Dyspelling Dyslexian Mythology

Just as modern day Rome has their ancient Roman culture, geniuses, and pantheon....modern day "Dyslexians" (well of course it's really a word...as of right now, in fact) have an equally rich and quite fantastic mythology, complete with its own pantheon.  These mysterious people have given scientists and researchers fits for decades.  Who are they?  What do they look like?  What language do they speak?  What makes them so special?  Where did they come from?  All these questions have given rise to much speculation and as a result, a fairly healthy supply of mythology.  Over the last 10-20 years (especially here in the past few) scientists, researchers, and experts have answered many of those questions, and yet mythology still manages to take precedence among the general public. 

That's what I'd like to share with you in this week's blog, Dyspelling Dyslexian Mythology.  So grab a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy the ride through time and space in our Magical Myth Debunking Machine.

Introduction to Dyslexian Mythology

Why is all of this important to me?  Well, I'm glad you asked!!  

Now, I could be wrong, but I bet you know someone with a dyslexic child, and they have no idea. Or maybe you have no idea that YOU are actually the parent of a dyslexic child.  Or perhaps, you're a teacher, wondering why sometimes you get a kid in your classroom that doesn't seem to "get it" when it comes to reading, but because they seem so brilliant you have no idea why it's so hard for them to read.    You have no idea, because you don't know what dyslexia really is....or even (...yikes!...) that it really does exist.  Maybe you have no idea why you're still reading this, bless your heart.  But I can tell you that dyslexia is real, it affects 1 in 5 of the population, and it is my personal goal to raise awareness.  Let's start with the Dyslexian pantheon, shall we?

Dyslexian Gods & Goddesses

These guys and gals aren't REALLY gods & goddesses, of course, but they are some of the most successful, brilliant, creative, and famous people in the world.  Artists, geniuses, authors, CEO's, celebrities, athletes. They all have one thing in common: they wear the title (notice I didn't say "label") of "Dyslexic". 

Cher, John Lennon, Whoopie, George Washington, Woodrow Wilson, Agatha Christie, Anderson Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Nolan Ryan, Muhammed Ali, Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Vince Vaughn, Jim Carrey, Jay Leno, Steve Jobs, Ozzy Osbourne, Henry Winkler (the "Fonz"), Brendan O'Carroll, Patrick Dempsey (yes, ladies, Dr. McDreamy himself)....and the list goes on. Not one of these people gave up on their dreams just because they were given the title "dyslexic."

Actually... I take back my previous statement.  I just realized I have friends that absolutely do consider Cher to be a goddess. 

Popular Dyslexian Myth & Folklore
Now we will get to the bottom of some of the most common misconceptions...and I promise in doing so, I'll try my best to use as little mumbo-jumbo as possible. Because, if you're like me - you probably get totally lost in all the statistics, jargon, and science-speak. Let's just cut to the chase.

The "Backwards" Myth

Hey, I know what dyslexia is....it's when people see things backwards, right?  Many people have misconceptions about what dyslexia is, and this is by far the most common.  And the answer is No.  First of all, dyslexia is on a spectrum ranging from mild to profound...and although each child shows similar warning signs, not all dyslexics are alike.  One of the most well known symptoms is reversing letters such as "b", "d", "p", and "q" which does give the illusion of seeing things backwards.  However, if you really look at those letters, you will notice that they're really all exactly the same letter....just pointing in different directions.  Obviously, a dyslexic won't see a cow in a field standing on its head rather than on its feet, because dyslexia is not a VISUAL problem.  And indeed...no matter what angle you view it from, a cow is still a cow.  

Image credit: https://drawception.com/player/54282/georgeybeats/

On the other hand, if you start with the letter "b" and flip it horizontally, it's no longer a "b", it becomes a "d" which has a totally different meaning...flip it vertically and it becomes a new letter with a new meaning, and so on.  We call this a "directionality" issue.  So you see...it's not that they literally "see" things backwards...their eyes see the same thing that you and I see, it's just that their brain processes that information differently, which can be very frustrating for them.  These kids also have a hard time grasping concepts such as  left vs. right, before and after, front and back, and the cardinal directions without visual prompts, cues and the like.

