Article "Dyslexia is Still a Stigma for Many, Experts Say"

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Learning and Attention Difficulties

Article on presentation by Shaywitz's and the stigma that whose with dyslexia must ovecome:

tinyurl.com/ys5kkl

In the part of the presentation, Mr. Wood, the director of Florida Southern's Roberts Center for Learning and Literacy, and the Robert's family emphasized the use of the term Children with Dyslexia, not Dyslexic children. The emphasis should be on the whole child who happens to have dyslexia, not on dyslexia define the child..I

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How do you feel about that? They don't have that in our district, so they don't really have an excuse... but I still don't understand how either makes makes sense , when it is so essential for these kids to develop in the areas they are good at. It may be just another example of how they are actively discriminated against administratively. I think it just proves how prejudice is alive and well and damageing to kids no matter how strongly the evidence is contrary to their beliefs. I've even heard statements made by adnminstrators indicating their beliefs that they're not "worth it". It seems like an example of letting their own ignorance about dyslexia define the child.

In our district they require a reading stainine of 9 in order to take some advanced math classes. So, if you can't read well, you can't take advanced math either.

It's also true that dyslexia is still a stigma. As weird as it may be, I had people asking me if my son is really going into his next grade level and know people who won't even consider dyslexia as a possible source of their child's problems. In my son's school, kids with dyslexia are also treated as less intelligent. I really don't get it when his math teacher comes to a meeting to say that he utilizes algebraic concepts to figure things out on his own but the spec ed teacher still wants to pull him out to make him do kindergarden work and the school still won't let him formally take algebra, even with demonstrated ability. Ignorance is scary, especially when it is so resistant to evidence or reason.

It must have been wonderful hearing Sally Shaywitz in person. I'd love to hear her!

I'll be hearing MaryAnne Wolf in May. There is nothing like having what we know validated by the experts!

dh, were you at their lecture, also? Do you know where I can get more information on the Shaywitz study? Thanks.

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