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Dyslexia 'is just a middle-class way to hide stupidity'
'Title from article'
"Dyslexia is a social fig leaf used by middle-class parents who fear their children will be labelled as low achievers, a professor has claimed.
Julian Elliott, a leading educational psychologist at Durham University, says he has found no evidence to identify dyslexia as a medical condition after more than 30 years of research.
"There is a huge stigma attached to low intelligence," he said.
"After years of working with parents, I have seen how they don't want their child to be considered lazy, thick or stupid.
"If they get called this medically diagnosed term, dyslexic, then it is a signal to all that it's not to do with intelligence."
He added: "There are all sorts of reasons why people don't read well but we can't determine why that is. Dyslexia, as a term, is becoming meaningless."
One in ten people in the UK - including 375,000 schoolchildren - has been diagnosed with dyslexia.
The condition is said to impair short-term memory and the ability to read, write, spell and do maths.
Supporters of the condition argue that dyslexics are intelligent people who have difficulties processing information and need extra help and time than others who are poor readers.
But Professor Elliott has claimed that the symptoms of dyslexia - such as clumsiness and letter reversal - are similar to those seen in those who simply cannot read.
He argues that the condition should be rediagnosed as a reading difficulty.
His comments provoked fury among dyslexia campaigners.
John Rack, head of research and development at the charity Dyslexia Action, denied that the disability was a middle-class phenomenon.
He told The Times: "There is ample evidence that dyslexia exists across the spectrum and the argument that there is no consistent means of identifying it is one cited by people who don't know enough about the subject."
However, other experts have suggested that parents are putting their children forward for reading ability assessments to "get them off the hook".
Dr Michael Rice, a dyslexia and literacy expert at Cambridge University, said: "There is a sense of justification when children are diagnosed.
"It gets them off the hook of great embarrassment and personal inadequacy."
According to Professor Elliott, dyslexic university students are gaining an unfair advantage by getting extra time for their studies and many are getting diagnosed simply to get up to £10,000 worth of equipment including laptops and extra books.
University lecturers have complained about students "milking the system" by pretending they have the condition.
One lecturer who teaches in the South-East said:
"On one degree course I teach, about one quarter of the students get help with their coursework and other assistance because they have this label. You become quite cynical."
The number of students who receive disability allowances at university has risen to a record 35,500 at a cost of £78.4million a year."
What do you guys think? My girlfriend, for example, says that she is Dyslexic and that this is a load of nonsense.
Discuss
"Dyslexia is a social fig leaf used by middle-class parents who fear their children will be labelled as low achievers, a professor has claimed.
Julian Elliott, a leading educational psychologist at Durham University, says he has found no evidence to identify dyslexia as a medical condition after more than 30 years of research.
"There is a huge stigma attached to low intelligence," he said.
"After years of working with parents, I have seen how they don't want their child to be considered lazy, thick or stupid.
"If they get called this medically diagnosed term, dyslexic, then it is a signal to all that it's not to do with intelligence."
He added: "There are all sorts of reasons why people don't read well but we can't determine why that is. Dyslexia, as a term, is becoming meaningless."
One in ten people in the UK - including 375,000 schoolchildren - has been diagnosed with dyslexia.
The condition is said to impair short-term memory and the ability to read, write, spell and do maths.
Supporters of the condition argue that dyslexics are intelligent people who have difficulties processing information and need extra help and time than others who are poor readers.
But Professor Elliott has claimed that the symptoms of dyslexia - such as clumsiness and letter reversal - are similar to those seen in those who simply cannot read.
He argues that the condition should be rediagnosed as a reading difficulty.
His comments provoked fury among dyslexia campaigners.
John Rack, head of research and development at the charity Dyslexia Action, denied that the disability was a middle-class phenomenon.
He told The Times: "There is ample evidence that dyslexia exists across the spectrum and the argument that there is no consistent means of identifying it is one cited by people who don't know enough about the subject."
