dyslexia often excel in many other areas, contributing much to our society. Indeed, our world is made better by people such as Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Henry Ford, to name a few.
Maile Kane is a retired certified academic language therapist. Karen Johnson is a certified academic language therapist working in Durango. Reach her at njohnson@bresnan.net.
