The Enigma of Dyslexia Part 1

There is much confusion and mis labeling of individuals with and without Dyslexia . The labels of Reading Disability and Dyslexia are referring to SYMPTOMS. Yes, the label is the symptom and the educational system and multimillion dollar franchises are addressing the symptom, therefore missing the “bullseye” and seldom resolving what they have identified as the “problem”.

Most students from grammar school through college fail to reach their true potential nor become proficient lifelong learners. All because the educational system has failed to look for and make itself available to the current Scientific research on Dyslexia and the Learning Process.

Not every person who has a Reading Disability is Dyslexic but every person who is Dyslexic will demonstrate difficulty in reading, comprehension, spelling, writing, mathematics to some degree or another. Why is that?

Dyslexia is the “byproduct” of a mental ability which many gifted individuals experience. This mental ability is a visual spatial learning style by which individuals think in pictures, multi dimensionally and at a speed thousands of times faster than the average thinking mind.

This is a talent which was the gift of great scientists like Leonardo DaVinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison all who were misdiagnosed as young learners! Many individuals experiencing Autism Spectrum Disorder also have the gift of multidimensional picture thinking. The most famous one is Dr. Temple Grandin who used this gift to re haul the Agricultural Industry’s approach to Slaughter Houses creating a more humane system!

When children start traditional education it is assumed that they are symbolic learners. Letters and numbers are symbols. Children from birth are figural learners; they learn from their three dimensional world . They also begin to “read” figurally for example, learning that the “Golden Arches” means McDonalds.

Children may continue to be figural learners into grade school causing difficulty in learning our symbolic system. Many of these children prove to have the mental talent of picture thinking and demonstrate and experience Dyslexia as they progress through school.

Individuals who truly experience Dyslexia can be taught to manage this skill so that it is available for them creatively and will not cause the receptive and expressive language based problems most commonly associated with it. While Dyslexia is a by product of a talent to be managed, Specific Reading Disabilities can be resolved and individuals can become proficient readers and learners when the true problem causing the reading disability is identified!

What are some of the true problems causing “non dyslexic reading disabilities” ?

Ocular motor dysfunction

Central Auditory Processing Disorder

Neurodevelopmental lags in Crossing the Midline of the Brain

Primitive Reflex retention

Poor Visual motor integration

Visual and Auditory Sequential Memory Weakness

Visual Peceptual Weaknesses as in Visual Closure and Discrimination

Poor education of the sound symbol connection and “codes”

commonly called phonmeic awareness and decoding

Unfortunately, these are rarely part of the traditional Evaluation Process of the American Educational System , most Private Practitioners and definitely not the Multimillion dollar tutoring franchises!

True diagnosis and distinction between Dyslexia and Reading Disability requires “out of the box” thinking, openness to the most current Research beyond the “Status Quo” approaches and mindset of traditional programs used. They do have merit but are not updated and therefore are antiquated and not fully beneficial! (If you would like to know what those programs are please contact me!)

None of these differentiate between Dyslexia and Reading Disability and therefore require a very long, slow, tedious and very expensive treatment plan that circumvents the “bulls eye” with questionable results blamed on “the symptom”!

After thirty five years in the Special Education field in which I “tangoed” with the traditional “Status Quo” approach to learning and the other half applying the profound effective research that has been available since 1960’s, I see the huge difference in the results that students experience!

Finally, after leaving the traditional education system and using Comprehensive, Diagnostic Assessment tools, identifying the root causes, the real problems of the “symptoms” called reading disability, dyslexia (and other learning disabilities) students ( both children and adults) are becoming proficient, lifelong, independent learners without the baggage of lifelong learning problems.

For more information on Learning Success for Children contact me at marypatcorrero@outlook.com or call 856 220 6403.