If you’ve ever asked a dyslexic child what’s the most common thing he has been called; what is the most frequent scolding received, he’d probably tell you, “Lazy – you need to work harder.”
Like any other thing that is not understood, there are some commonly held myths about dyslexia, many of which are untrue. The people who believe these myths range from store clerks to school principals.
Let’s look at 5 common myths:
1. Parents are told, “Your child can be fixed.” Inherent in this statement is the belief that dyslexia is a medical condition that can be cured. We even find some dyslexics who believe this myth, say, “I used to be dyslexic.” There is nothing to be fixed and once a dyslexic… always a dyslexic.
Although with time, for some dyslexics, their reading ability, as well as some of their other challenges improve, their way of thinking will always be characteristically different from their non-dyslexic peers, giving them an advantage in reasoning, problem-solving, comprehension, concept formation, critical thinking, general knowledge, and vocabulary.
2. If one is dyslexic, he should hide it from others. There are so many children who go through their school life feeling ashamed that they are not like the others. As a consequence, they seek to find unusual, and sometimes dangerous, ways of drawing attention away from their weaknesses to something they believe others see as a strength.
Instead of bending over backward to keep your child’s dyslexia a secret, it would serve you and him better to tell people about his challenges and enlist a crowd of supporters, at the same time, help him find ways to build and rely on his strengths.
3. Dyslexic children are lazy, retarded, or stupid. In spite of the legal change in educational terminology from “mental retardation” to “intellectual disabilities,” most teachers associate the dyslexic’s reading difficulties with retardation of his mental faculties. Their comments and labels of the child filter down to the normal students, who wait for their time on the playground to call their classmate stupid or a retard.
I once worked with a teacher who thought and let all the staff members know, that it was unfair to the normal students to let the slow children have more time to complete their assignments or give any other accommodation, for that matter. They needed to stop being lazy and work up to their potential.
Instead of adopting the teachers’ perspectives, seek to have the appropriate accommodations and supports provided in school, so your child can have the motivation and energy to participate like the other children. Often times, the child who is dyslexic works two to three times harder just to keep up with his peers.
4. Using non-text ways of learning is a crutch. Many times, teachers and some parents believe that if a child uses a different method of acquiring the needed information, it will interfere with his learning to read and, over time, become a crutch.
When you think of it, there are three ways of accessing information:
- Eye reading (text-based)
- Ear reading (audiobooks)
- Finger reading (braille)
Being dyslexic is not a flaw, in the same way being blind is not considered one. Similarly, receiving accommodations to support his strengths and help him build on them is not a crutch.
5. It is best for the child that he not know he’s dyslexic. Regularly, parents and teachers decide not to tell the child he’s dyslexic. When he eventually finds out, he assumes it is something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about and concludes that he is stupid.
For many children, finding out that they are dyslexic will be relieving. Like Steven Spielberg, it will be, “the missing puzzle piece.” Knowing that their struggle is not restricted to them and there’s actually a name for it, makes them happy.
When left unchecked, not only will these myths be false, but sometimes they could be harmful to the child. Full disclosure of your child’s dyslexia opens the door to learning and success.
What myths have you heard or held about dyslexia?
The main myth that I’ve heard about dyslexia is that dyslexics see letters backwards or even upside down. The letters are practically floating on the page! Well, what’s with that? Who could even attempt to read it all with letters that keep moving and turning around? Wouldn’t you get motion sickness, just from looking at a page of words? I also heard that dyslexia is a problem with understanding written words, while autistics struggle to understand spoken words. As someone who struggles with spoken words more than written words (auditory processing disorder), I thought, “This can’t be good.” But, as it turns out, it is good. My mind is just wired differently. And variety is indeed the spice of life. We all have value and society just needs to see that.
From my understanding, because of their excellent visual-spatial skills, dyslexics are confused with the letters that have the same shape, like b, d, p, and q. Depending on their orientation, we call them a different name. When the dyslexic is in a state of disorientation or confusion, he picks one of the four, not actually knowing which one he is seeing.
In terms of understanding written words, the difficulty is with reading the word not understanding it. If someone reads to a dyslexic, their comprehension of what they heard is usually on point.
You are correct in saying that variety is the spice of life. In fact, life for everyone is better because of the contributions of many dyslexics.
Way back, when I was flowing through the school system, the words “slow learner” were used. I am wondering if those are the same people who are denying our pandemic and refusing to wear protective equipment. ie. seat belts, life preservers, condoms, face masks . . .
I am hoping that talking about the differences in our world will help us to understand and accept those differences. Isn’t it everyone’s responsibility to learn as much as they can, by whatever methods they can, so that they are not tagged with the label “ignorant”.
Thanks for helping us better understand.
Hey, Doug, I am beginning to think that the folk who were labeled “slow learners” were most likely dyslexic. Being dyslexic does not make one irresponsible or foolish. In fact, most dyslexics are quite analytic…strategic thinkers, who see between the lines. Check out this blog post I did, yesterday.
People who learn differently need others to advocate on their behalf. They have a lot to offer the world, if only they would be accepted for who they are and what they are worth.
Boy does my dyslexic sister think different. She drove us all crazy. She would disappear for hours as a little kid and have everyone looking for her and then she would show up and say “I just went for a walk.” To this day, even though she’s in her fifties, she still doesn’t understand why we were all so upset.
I have no idea if that has anything to do with dyslexia, but it sure shows that she thinks different.
I can understand your concern. From my experience, it seems like most dyslexics have little or no fear about the things non-dyslexics thing about. I remember sending my daughter to a swimming class with a friend. When they returned, my friend told me that my daughter had no fear and that I should keep my eyes on her. She had jumped into the pool at the deep end, assuming that she knew how to swim. Perhaps it has something to do with their vast imaginations and their awesome visual-spatial ability.