EDUCATION IN FOCUS
DYSLEXIA
What’s in a word?
One in fi ve children have some form of dyslexia. Our new
editor, Annabel Heseltine charts the course of diagnosis and
prescription in the early years while Violet Naylor-Leyland
weighs up the pros and cons of mainstream and special schools
numbers and their sequencing).
FIRST ELEVEN
But although dyslexics fi nd it diffi cult
IN FOCUS
to read and write and their spelling is
shocking, a Yale study published in
January confi rmed what specialists have
A
few years ago I took a long since known, that being dyslexic

m

asters degree with a girl does not mean that you are not bright.
who frequently prefi xed her The fi elds of medicine, science, politics,
thoughts with, “even though art and the theatre is littered by well
I am dyslexic”. After listening to her for known dyslexics including Einstein,
a year, I suggested gently that she might Picasso, Whoopi Goldberg and Richard
move on. She was articulate, funny Branson. Research suggests that 40 per
and clever and the concession of fi fteen cent of entrepreneurs are dyslexic, as
extra minutes of exam time was not the are a staggering 70 per cent of those
reason she was creaming top marks in working in the creative arts. The
all subjects. But like many dyslexics, she actress Susan Hampshire wrote
lacked confi dence, probably because two books about dyslexia and
earlier in her school career she had was President of the Dyslexia
struggled with learning the basic skills of Institute. Thomas Edison was
reading and writing. expelled aged 12 because he was
Dyslexia is a neurologically based, considered “dumb”.
specifi c learning disorder which So there is no reason why
interferes with the acquisition and this generation’s sons and
processing of language, and may occur daughters – contrary to
with other “dys’s”, such as dyspraxia popular opinion there is
(poor coordination of fi ne and gross no gender bias – shouldn’t
motor skills, previously referred to shine too. Providing,
as “clumsy child syndrome”) and that is, that someone
dyscalculia (a lack of empathy for recognises their
“School reports repeatedly
including phrases like ‘lazy and
careless’ and ‘lets themselves down
on their spelling’, should have parents
wheeling their children off in the
direction of the nearest paediatrician”
40 FIRST ELEVEN SPRING 2010 WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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