The Dyslexia Quandary

Although the goal of inclusion of the term dyslexia into a diagnostic manual is to make it easier for individuals to get recognition and help for their difficulties, the flip side is that the label can come with a stigma, or be used as a barrier.

As long as dyslexia is deemed a “disorder,” educators and employers will continue to look at dyslexics as being less capable and less deserving of advancement.

Perhaps the time has come to recognize that “dyslexia” is a characteristic, not a disease. Because it is common — perhaps impacting as many as 20% of all schoolchildren to some degree — maybe it should be the responsibility of educators to learn how to teach children with dyslexic characteristics within the normal classroom environment.

That is, perhaps parents should be relieved of the educational burden of proving that there is something wrong with their children in order to get specialized services. The burden should shift to educators to learn to reach and teach all of their students, not just the ones who have “average” or “typical” learning styles.

Read more of this article here: The Dyslexia Quandary