Why Dyslexia Testing in Schools?

The history of dyslexia has been one of long struggle in the darkness of ignorance, culminating in rapid and considerable progress in the last 25 years.

Dyslexics learn differently. Their eyes see the same but their brains interpret the signals from the eyes differently than those of non-dyslexics. It’s O.K., many famous people have been dyslexic. But to reach full potential they need to be taught differently, according to their needs.

In roughly the last fifteen years, dyslexia in children has routinely been screened for in elementary school. As part of their standard procedures, everyone went through preliminary screening. Those identifies as possibly dyslexic, plus all the teachers identified as having problems with reading, were put through full dyslexia tests which identified whether or not they were dyslexic, and, if so, what type and to what degree was the problem.

Before that, dyslexics were lumped in with the rest of the students and had to take their chances. Most were treated badly by the educational system, called lazy, slow learners, underachievers. They were made to feel ashamed of and embarrassed by their differences and learned to conceal them.

Millions of adult dyslexics today have never taken a dyslexia test. They still struggle with learning and reading difficulties that could be easily overcome if they were only known. A half-hour dyslexia test could make enormous improvements in their self-esteem and abilities.

There are a large number of different types of dyslexia to deal with. There is no standard definition, no real, workable way to sort them out into types and put them into nice, neat categories. Each one is different and needs to be evaluated and taught accordingly.

Dyslexia symptoms may include difficulties in going from the written form to the spoken form of words. Dyslexics may have problems with getting the appropriate sounds out of a new word just by looking at it (especially in English!). They may have problems is reading, especially reading aloud.

There is more information on the subject of dyslexia you can see by clicking on any of the links in this blog posting.

Disclaimer: This posting is based on information freely available in the popular press and medical journals that deal with dyslexia. Nothing herein is intended to be or should be construed to be medical advice. For medical advice the reader should consult with his or her physician or other medical specialist.

By Horace Dylan