However, other experts have suggested that parents are putting their children forward for reading ability assessments to "get them off the hook".
Dr Michael Rice, a dyslexia and literacy expert at Cambridge University, said: "There is a sense of justification when children are diagnosed.
"It gets them off the hook of great embarrassment and personal inadequacy."
According to Professor Elliott, dyslexic university students are gaining an unfair advantage by getting extra time for their studies and many are getting diagnosed simply to get up to £10,000 worth of equipment including laptops and extra books.
University lecturers have complained about students "milking the system" by pretending they have the condition.
One lecturer who teaches in the South-East said:
"On one degree course I teach, about one quarter of the students get help with their coursework and other assistance because they have this label. You become quite cynical."
The number of students who receive disability allowances at university has risen to a record 35,500 at a cost of £78.4million a year."
What do you guys think? My girlfriend, for example, says that she is Dyslexic and that this is a load of nonsense.
Discuss
Scroll to see replies
"On one degree course I teach, about one quarter of the students get help with their coursework and other assistance because they have this label. You become quite cynical."
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(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Benevolence
'Title from article'
"Dyslexia is a social fig leaf used by middle-class parents who fear their children will be labelled as low achievers, a professor has claimed.
Julian Elliott, a leading educational psychologist at Durham University, says he has found no evidence to identify dyslexia as a medical condition after more than 30 years of research.
"There is a huge stigma attached to low intelligence," he said.
"After years of working with parents, I have seen how they don't want their child to be considered lazy, thick or stupid.
"If they get called this medically diagnosed term, dyslexic, then it is a signal to all that it's not to do with intelligence."
He added: "There are all sorts of reasons why people don't read well but we can't determine why that is. Dyslexia, as a term, is becoming meaningless."
One in ten people in the UK - including 375,000 schoolchildren - has been diagnosed with dyslexia.
The condition is said to impair short-term memory and the ability to read, write, spell and do maths.
Supporters of the condition argue that dyslexics are intelligent people who have difficulties processing information and need extra help and time than others who are poor readers.
But Professor Elliott has claimed that the symptoms of dyslexia - such as clumsiness and letter reversal - are similar to those seen in those who simply cannot read.
He argues that the condition should be rediagnosed as a reading difficulty.
His comments provoked fury among dyslexia campaigners.
John Rack, head of research and development at the charity Dyslexia Action, denied that the disability was a middle-class phenomenon.
He told The Times: "There is ample evidence that dyslexia exists across the spectrum and the argument that there is no consistent means of identifying it is one cited by people who don't know enough about the subject."
However, other experts have suggested that parents are putting their children forward for reading ability assessments to "get them off the hook".
Dr Michael Rice, a dyslexia and literacy expert at Cambridge University, said: "There is a sense of justification when children are diagnosed.
"It gets them off the hook of great embarrassment and personal inadequacy."
According to Professor Elliott, dyslexic university students are gaining an unfair advantage by getting extra time for their studies and many are getting diagnosed simply to get up to £10,000 worth of equipment including laptops and extra books.
University lecturers have complained about students "milking the system" by pretending they have the condition.
One lecturer who teaches in the South-East said:
"On one degree course I teach, about one quarter of the students get help with their coursework and other assistance because they have this label. You become quite cynical."
The number of students who receive disability allowances at university has risen to a record 35,500 at a cost of £78.4million a year."
What do you guys think? My girlfriend, for example, says that she is Dyslexic and that this is a load of nonsense.
Discuss
"Dyslexia is a social fig leaf used by middle-class parents who fear their children will be labelled as low achievers, a professor has claimed.
Julian Elliott, a leading educational psychologist at Durham University, says he has found no evidence to identify dyslexia as a medical condition after more than 30 years of research.
"There is a huge stigma attached to low intelligence," he said.
"After years of working with parents, I have seen how they don't want their child to be considered lazy, thick or stupid.
"If they get called this medically diagnosed term, dyslexic, then it is a signal to all that it's not to do with intelligence."
