A few days ago, my nephew, who is 10 years old, came across a trailer for a Dispatches program that would be shown on Channel 4 the next day. The short preview left him confused and upset, and he went to my sister-in-law to clarify what he had heard. He had heard that there was a program that claimed dyslexia did not exist, which left him questioning if it was true.
My sister-in-law was irked by this statement as she had fought hard for six or seven years to get a special needs statement for her son, who struggled with dyslexia. Her son faced the challenge of seeing other students who were not as bright as him doing exceptionally well at school, which was disheartening for him. She always reminded him that he was just as brilliant, but his dyslexia caused him difficulties with reading and language.
Although she did not send any hateful emails, my sister-in-law was among the group of parents who were upset with Professor Julian Elliott of Durham University. Prof. Julian has caused enormous controversy about the existence of dyslexia by stating that he could not find any difference between a "dyslexic" child and a child labelled as "a poor reader." He believes that the term dyslexia, which is given to around 375,000 UK children, has no real basis and that it is too costly, time-consuming, and diverts resources from what is required to help every child with reading difficulties.
While Prof. Julian’s comments might sound harsh, he believes that many parents think that a label will lead to appropriate and effective treatment. He argues that the intervention that dyslexic children receive is not effective and expensive. Moreover, the label diverts resources from helping children with reading difficulties.
Prof. Julian’s work as an educational psychologist throughout the 30 years had shown him that struggling to read children were a mixture of different IQ levels. He found many children who were labeled dyslexic with either high, middle, or low IQ. He believes that reading is not a complex activity that requires high intelligence.
Prof. Julian’s point is that dyslexic children are often assumed to be less capable than others, which leads to their placement in lower teaching groups with less challenging activities. This results in underachievement, which makes them unenthusiastic about learning. The debate about whether dyslexia exists or not is fierce; however, it is a vital issue that needs to be discussed for the betterment of children with reading difficulties.
According to research from York University, children with low IQs can benefit greatly from reading programs designed for individuals with reading difficulties. The right reading program implemented in the right way can be just as effective for children with low IQs as it is for children with high IQs. Surprisingly, studies have shown that children with low IQs can progress as quickly as children with high IQs when using the right reading program. This means that resources should not be concentrated on just one group of poor readers, but instead provided across the group as a whole.
Experts interviewed in the Dispatches program suggest that early intervention is crucial for the most beneficial results. A program in Cumbria has been shown to raise children’s reading age by eight or nine months after just a 12-week course, which is seven or eight times more successful than other conventional programs for dyslexics. Resources should be taken away from identifying dyslexia, which is expensive, time-consuming, and often not uniform, and instead be invested in a quality early intervention catch-all scheme that aims to target all poor readers.
Current methods to identify dyslexia are being questioned because experts can’t agree on what set of problems constitute dyslexia. It’s believed that reading difficulties could be due to some unidentified brain malfunction that affects how children process sound. This is why early exposure to talking, songs, and nursery rhymes can be beneficial.
An early intervention program, such as the one used in Cumbria, can benefit all children, including those who may later be labeled as dyslexic. The program identifies all children who have difficulty distinguishing sounds and provides them with extra assistance. However, parents may not accept the new program. After years of seeking a dyslexia label for their children, it can be challenging to accept that the condition may not exist.
Overall, the bottom line is that early intervention programs are essential for treating reading difficulties. Parents and educators should focus on providing all children with the help they need rather than concentrating on just one group of poor readers.