Dyslexia is often stereotyped as simply a learning disability, but is there more to it?

Over the years, there has been an influx of children diagnosed with a learning disability called “dyslexia”. Dyslexia affects a child’s learning by disrupting translation of letters and sounds. Individuals who struggle with dyslexia have physiological differences in the nerve cells that are used for rapid identification of letters and sequencing, scientifically known as the ganglion cells of the visual magnocellular system. These abnormalities present difficulties with visual attention and perception, therefore leading to reading deficits. The Independent, a news site based out of London, provides answers as to why the brain of individuals with dyslexic does not adapt as easily as those without. This site presents dyslexia much differently than most forms of media- in a fundamental way with a medical format.

In contrast, other forms of media such as television shows, discuss dyslexia in the light of a strictly learning. This short video clip is from Disney’s Shake It Up, where the main character, CeCe, has recently discovered she has dyslexia. CeCe has not told anyone about her diagnosis and her classmates bully her for being behind the learning curve. CeCe, who previously felt unintelligent in contrast to her peers, now has the confidence to discuss her answer aloud for the class. Although this is a silly clip, it shows how students with dyslexia may feel. With having the physiological information available, children may avoid feeling “stupid”.

What is lacking with this clip is the neurological aspect of dyslexia. Dyslexia in its worst form affects speech perception, language recollection, and manipulation and recognition of language sounds. It does not have medical or standardized testing for a proper diagnosis. It cannot be measured by a reading test score, nor by a blood test or brain-imaging scan. The distinction between individuals with and without dyslexia is arbitrary with varying degrees of severity. Students with dyslexia often go undiagnosed due to a discrepancy between IQ scores and reading rate. IQ tests are inadequate measurement tools for dyslexia because individuals struggling with dyslexia may only indicate problems with reading.

The following clip, from the popular television show Glee, shows a student, Ryder, who has been struggling with learning. He has been constantly studying and does not understand why he is unable to understand or retain information. In this clip, Ryder completes a series of several tests that result in a diagnosis of dyslexia. This short clip shows the intricacy of testing and reiterates the difficulty of recognizing the adequate signs and symptoms of dyslexia.

Another aspect to focus on with dyslexia is the interpretation from the individual facing the issue. There has been a great deal of interest in the socio-emotional aspects associated with learning disabilities and dyslexia is not excluded. Depression and anxiety are often associated with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. As seen in the previous clips, students with dyslexia are often bullied and put themselves down for not learning at the same rate or with the same style as traditional students. Due to mainstream classroom teaching, students with dyslexia are more likely to withdraw socially and in turn experience depressive symptoms. When struggling with dyslexia, students often have difficulty developing social and problem solving skills, resulting in behavioral disorders. The clip below is from the British television show, Waterloo Road. A student, Kenzie, who is struggling in school, acts out as a way of avoiding her reading deficits. This example shows the emotional toll that dyslexia can take on a student.

So I think we can safely say that dyslexia is more than just a learning disability. It is physiological and it affects a student’s socio-emotional comfort with feelings of anxiousness and depression. A student’s psychosocial outcomes greatly differ when diagnosed and treated for dyslexia. A head-start on diagnosing a child with dyslexia can improve their success of learning.

References:

Johnston, Ian. Science Correspondent. (2016, December 21). Dyslexia: Major cause of learning difficulty may have been discovered by neuroscientists. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/dyslexia-learning-difficulty-why-how-major-reason-discover-found-mit-boston-neuroscientists-a7488701.html#gallery

Mugnaini, D., Lassi, S., La Malfa, G., & Albertini, G. (2009). Internalizing correlates of dyslexia. World Journal of Pediatrics, 5(4), 255-264. doi:10.14295/idonline.v1i3.170

Siegel , L. S., Ph D. (2006). Perspectives on Dyslexia . Pediatric Child Health, 11(9), 581-587. doi:10.1075/ps.5.3.02chi.audio.2f

Stein, J. (2014). Dyslexia: the Role of Vision and Visual Attention. Current Developmental Disorders Reports, 1(4), 267–280. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-014-0030-6