He added: "There are all sorts of reasons why people don't read well but we can't determine why that is. Dyslexia, as a term, is becoming meaningless."
One in ten people in the UK - including 375,000 schoolchildren - has been diagnosed with dyslexia.
The condition is said to impair short-term memory and the ability to read, write, spell and do maths.
Supporters of the condition argue that dyslexics are intelligent people who have difficulties processing information and need extra help and time than others who are poor readers.
But Professor Elliott has claimed that the symptoms of dyslexia - such as clumsiness and letter reversal - are similar to those seen in those who simply cannot read.
He argues that the condition should be rediagnosed as a reading difficulty.
His comments provoked fury among dyslexia campaigners.
John Rack, head of research and development at the charity Dyslexia Action, denied that the disability was a middle-class phenomenon.
He told The Times: "There is ample evidence that dyslexia exists across the spectrum and the argument that there is no consistent means of identifying it is one cited by people who don't know enough about the subject."
However, other experts have suggested that parents are putting their children forward for reading ability assessments to "get them off the hook".
Dr Michael Rice, a dyslexia and literacy expert at Cambridge University, said: "There is a sense of justification when children are diagnosed.
"It gets them off the hook of great embarrassment and personal inadequacy."
According to Professor Elliott, dyslexic university students are gaining an unfair advantage by getting extra time for their studies and many are getting diagnosed simply to get up to £10,000 worth of equipment including laptops and extra books.
University lecturers have complained about students "milking the system" by pretending they have the condition.
One lecturer who teaches in the South-East said:
"On one degree course I teach, about one quarter of the students get help with their coursework and other assistance because they have this label. You become quite cynical."
The number of students who receive disability allowances at university has risen to a record 35,500 at a cost of £78.4million a year."
What do you guys think? My girlfriend, for example, says that she is Dyslexic and that this is a load of nonsense.
Discuss
Maybe he's right. It does seem like the spectrum of people being diagnosed as dyslexic is widening, but I know a lot of dyslexic people who seem intelligent in certain areas.
It's not really possible to form a valid opinion from this article alone, so I suspect most people will go with the moral high ground, which is the "dyslexia is a real condition and there is no abuse of the system whatsoever" position.
I think its just the case that the term is widely abused by some people.
However some people have legitimate issues, but if you came from a poor achieving school you will not necessarily be aware of it.
I think that some people can get the dyslexia label by cheating the system of tests and getting a misdiagnosis.
However some people have legitimate issues, but if you came from a poor achieving school you will not necessarily be aware of it.
I think that some people can get the dyslexia label by cheating the system of tests and getting a misdiagnosis.
I can't help but think an awful lot of people (though likely not all) who claim to have some sort of issue like this are just a bit dim.
I find it hard to believe that it is merely a coincidence every person I've met who has claimed to be dyslexic has been a low achiever as well.
I find it hard to believe that it is merely a coincidence every person I've met who has claimed to be dyslexic has been a low achiever as well.
(edited 12 years ago)
I can completely understand what this article is saying. But my ex bf is dyslexic and he is an amazingly intelligent person. I think this just demonstrates an inaccuracy in the way they test for dyslexia and distinguishing dyslexia with low intelligence.
I agree some middle class families use these issues to avoid the fact their kids an idiot. Same goes with ADHD and having a brat for a child and not being a decent parent. However, these conditions are very real for some and make their learning very hard, independent of their intelligence.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by EconsVsHumans
"On one degree course I teach, about one quarter of the students get help with their coursework and other assistance because they have this label. You become quite cynical."
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A girl at my school said her sister got given a Macbook Pro by her uni just because she was dyslexic
While I think that it is legitimate condition, I can't help thinking way too many people are milking it. Some are just slower at reading than others, some are dim and some are plain lazy. Some guy at my school labelled his "dyslexia" as a flag to mess around and not do any work, and now pretty much smokes pot for a living. The fact that hundreds or thousands have it is ridiculous; it's like the huge increase in ADHD - I can't help thinking many of these are just naughty children.