Bonus mom tip: the cardinal directions are easier to remember with a mnemonic device like the one we use - Never Eat Shredded Wheat (extra points for learning that this is a "clockwise" direction), and to remember left vs right, our left thumb makes an "L" for "left", and so on.

The "Dumb and Lazy" Myth

Oh, whatever.  There's nothing wrong with these kids, they're just dumb and lazy ....This misconception breaks my heart the most, because it is such an injustice to brilliant, creative minds.  They are forever thinking, exploring, creating, visualizing, analyzing, inventing.  Their brains are so engaged, they have little use for the written language, unfortunately society makes mastery of it a requirement for academic purposes.  It typically just gets in their way and holds them back because they are thinking on a totally different plane, out of the box.  The research shows that Dyslexia and intelligence have nothing to do with each other, anyone of any IQ can be dyslexic.  Remember that guy Albert Einstein?  He was dyslexic.  They thought he was stupid, until he changed the world.

The "It's All My Fault" Myth

If I had only just read to little Johnny more when he was younger, he wouldn't have these problems with reading or hate it so much.  Well, it's natural I guess for us parents to blame ourselves for our children's shortcomings.  After all, the rest of the world does a pretty good job at pointing the finger at us whenever something goes wrong.  But the truth is, dyslexia is neurological in origin, affects 1 in 5 people, and is generally considered to be genetic.  Which means you had as much control over little Johnny being dyslexic as you had over whether he'd be born with boy parts or girl parts (and, by the way, that wouldn't matter either, because there are just as many girls with dyslexia as there are boys).  And don't worry - many kids with dyslexia and other learning differences do go on to become excellent readers (with lots of hard work and effort) and many grow to love books.  Rest assured, you didn't cause your child to become dyslexic. Oh, and in case you're wondering, it isn't caused by vaccines either.  

The "Hooked on Phonics" Myth

Can't we just get "Hooked on Phonics" to fix our problem? Dyslexia is a language processing deficiency, and remember I said already that it is on a spectrum, so many dyslexics understand what letters make which sounds.  The struggles often come in the form of the application of phonics to written words (also known as "decoding").  There are many subskills that need to be mastered before "phonics" makes any sense and decoding can take place for successful, fluent reading.  For many kids, these skills come more naturally but to dyslexics, not usually.  For example, a dyslexic may recognize the letters "d", "o", and "g" and the sounds they make, if you show them individually on flash cards.  Where we typically run into problems is when you put those three letters side by side and ask the child to blend them together, you get anything from blank stares to the word "doll", "door", or "dish" (because they stop at the first or second letter and guess the rest of the word).  This is a hallmark sign of dyslexia, and it is referred to as a lack of "phonemic (pronounced: foh-knEE-mick) awareness" - understanding the relationship between the sounds the letters d/o/g make and those sounds blended together in the form of written letters to make the word "dog".  Add in the possible directional issue with the letter "d" in this word, and we have really got a confused kiddo on our hands.  Bless her heart.

Bottom line: Phonemic awareness MUST be mastered before phonics will make any sense. So increasing phonics instruction won't necessarily help unless it teaches the student how to APPLY the phonics to decoding words accurately and fluently.  Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood-Bell, and similar multisensory teaching methods do just that by catering specifically to children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. I have also seen parents decide to become certified as OG tutors themselves....what a great way to improve your child's education as well as others in your area that need help too!  You don't have to be a teacher to become certified as a tutor, though it does take a lot of proper training, understanding, and patience. 

The "Labeling" Myth

Would you just stop it already?? I don't want little Susie to be labeled, it will damage her self-esteem! We teach our kids from infancy that it's okay to be different and that a world with everyone the same would be boring...and yet we insist on ignoring rather than embracing those differences when faced with difficulty.  When it comes to the "labeling" dilemma, school psychologists are just as bad about this one as parents are.  I suppose their hearts are in the right place though - they seem to believe it may damage a child's self-esteem to be told there's something "different" about them that makes things more difficult.  But let's be honest, that's exactly what is going on.  There IS something different about them, and it makes things more difficult.   So what happens if you don't identify the problem as dyslexia and label it as such?  Little Susie will continue to label herself.  She will label herself, as so many do, the "dumb, stupid kid that can't read 'cause she's dumb and stupid." Remember, we already talked about how dyslexia and intelligence are not correlated with each other....but try explaining that to a crying 7 year old. Identifying and "labeling"* dyslexia is the first step in providing answers, appropriate interventions, and knowing that you and your child are not alone - you are part of the 1 in 5 and a large, supportive network of adults and children just...like...you.

