Often a curse, dyslexia can also be a blessing when diagnosed, treated in time | Opinion
Schoolchildren are unfortunately often defined by what they cannot do. Every year along their development they are tested, measured, and evaluated. The determinations drawn from these assessments can seem like a life sentence to a child. But for the dyslexics among us, it does not have to be.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. A recent People magazine article featured Princess Beatrice from the British royal family. A dyslexic and a passionate advocate for the learning difference, she referred to her children as “lucky” if they share the same diagnosis. As a dyslexic father with a dyslexic child, this hit me in all the right feels.
When my daughter was assessed with the traits associated with dyslexia, I embraced the prospect with an enthusiasm my wife found disconcerting. Dyslexia was a mystery to her, and she was understandably less excited. She did not have the advantage of my lived experiences. As an adult I have benefited from my dyslexia. I credit the learning difference for my creativity, ability to process information, and frankly, much of the success I have had in life. But none of it would have been possible without the intervention I received at an early age. I was blessed. I had parents who saw through my struggles, and I lived close to Hindman Settlement School where a dyslexia tutoring program was just getting started. My daughter now attends the same program.
According to the Mayo Clinic, dyslexia is a “result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language.” In the simplest of terms, we are wired differently. That wiring is at the root of our issues with phonological processing; our ability to use sounds to process spoken and written language. When I was screened for dyslexia, I was a non-reader. For children contending with these traits, it can be a paralyzing mixture of the learning disability itself and the emotional trauma that comes with a perception of inferiority. As dyslexic kids we start at this same place. Because we present as being outwardly “normal,” dyslexic children are often labeled lazy, stupid, or both.
Dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population, and historically they have not been received well in school. Public school systems have been slow to identify and provide the right type of intervention. Over the years dyslexia has been bypassed with scribes and readers and medicated with Ritalin. Like offering a crutch for a broken leg, children have been handicapped by schools’ failure to address the real issue.
Our society has yet to fully appreciate the value of individuals with dyslexia. Dyslexia fosters unique ways of thinking, allowing individuals to see beyond intricate details and grasp the bigger picture. It enables them to navigate complex systems and arrive at innovative conclusions. What may be casually dismissed as daydreaming can actually be the genesis of their most exceptional work. A quick internet search will return a celebrity “who’s who” of people who identify as dyslexic. Each has a familiar story of failing in school while also crediting the learning difference with later success. But for all the success stories how many have slipped through the cracks to unfortunate endings? The struggles associated with dyslexia do not have to be a life sentence. It is possible to tackle the diagnosis head on to minimize the “dis” while maximizing the “ability.”
Thanks to Kentucky Senate Bill 9 passed in 2022, schools must implement a universal reading screener. This is a step in the right direction and can assist teachers and parents in identifying learning differences like dyslexia in children. But it still largely falls to parents to be strong advocates for their children to receive the kind of instruction and intervention they require. With support students with dyslexia can flourish in school instead of feeling rejected by it. With early intervention students can thrive because of dyslexia, instead of despite it.
Jack Latta is director of the dyslexia program at Hindman Settlement School. In partnership with AmeriCorps the program offers Orton-Gillingham influenced reading intervention in 20 schools across five counties in Eastern Kentucky. They also offer a virtual and in-person summer school program and after school tutoring. For more information visit www.hindman.org.