The fact they get extra help I also disagree with - if you're bad at maths or generally not very clever, you get a D in the exam, realise it's not for you and move on. If you have dyslexia, you get help, resources, extra time and extra marks thrown at you. It's not really fair.
(edited 12 years ago)
An awful lot of people from my college who were "disslecksic", as they would say, seemed to just be complete dolts.
There was not a single person who claimed to be dyslexic who got even half decent grades. I don't doubt that a great deal of people are simply pretending to have something medically wrong with them in order to cover up their lack of ability and laziness.
There was not a single person who claimed to be dyslexic who got even half decent grades. I don't doubt that a great deal of people are simply pretending to have something medically wrong with them in order to cover up their lack of ability and laziness.
Original post by wactm
My younger brother can barely read and write at 16. However, his IQ is over 150.
He's just illiterate.
How exactly did he complete an IQ test, let alone score over 150, if he can't read?
My mum has dyslexia and can barely read or write. It's not because she's thick - she's a very intelligent woman - but she can't see the words properly. To her, they just look like squiggly lines, and she relies on coloured glasses/paper to be able to read properly. Even then it's a struggle. My mum had no qualifications on leaving school because she was never supported, helped or understood.
My father, my sister and one of my aunties suffers from dyslexia, a cousin has severe learning difficulties and I'm severe with dyspraxia - I think there's a genetic element to it.
My father, my sister and one of my aunties suffers from dyslexia, a cousin has severe learning difficulties and I'm severe with dyspraxia - I think there's a genetic element to it.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by daisydaffodil
My mum has dyslexia and can barely read or write. It's not because she's thick - she's a very intelligent woman - but she can't see the words properly. To her, they just look like squiggly lines, and she relies on coloured glasses/paper to be able to read properly. Even then it's a struggle. My mum had no qualifications on leaving school because she was never supported, helped or understood.
My father, my sister and one of my aunties suffers from dyslexia, a cousin has severe learning difficulties and I'm severe with dyspraxia - I think there's a genetic element to it.
My father, my sister and one of my aunties suffers from dyslexia, a cousin has severe learning difficulties and I'm severe with dyspraxia - I think there's a genetic element to it.
Could it not be the case that some people just can't read very well?
I'm not sure. I think that dyslexia does exist, and that there are some genuinely intelligent people who have trouble with reading; and thus are dyslexic.
But I think in recent times, there has been an overlap, where people have been misdiagnosed as dyslexic when in fact they are just unintelligent. I think for some people it has developed into a cover for low achievement.
But to deny its existance is probably unfair, I think the majority of dyslexic people are genuinely dyslexic, rather than just being unintelligent, but there certainly are some unintelligent people using dyslexia as a justification for not being the brightest light bulb in the room.
But I think in recent times, there has been an overlap, where people have been misdiagnosed as dyslexic when in fact they are just unintelligent. I think for some people it has developed into a cover for low achievement.
But to deny its existance is probably unfair, I think the majority of dyslexic people are genuinely dyslexic, rather than just being unintelligent, but there certainly are some unintelligent people using dyslexia as a justification for not being the brightest light bulb in the room.
Original post by NR09
ADHD is a genuine condition, my cousin has it and needs medication. with medication he is a perfectly normal, calm person but without he is incredibly different.
You can't really deny that a lot of people are simply poorly behaved and use it as a guise for their lack of care.
Original post by Aspiringlawstudent
He's just illiterate.
How exactly did he complete an IQ test, let alone score over 150, if he can't read?
How exactly did he complete an IQ test, let alone score over 150, if he can't read?
This makes no sense. You said above that all the dyslexic's at your school seemed to just be thick, so they're using it as a cover for that, but now the other poster has said about their brother being intelligent, but dyslexic, but in your eyes he's just illiterate? So you're saying neither intelligent, nor stupid people can be dyslexic?
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