A Primer for Parents about Dyslexia
by Betsy Mueller circa 1992
Updated: 9/5/2022
Victoria Greene of Project Read says, in Jonothan Kozol’s book (1985), Illiteracy in America; "60 million Americans are illiterate, 60% of American inmates can’t read or write, and 85% of all juvenile offenders have literacy problems."
Sally Shaywitz, the Co-founder and Co-Director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity says, "Dyslexia is also very common, affecting 20% of the population and representing 80-90% of all those with learning disabilities."
U.S. LITERACY STATISTICS: 'Illiteracy figures for 2022, 21% of adults in the U.S. are illiterate. 54% of adults have a literacy below the 6th grade level. Low levels of literacy costs the U.S. up to $2.2 TRILLION per year.'
Dyslexia afflicts so many youngsters, and the fact remains, many have a very difficult time learning in the traditional school setting. For many students diagnosed with Dyslexia, school becomes an anxiety-laden environment, which due to their struggles and failures, diminishes their self-worth.
The one size fits all curricula, and theory of teaching and learning, does not apply to these children. Not all children learn the same way, nor do they learn in the same amount of time. Additionally, as an aside, there are many non-academic, social, emotional, and psychological realities, which further complicate a dyslexic child’s life. Because Dyslexia is considered a “hidden disability,” and mostly, not acknowledged by many schools' Special Education Specialists, (because of the lack of trained teachers, the curricula, time, and money) these children are mostly misdiagnosed and incorrectly labeled and placed in the wrong settings. Their “help” might be in the form of a wrong approach, being placed in an inappropriate class, using the wrong curricula, or even worse, being prescribed a drug!
Many times dyslexic children who are trapped in this educational situation at school are either quiet (daydreamers), disruptive (in a bad way) or become funny (class clowns.) To make matters worse, and add to their problems, they become caught up in the labeling dilemma. Their peers (classmates and their families) hesitate to include these children in social occasions on the prejudice, which is given birth by those who choose to discriminate on the basis of labels or inappropriate behavior.
Educators, many times in an effort to boost the self-esteem of dyslexic children, lower expectations and standards, and inflate grades. However, by doing so, it only gives students the "illusion of success," a false sense of academic accomplishment. In reality, it often does no more than develop a lack of trust between students and those who are educating them. This "smoke and mirrors" approach, as well as other forms of "trickery" (however well intended), do not benefit these children. A less pernicious approach taken by educators serves to focus on what children can do well, rather than their deficiencies. While this tact is helpful, it is certainly not enough. Overall, in many instances, educators feel learning disabled students should not be challenged for fear they will fail; thus further damaging their already fragile self-esteem. I believe the contrary to be true. It is only after these children are challenged, and as a result, fully understand and master the academic tasks presented to them (which are equal to those of their peers) do they truly feel successful and good about themselves. It’s called confidence!
In order for children with dyslexia to become successful and to master the academic material demanded of their non-classified peers, they must take responsibility for their learning. They must be prepared to work much longer and harder than other students, and at the same time, develop skills and acquire the tools to compensate for their deficiencies, and not be self-conscious about using them. Parents and educators must take the time to teach this philosophy and take even more time to insure that what has been learned is practiced. At Germantown Academy, we all learned and lived by our school’s motto, “By Persevering We Shall See the Fruits.”
Time is only one of the many elements of the long equation that adds up to success for the dyslexic child. Children who are weak in certain areas must first understand their weaknesses, and then be taught how to overcome them. If their weaknesses are catered to, they will only become greater weaknesses. They must be appropriately motivated and encouraged to persevere, for that is what will ultimately help them succeed. Students should not go home at the end of the school day not fully understanding the academic material or, further, not knowing what they must do to finally grasp it. Before and after school help may be necessary to ensure academic success for these children; for not all children can achieve success within the confines of the normal school day.
Parents are the first line of defense for the often-struggling dyslexic student. To present these children with the best chance of success, parents must develop excellent parenting skills. They must accept responsibility for their children and do their best to ensure that the decisions they, and others make are informed and are in the child's best interest. Raising dyslexic children takes a tremendous amount of love, devotion, time, energy, patience, and in many cases money to hire tutors or enroll their children in appropriate after school academic programs. Along with extra academic support, a child may also need psychological counseling, too. Parents should not let anyone use their child's learning disability as an excuse to accept second best.
Currently, state and federal governments are passing laws that not only mandate Special Education programs in our schools, but in the work place, as well. I feel we should all exercise great caution, for while most of these laws and programs appear well intended; in reality, for many, the end result is not always what it should be. In my opinion, these laws and programs attempt to absolve the individual child and/or parent/guardian of responsibility under the guise of informed beneficence. That is, that they, the government, the schools, or someone else, know what is best for your child. The obvious fact remains, that ultimately it is still the parent/guardian who is responsible for the child's well being, and as a result, parents should be actively involved in any decision making process, which affects their children.
The primary task of those involved with dyslexic children, whether they be parents or educators, is to help children learn; not to judge whether they can or can't. They must feel that these children can change and can learn; that the efforts expended on Special Education children will enable them to become better human beings, able to function competently in a modern society. Central to any Special Education program should be the concept that all children are valuable; further, it is imperative to make every child a part of human society rather than an outsider.
