Dyslexia is a Misunderstood Condition

Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Thomas Edison, and William Hewlett of Packard Computers all have something in common besides fame. They all have a disorder called dyslexia. Dyslexia is a genetic disorder which causes people to reverse, transpose, substitute, or omit printed material, whether it's words or mathematical functions. There are different types of dyslexia; Mathematical and Language/Reading is the two forms and, very frequently, a person has both types. Normally, information is sent through the optical nerve, and then it is sent to the visual sensory part of the brain and processed out. In dyslexics, the optical nerve distorts information, because light rays forming printed information overlap, so when that happens distorted data is transferred to the visual sensory part of the brain and it is unable to decode it.

Many people have never heard of dyslexia. If they have, incorrect definitions have been given. It's a common problem that goes misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. People afflicted with this disorder are often thought to be inattentive, slow learners, or just plain lazy. But research and history has shown that dyslexics have average to above average I.Q.'s. Studies have shown that dyslexics tend to rely on their higher reasoning instead of more basic learning skills.

Writer Bruce Upbin from McCall's magazine formerly stated that before any cause for this disorder was established, quackery was used for treatments which, in turn, helped cause misunderstandings about dyslexia. One example is the past practice of rotating bed treatments, but those responsible were later charged with false advertising. Doctors prescribed antihistamines and anti-motion sickness drugs; because it was thought that dyslexia was caused by an inner ear dysfunction. Neurologists from Harvard proved that finding false. Dr. Helen Irwin used rose colored lens treatments since dyslexics are sensitive to light. Patients said it helped but it's not proven, although it is still a common practice for dyslexics.

The only proven teaching method to overcome dyslexia was multi-sensory training. The Orton-Gillingham Association used sandboxes; they would have patients trace letters and numbers, while repeating them. Schools will not test a child for dyslexia until they are in 3rd or 4th grade because children from Pre-K to 2nd grade will naturally transpose their letters. It is important to diagnose dyslexia as early as 3rd grade so sufficient progress to overcome dyslexia can be achieved totally or in extreme cases, as far as they are able to progress.