Dearest Teachers,
For parents, when slow or halted academic progress eventually leads to a learning disability diagnosis, it can be quite scary. Once you are to the point of seeking evaluations you know something is amiss but the word dyslexia or ADHD can feel overwhelming. One way you, as educators, can help relieve this fear is by opening the dialog with acceptance and knowledge.
As proven on fMRI’s, dyslexia is a medical term describing a deficit in the neural pathways to reading and, as such, is as irrefutable as a broken arm. You can literally see the difference in brain activity from dyslexics to non-dyslexic when given language processing tasks using this state-of-the-art technology. Unfortunately, there are schools that still won’t say the word, dyslexia. If you are in one of those schools or have any colleagues who adopt this notion, I implore you to educate your co-workers with the astonishing research of Sally Shaywitz and many others. Despite an often highly intelligent child, dyslexia creates a substantial wall between her knowledge and her ability to express and gain information through text. This is the crux of why school is so painful. These children are incredibly capable, but in many instances we are not supporting their alternative path to learning.
Figure 25: A Neural Signature for Dyslexia: Underactivation of Neural Systems in the Back of the Brain
"At left, nonimpaired readers activate neural systems that are mostly in the back of the left side of the brain (shaded areas); at right, dyslexic readers underactivate these reading systems in the back of the brain and tend to overactivate frontal areas." (http://www.onlinereadingtutor.com/dyslexia-online-reading-tutor/)
If you, your school or co-workers acknowledge that dyslexia exists but don't understand it's impact on the child or, more importantly, believe dyslexia limits the child's potential, I suggest you read the works of Brock and Fernette Eide. In their book and website, The Dyslexic Advantage, they provide 'scientific research which shows that dyslexic children and adults process information differently from non-dyslexics and some of these changes may account for strengths in creative problem solving, entrepreneurial thinking, and certain types of learning and memory'. Dyslexia is a balancing act of deficits, which show up constantly in elementary school and gifts, which more typically show up in later education and career (if, that is, the child can hold on to their confidence until then).
You, as their educational guides, have the power to invigorate passion and instill hope in children whose impact on this world could be profound. The vocation you chose is certainly not an easy one, especially when you consider the variety of learners and larger class sizes, but the lives you will change (as well as the world at large) will be forever better for your dedication. There are ways and means with which to help our children who struggle with learning differences to rise up to their challenges and thrive. It is not a straight path, but detours sometimes lead to incredible discoveries.
The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity
http://dyslexia.yale.edu/About_ShaywitzBios.html
Dyslexic Advantage
http://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/