Updated: 9/5/2022
Victoria Greene of Project Read says, in Jonothan Kozol’s book (1985), Illiteracy in America; "60 million Americans are illiterate, 60% of American inmates can’t read or write, and 85% of all juvenile offenders have literacy problems."
Sally Shaywitz, the Co-founder and Co-Director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity says, "Dyslexia is also very common, affecting 20% of the population and representing 80-90% of all those with learning disabilities."
U.S. LITERACY STATISTICS: 'Illiteracy figures for 2022, 21% of adults in the U.S. are illiterate. 54% of adults have a literacy below the 6th grade level. Low levels of literacy costs the U.S. up to $2.2 TRILLION per year.'
Dyslexia afflicts so many youngsters, and the fact remains, many have a very difficult time learning in the traditional school setting. For many students diagnosed with Dyslexia, school becomes an anxiety-laden environment, which due to their struggles and failures, diminishes their self-worth.
The one size fits all curricula, and theory of teaching and learning, does not apply to these children. Not all children learn the same way, nor do they learn in the same amount of time. Additionally, as an aside, there are many non-academic, social, emotional, and psychological realities, which further complicate a dyslexic child’s life. Because Dyslexia is considered a “hidden disability,” and mostly, not acknowledged by many schools' Special Education Specialists, (because of the lack of trained teachers, the curricula, time, and money) these children are mostly misdiagnosed and incorrectly labeled and placed in the wrong settings. Their “help” might be in the form of a wrong approach, being placed in an inappropriate class, using the wrong curricula, or even worse, being prescribed a drug!
Many times dyslexic children who are trapped in this educational situation at school are either quiet (daydreamers), disruptive (in a bad way) or become funny (class clowns.) To make matters worse, and add to their problems, they become caught up in the labeling dilemma. Their peers (classmates and their families) hesitate to include these children in social occasions on the prejudice, which is given birth by those who choose to discriminate on the basis of labels or inappropriate behavior.
Educators, many times in an effort to boost the self-esteem of dyslexic children, lower expectations and standards, and inflate grades. However, by doing so, it only gives students the "illusion of success," a false sense of academic accomplishment. In reality, it often does no more than develop a lack of trust between students and those who are educating them. This "smoke and mirrors" approach, as well as other forms of "trickery" (however well intended), do not benefit these children. A less pernicious approach taken by educators serves to focus on what children can do well, rather than their deficiencies. While this tact is helpful, it is certainly not enough. Overall, in many instances, educators feel learning disabled students should not be challenged for fear they will fail; thus further damaging their already fragile self-esteem. I believe the contrary to be true. It is only after these children are challenged, and as a result, fully understand and master the academic tasks presented to them (which are equal to those of their peers) do they truly feel successful and good about themselves. It’s called confidence!
In order for children with dyslexia to become successful and to master the academic material demanded of their non-classified peers, they must take responsibility for their learning. They must be prepared to work much longer and harder than other students, and at the same time, develop skills and acquire the tools to compensate for their deficiencies, and not be self-conscious about using them. Parents and educators must take the time to teach this philosophy and take even more time to insure that what has been learned is practiced. At Germantown Academy, we all learned and lived by our school’s motto, “By Persevering We Shall See the Fruits.”
Time is only one of the many elements of the long equation that adds up to success for the dyslexic child. Children who are weak in certain areas must first understand their weaknesses, and then be taught how to overcome them. If their weaknesses are catered to, they will only become greater weaknesses. They must be appropriately motivated and encouraged to persevere, for that is what will ultimately help them succeed. Students should not go home at the end of the school day not fully understanding the academic material or, further, not knowing what they must do to finally grasp it. Before and after school help may be necessary to ensure academic success for these children; for not all children can achieve success within the confines of the normal school day.
Parents are the first line of defense for the often-struggling dyslexic student. To present these children with the best chance of success, parents must develop excellent parenting skills. They must accept responsibility for their children and do their best to ensure that the decisions they, and others make are informed and are in the child's best interest. Raising dyslexic children takes a tremendous amount of love, devotion, time, energy, patience, and in many cases money to hire tutors or enroll their children in appropriate after school academic programs. Along with extra academic support, a child may also need psychological counseling, too. Parents should not let anyone use their child's learning disability as an excuse to accept second best.
Currently, state and federal governments are passing laws that not only mandate Special Education programs in our schools, but in the work place, as well. I feel we should all exercise great caution, for while most of these laws and programs appear well intended; in reality, for many, the end result is not always what it should be. In my opinion, these laws and programs attempt to absolve the individual child and/or parent/guardian of responsibility under the guise of informed beneficence. That is, that they, the government, the schools, or someone else, know what is best for your child. The obvious fact remains, that ultimately it is still the parent/guardian who is responsible for the child's well being, and as a result, parents should be actively involved in any decision making process, which affects their children.
The primary task of those involved with dyslexic children, whether they be parents or educators, is to help children learn; not to judge whether they can or can't. They must feel that these children can change and can learn; that the efforts expended on Special Education children will enable them to become better human beings, able to function competently in a modern society. Central to any Special Education program should be the concept that all children are valuable; further, it is imperative to make every child a part of human society rather than an outsider.