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Dyslexia 'is just a middle-class way to hide stupidity'
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Lack of or poor literacy does not equal lack of intelligence for a start; if we suggest that then we are actually saying that illiterate peoples of the past and those from the present are inferior in terms of intelligence. If we lived in an illiterate society then dyslexia wouldn't be a problem (the reading side). Secondly, I think that man is talking a load of rubbish. He's basically saying that since he has failed to explain dyslexia then it can't possibly exist. Perhaps diagnosis is given too readily, but that shouldn't diminish the legitimacy of the claims of true dyslexia sufferers out there.
Dyslexia is not a way to hide stupidty! i have family who are dyslexic and she came out of college top of the class! highest marks above everyone!!! it affects different people in different ways. if you had dyslexia you would understand what its like for them, and you wouldnt make a discussion about it you would let them be.
(edited 12 years ago)
i really don't think dyslexia is an excuse for stupidity. in yrs 9, 10, 11, there were a few people who genuinely had dyslexia. In 6th form, one of the cleverest boys has dyslexia, and he got 13A*s at GCSE, and he's now well on the way to Oxbridge. Of course children who are told that they are no good at reading, writing or maths because of dyslexia are likely to have low self esteem when it comes to school, but compare that with the number of children who have no learning difficulties, but just don't care about school.
Not exactly sure on this tbh. My brother is diagnosed dyslexic and my other brother and dad have traits.
I myself have a lot of the symptoms of very mild dyslexia (letter reversal, struggling with homophones, confusing similarly shaped letters) but would consider myself to be "reasonably" intelligent (I have an IQ of 140). I don't think its as simple as dyslexia = low intelligence.
I myself have a lot of the symptoms of very mild dyslexia (letter reversal, struggling with homophones, confusing similarly shaped letters) but would consider myself to be "reasonably" intelligent (I have an IQ of 140). I don't think its as simple as dyslexia = low intelligence.
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
I think there are varying degrees of dyslexia. I don't know why some people have it and others don't. I know some people who I genuinely think have the problems of poor spelling and reading and in general they are intelligent in things such as maths, thinking and speaking but struggle with reading and writing. There are other people who I don't think learnt to read when they were young and learning later is often more difficult. It is also a huge advantage if you can read phonetically because it helps you sound out new words which people who read by memorisation can't do as easily. It makes spelling and reading significantly easier. In exams dyslexics had a 25% extra time allowance. In time pressured exams this is a massive advantage to people with mild dyslexia.
TL;DR People have different degrees of dyslexia. Some may be poor reading ability. It is unfair to have the same amount of extra help for all dyslexics.
I know one person who is very intelligent and is dyselxic. He did the IB and 3 or 4 A levels as well and got As or A*s in almost everything.
Then I know one person who claims to be dyslexic but is just really bad at spelling. (Obviously this may be caused by dyslexia but spelling certificate - sefitikat is hardly the letters jumbling around)
Then I know one person who claims to be dyslexic but is just really bad at spelling. (Obviously this may be caused by dyslexia but spelling certificate - sefitikat is hardly the letters jumbling around)
Original post by fwed1
(Obviously this may be caused by dyslexia but spelling certificate - sefitikat is hardly the letters jumbling around)
Surely it should be SETIFIKAT not SEFITIKAT?
Maybe your dyslexic?! :O
Original post by Anonymous
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.
My teacher was dyslexic... and I learnt a lot from him
People with dyslexia are not stupid by definition just as people without dyslexia are not necessarily clever. My brother was diagnosed by an educational psychologist as dyslexic, however he has a higher than average IQ for his age. He is pretty good at maths and only tends to struggle with the questions which are explained through words. The dyslexia seems to affect his memory which is why he struggles to spell words he should have known for years. He has been given special glasses as his eyes cannot focus easily on one thing - these glasses are specificly for people like him, and since he's worn them his reading has definately improved.
My mum spends a lot of time - at least an hour every night helping him with spelling, reading and writing. When I was his age my mum would make me write an A4 sheet everyday, whereas with him she accepts it would be terribly unfair to ask him.
I struggle to believe that my brother is simply 'thick' and doesn't have an unfair disadvantage. The fact that he still struggles after all work both him and my mum have done shows he has a genuine problem. You can't be born thick. Furthermore my dad was recently diagnosed as dyslexic (eventhough the appt was about my brother) and there are clear similarities between my dad and brother with regards to spelling and memory, suggesting it is a real condition pre-determined by genetics.
My mum spends a lot of time - at least an hour every night helping him with spelling, reading and writing. When I was his age my mum would make me write an A4 sheet everyday, whereas with him she accepts it would be terribly unfair to ask him.
I struggle to believe that my brother is simply 'thick' and doesn't have an unfair disadvantage. The fact that he still struggles after all work both him and my mum have done shows he has a genuine problem. You can't be born thick. Furthermore my dad was recently diagnosed as dyslexic (eventhough the appt was about my brother) and there are clear similarities between my dad and brother with regards to spelling and memory, suggesting it is a real condition pre-determined by genetics.
Having trouble reading = dyslexia.
Being stupid = being stupid. No idea where the middle class label came from.
Being stupid = being stupid. No idea where the middle class label came from.
Yes and no. I do believe that dyslexia is a real medical condition but I would also agree that a lot of people who claim to have it are probably just a bit thick or they're doing it for the free stuff.
