Rethinking how dyslexia is diagnosed

  • 📰 WBUR
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 101 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 44%
  • Publisher: 63%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Dyslexia affects one in every 5 Americans. But only 2 million are diagnosed and receive the help they need. Why?

Lucas Gwinner, 13, works on letter sounds during the Bright Minds Dyslexia Support program at Alameda Jr./Sr. High School on May 2, 2022 in Lakewood, Colorado. The school is piloting a program to help students who may have dyslexia improve their reading skills. professor of psychology and chairholder of the Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. Host of the. Founder of Voice Advocacy Center, a dyslexia screening and tutoring center.

CHAKRABARTI: Okay. I don't mean to pry, but I think for many people who have, who do not have dyslexia or any kind of word processing challenges, it's hard to understand how when you see the word, for example, university, and it's not one that you had already memorized. For a lot of people, they would just look at the uni.

I couldn't read it. So I would stumble through the words in my head. I would do better if I could have tried to have sounded them out laboriously, but of course the shame that I felt, and being in a room full of other people, I didn't want to out myself in front of them. So I wouldn't have been trying to read out loud.

The fourth, the third, the second, and then the first. And of course, when I was in the first position, there was nobody else there to actually sound those words out for me, to read them for me, so I could memorize them. Of course, I was found out and then that resulted in me having to go and do some reading for the teachers.

So short words that are highly predictable, that you could use the letters and the sounds that go with them to read, probably a few short words that wouldn't quite fit those patterns. And then at that time, probably a few longer, more complex words that probably had more than one syllable in them. It's probably what they had me do.

CHAKRABARTI: In my mind, I'm hearing the sound of car brakes screeching to bring this conversation to a halt. Because you said that IQ was part of the evaluation, and this is the discrepancy model. This is what we're trying to learn about here.

But because he wasn't failing, they would not test him. So I finally threw a fit. They finally tested him in eighth grade and they said, Oh yeah, he does have the markers of dyslexia and a processing disorder. And then COVID hit and we couldn't get further testing. So I ended up putting him in a private school that had a reading tutor and a dyslexia specialist.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 274. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Dyslexia advantage theory challenges treatment of dyslexia as a disorder.Research shows that dyslexic people have five ways of thinking that are not only different from non-dyslexics but biologically engineered to benefit humanity.
Source: PsychToday - 🏆 714. / 51 Read more »

Native Americans Experience Higher Mortality Rates Compared to White AmericansNative Americans have a significantly lower life expectancy compared to white Americans, with a median age at death that is 14 years younger. This disparity is a cause for concern and highlights the need for improved healthcare and support for Native American communities.
Source: CBSHealth - 🏆 480. / 51 Read more »

Book collection catered to those with dyslexia, instructional coach says it could be helpful toolThe Everyone Can Be a Reader series by Union Square and Company is working to reduce visual stress for readers with dyslexia.
Source: WTVYNews4 - 🏆 590. / 51 Read more »

Texas rethinking its rules on hunting, trapping mountain lionsTexas Parks and Wildlife is taking feedback on proposals to prevent canned hunting of mountain lions and require trap checks every 36 hours.
Source: ExpressNews - 🏆 519. / 51 Read more »

Volkswagen rethinking Chinese consumers in bid to overtake upstart EV makersAs auto giant Volkswagen AG races to catch up with upstart Chinese competitors, it has drivers like 26-year-old Ren Yiling in mind.
Source: WashTimes - 🏆 235. / 63 Read more »

Rethinking Phishing Tests: A Call For Trust And Control In CybersecurityMichael Housch: CISO - Dark Matter Technologies. Read Mike Housch's full executive profile here.
Source: ForbesTech - 🏆 318. / 59 Read more »