*Let the record show that this blogger strongly dislikes the term "label", because it seems to imply a negative social stigma, which is precisely what I aim to steer folks away from.  I prefer terms like "title" and "badge of honor".

The "Helpless Parent" Myth

 Ok, I know something is wrong, and it's probably dyslexia....but the school won't help me.  There is nothing I can do. Hogwash!  Of course you can!  I didn't give up, and neither will you.  You won't give up, because you can't.  Even if the school system won't help you get the appropriate support and intervention your child needs, there are plenty of things you can do.  Contact national organizations such as Decoding Dyslexia, International Dyslexia Association, Learning Ally, etc. and ask them to put you in touch with your local chapter.  No local chapter?  Start one.    Find a tutor that is trained in an Orton-Gillingham based teaching method, as I mentioned before.  We are using SPIRE, which is working for us, but there are others: Take Flight, Barton Reading and Spelling System, Wilson, and many more. Lindamood-Bell is a wonderful system as well, that I've heard great things about. Ask around, you may even find a tutor or company that offers reduced rates or financial assistance for low income families to help defray the cost. Be pro-active, your child's future depends on it!

The "Wrong Age" Myths

My 1st grader is too young to be diagnosed, though.  Actually, according to the National Institute of Health, dyslexia is identifiable with 92% accuracy by age 5-1/2. 

My child is already in 8th grade, he/she will never catch up.  Not true!  There are many success stories of undiagnosed dyslexics graduating and going on to college.  My personal favorite story is Jovan Haye, a retired NFL player from Jamaica whose severe dyslexia went undiagnosed, and he struggled through high school but came out on top with a 4.5 high school GPA and graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.  I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Jovan, listening to his story, and speaking with him at a book signing event we held in Nashville this year.  It's a truly inspirational story, and he is just a wonderful man.  You can purchase or download his book for Nook through Barnes & Noble or on Kindle through Amazon.  

The bottom line is with hard work and dedication, even a high schooler can significantly improve their reading skills.  Early detection is key, but it is never too late!

Dyspelling Dyslexian Mythology: Debunking it Forward

Ok, so I want to help raise awareness and help others - what can I do?  It's simple, really.  I challenge you to Debunk it Forward.  I want each and every one of you to pick 3 of your friends, sit down with them, and discuss with them what dyslexia is, and what it is not.  If you need help check out the websites below for more information.  Go through the myths and see how many of them you believed too, and see the facts.  Instruct each of your 3 friends to choose 3 more friends and so on, to have the same conversation, debunking the myths and educating each other.  Statistically-speaking, 1 in 5 people are dyslexic... How many friends do you have on Facebook? Think about that for a moment. 

Even if you don't have children of your own, chances are one day you will meet someone like me that mentions something in passing about their youngster's struggles...and just by saying "hey, did you ever consider that your child might be dyslexic?" you could change their lives for the better.  I know, because it changed my daughter's life.  This is why I want you to help me, help these kids.

 All it takes to change a child's life is just one person, and that one person just might be you. 

It isn't important what we could have done had we known sooner....the important part is what we do now that we know.  Knowledge is power, and debunking myths gets people talking.  Talking people raise awareness.  Awareness brings change.  Even if it is for just one child...don't you think that's worth it?  I do. 

#DebunkItForward

Very Special Thanks goes to Eileen Miller with Ignite Dyslexia Awareness for taking the time to help me ensure the accuracy of the technical information contained in this blog.

For more information, here are a few sites to get you started:

http://dyslexia.yale.edu/Myths.html 

https://www.learningally.org/webinar-susan-barton-myths-dyslexia/ 

http://www.decodingdyslexia.net/

http://www.interdys.org/ 

http://www.lindamoodbell.com/ 

http://www.bartonreading.com/