You see the same thing happening with autism. Anyone who is just a little bit weird socially is suddenly being labelled as autistic or Aspergers
You see the same thing happening with autism. Anyone who is just a little bit weird socially is suddenly being labelled as autistic or Aspergers
I don't agree with the article posted in the OP, which has a pretty insulting tone, but one aspect that people in this thread haven't really engaged with is the suggestion that dyslexia be diagnosed as a 'reading difficulty'. The word 'stupidity' has been bandied about a lot, but given that many dyslexics are high achievers and very intelligent in other areas, isn't it more likely that dyslexia is just that: a difficulty with reading, writing, spelling and/or literacy in general, for whatever reason. For many people there is probably some kind of medical basis (as yet not fully understood) for their reading difficulties, while others may simply not have been taught properly in school or were not given enough help and encouragement by their parents. If the medical label 'dyslexia' were abandoned, schools would still have to assist children in improving their literacy in order to overcome their 'reading difficulties', no matter what the cause, so would it really make much difference? I'm not sure, but it would perhaps be more constructive in the case of some children to look at dyslexia as a 'difficulty' that can be overcome with the right support, than as a lifelong medical condition that cannot be helped.
Well, read the article posted by the OP. One class had 1/4 of the people claiming to be dyslexic...clearly, some of them are bull ****ting
not stupidity, retardation.
Eh no. Its not just me thats saying this. Heres some stuff copy and posted from Wiki
"Some disagreement exists as to whether dyslexia does indeed exist as a condition, or whether it simply reflects individual differences among different readers.
Julian Elliot, an educational psychologist at Durham University in the United Kingdom, disputes the characterization of dyslexia as a medical condition, and believes it should be treated simply as a reading difficulty.[5] According to Elliot, "Parents 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.”[6] Elliot believes that children of all levels of intelligence may struggle with learning to read, and that all can be helped by educational strategies appropriate to their needs. He feels that resources are wasted on diagnosis and testing, and favors early intervention programs for all struggling readers.[7] More recently Julian Elliot has also made reference to the 28 Definitions of Dyslexia which were documented in the Appendices of the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy report on Developmental dyslexia in adults: a research review by Michael Rice with Greg Brooks May 2004.[8] [9]
John Everatt of the University of Surrey 2007, has suggested that:-
dyslexic students can be distinguished from other children with low reading achievement by testing geared to assessing their strengths as well as weaknesses
dyslexic children tend to score significantly better than other children, including non-impaired children, on tests of creativity, spatial memory, and spatial reasoning
dyslexic children also perform better than other reading-impaired children on tests of vocabulary and listening comprehension
dyslexic children may be better served by educational intervention which includes strategies geared to their unique strengths in addition to skill remediation
and thus recommends more comprehensive evaluation and targeted interventions.[10]"
"Some disagreement exists as to whether dyslexia does indeed exist as a condition, or whether it simply reflects individual differences among different readers.
Julian Elliot, an educational psychologist at Durham University in the United Kingdom, disputes the characterization of dyslexia as a medical condition, and believes it should be treated simply as a reading difficulty.[5] According to Elliot, "Parents 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.”[6] Elliot believes that children of all levels of intelligence may struggle with learning to read, and that all can be helped by educational strategies appropriate to their needs. He feels that resources are wasted on diagnosis and testing, and favors early intervention programs for all struggling readers.[7] More recently Julian Elliot has also made reference to the 28 Definitions of Dyslexia which were documented in the Appendices of the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy report on Developmental dyslexia in adults: a research review by Michael Rice with Greg Brooks May 2004.[8] [9]
John Everatt of the University of Surrey 2007, has suggested that:-
dyslexic students can be distinguished from other children with low reading achievement by testing geared to assessing their strengths as well as weaknesses
dyslexic children tend to score significantly better than other children, including non-impaired children, on tests of creativity, spatial memory, and spatial reasoning
dyslexic children also perform better than other reading-impaired children on tests of vocabulary and listening comprehension
dyslexic children may be better served by educational intervention which includes strategies geared to their unique strengths in addition to skill remediation
and thus recommends more comprehensive evaluation and targeted interventions.[10]"
I'm sure there are many people who have dyslexia and it is a huge problem - which is why it's so annoying when you get the genuinely thick ones, who can't be bothered to learn to spell properly and claim they have dyslexia so that they can get the extra time in exams etc - people who've never been diagnosed with dyslexia but can't face inadequacy and so they claim it when it suits them.
(edited 12 years ago)
At least I've tried to give some kind of back up to my arguments as opposed to simply making snide little remarks and wallowing in my own self superiority.
Dyslexia is a real condition...nobody with two brain cells to rub together would disagree. But there is also a lot of incentive, for schools, parents and the children themselves, to overdiagnose.
Dyslexia is a real condition...nobody with two brain cells to rub together would disagree. But there is also a lot of incentive, for schools, parents and the children themselves, to overdiagnose.
Original post by Kidneyjean
^This. I have dyscalculia, and there are other people in my sixth form who claim to have it, when they're blatantly just bad at maths. Also, what gets me is that they get extra time in their A-levels... when they don't do any maths-related A-levels because they dropped them all!
With me, it's always been that mathematical logic comes easily, but reading/writing numbers really doesn't. Extra time in exams is a godsend (I've just started A2 maths, chemistry and biology).
Also, there's a girl in one of my classes who gets extra time because she "writes slowly". No hint of a medical diagnosis, just slow writing. FFS.
With me, it's always been that mathematical logic comes easily, but reading/writing numbers really doesn't. Extra time in exams is a godsend (I've just started A2 maths, chemistry and biology).
Also, there's a girl in one of my classes who gets extra time because she "writes slowly". No hint of a medical diagnosis, just slow writing. FFS.
i compeltely agree with you! its so stupid and milked completely. poeple just trying to cover up that thye are not perfect.
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