Students with dyslexia often feel inferior and not as smart as their peers (Burden, 2008). One of the first educational concepts for young children is learning how to read. If this first feat is met with difficulty and a lack of understanding from teachers and among peers, the young student may begin to feel discouraged (Glazzard, 2009). Even if a teacher or parent can identify the problem early enough to intervene, the child often becomes labeled. Children with dyslexia are identified as “learning-disabled” and often suffer from low self-esteem and under-achievement ( Gibson & Kendall, 2010). Further complicating the matter is the fact that research in the diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia remains controversial (Smythe, 2011). Some researchers define dyslexia as being developmental and possibly hereditary, experimenting with genetic mapping (Smythe, 2011). With confusion over the definition of dyslexia, schools differ in their understanding of it and their methods of intervention (Smythe, 2011). A 2010 study examined pre-service teachers’ knowledge of and beliefs about dyslexia, finding that there was confusion and misinformation about it (Ness & Southall, 2010). Only 4% of the pre-service teachers were aware that dyslexic students had normal or above normal intelligence (Ness, 2010). When a Texas school system learned that students with dyslexia had normal or above average IQs they decided to keep them on task within the regular classroom, adding an additional class for dyslexia intervention (Culbertson, 2012).
Researchers report that teachers have an influence in
their students’ confidence level – and negative treatment of pupils with
dyslexia lowers self-esteem (Glazzard, 2010). Studies have found that students
with dyslexia have suffered teasing and bullying when they cannot read well,
further contributing to problems of confidence (Glazzard, 2010). Dyslexic
children who have supportive and good relationships with their parents have
been shown to have a high level of self worth (Terras, et al, 2009). There seems to be a strong connection
between self –esteem and academic success as noted by Rhodes & Nevill,
2004; Pollak, 2005 in Gibson & Kendall (2010).
The literature on dyslexia has not addressed the
possibility of improving self-esteem and scholarly performance of dyslexic
children by omitting the classification of dyslexia as a disability and calling
dyslexia a different way the brain processes information that requires a different
learning style for reading, but has positive aspects in other areas of
learning. Studies that measured the spatial ability of children in a real-life
spatial test, found that dyslexic children performed statistically higher than
children without dyslexia (Attree, et. Al, 2009). By looking at the giftedness
of dyslexia, and approaching reading and spelling as requiring more training,
perhaps those with dyslexia will learn to read, write and spell without the
stigma of feeling stupid or disabled. What is the impact of labeling kids with
dyslexia as being intelligent, with a different learning style instead of
classifying them as having a learning “disability” in school settings? There’s
a possibility that treating them as “gifted” in some areas of processing data, rather
than handicapped in all educational pursuits may positively influence a
dyslexic child’s self-esteem and improve his confidence. The purpose of this
proposed study is to explore the impact of treating kids with dyslexia as not “disabled”
as part of the dyslexic intervention in education. What if teachers begin to
see dyslexia as a different way that intelligent children process information,
requiring reading intervention from traditional methods? What if students with
dyslexia are taught that dyslexia requires different learning methods for
reading, but also has positive attributes in areas of spatial learning? What if
parents of children with dyslexia learn that their children are gifted in some
areas and yet require different methods of learning for reading? How will
students with dyslexia feel about their ability to be successful when they view
it as a difference instead of a disability? How will teachers see their
dyslexic students when viewed in light of being gifted in other areas of
learning?
Burden (2008) reviewed the literature associating
dyslexia with negative feelings of self-worth and noted that while there is
strong evidence that there is a relationship between dyslexia and a “low
academic self-concept, there are also signs that this relationship is by no
means immutable.” (p. 194). In 2005, Burden followed 50 dyslexic adolescent
boys that attended a specialist school for dyslexics. He found that at first
the boys academic self-concept was lower than those in the mainstream sample,
but as they attended the school and improved in their reading skills, their
self-concept increased as well. He noted that these boys developed a high
degree of self-efficacy. When he looked at the school situation in which the
boys were being taught Burden reported that it was focused on success in effort
and agency (Burden, 2009). He concluded that research in this area is needed to
better understand how those with dyslexia develop a positive or negative view
of themselves (Burden, 2009).
A study in 2009 – 2010, looked at how students with
dyslexia feel about the transition to higher education, as commissioned by the
Higher Education Academy of Britain (Gibson & Kendall, 2010). In the course
of the study they gathered information from their respondents about how
dyslexia impacted their self-esteem and academic achievement in their school
experiences (Gibson, 2010). Four first-year college students with dyslexia were
followed by the researchers to identify how they internalize their disability
within an academic setting. They based their direction on works that have
pointed out the lack of information about how dyslexic students handle their
learning from the dyslexics point-of-view rather than from a neuropsychological
viewpoint (Gibson, 2010). One
student commented that she was not diagnosed with dyslexia until her first year
at college, and looking back at her school years, she saw that it was there.
She preferred to call it a “learning difficulty” that was created by the
educational system (Gibson, 2010). The school always said she was doing fine,
but in her personal life she reported working longer hours, attending after
school sessions, and pushing herself. It is interesting to note that she had
plenty of drive to do well, and that although she recognized that she had to
study harder, she did not see herself as disabled, even though teachers said
she would never get higher than a C or D in English. This is a two-edged sword,
in that she escaped the label, but did not receive the instruction that could
have helped her achieve her goals easier. Students at the Texas school who were
identified with dyslexia were given alternate methods of learning within the
classroom: books on tape, buddy-readers or books with highlighted text
(Culbertson, 2012). Teachers modified assignments for their dyslexic students,
using mind-mapping instead of formal essays (Culbertson, 2012). Gibson (2010)
reported on another student who said that when she was in school, they moved
her into classes that were identified with students who did not do well in
their courses. She explained that the educational system, the teachers, made
the decisions about her direction and made her take the lower academic track
without sciences and foreign languages – the track that peers said were for
people who are “dumb and stuff.” (Gibson, p. 190, 2010). Another student had
positive experiences with a teacher in secondary school. She reported that her
teacher always knew that she would be coming up for help after an assignment,
and instead of becoming irritated with her, looked forward to the time to help
her. This student shared that the teacher would bring tea and coffee, and make
it a positive experience – “it made me feel really better, I never felt
self-conscious or anything, they were always more than happy to help me…”
(Gibson, p. 190, 2010).
The early diagnosis of dyslexia appears to be essential
for a positive outcome – both self-esteem and academic success (Glazzard,
2010). But it is not just the diagnosis that helps, it is how it is handled by
the students, the parents, and the teachers. Some students became aware of
their difficulty while in school, amongst peers – either reading aloud in
class, spelling or writing. Often they compared themselves to other students in
a negative light, feeling stupid or inferior (Glazzard, 2010). The importance
of early detection comes out with another student who explained that he was
disappointed with his inability to write when compared to his peers, and thus
just “gave-up,” not doing his work (Glazzard, 2010). He knew he would fail, so
he didn’t do the work. Later when he was diagnosed with dyslexia he realized
there was no point in purposely avoiding assignments (Glazzard, 2010). Students
with dyslexia reported feeling isolated because they could not keep up and were
always last to finish their work (Glazzard, 2010). There was significant
influence by the teachers of these dyslexic students. Some of the students
reported that teachers humiliated them in front of class and told their parents
that they were too slow (Glazzard, 2010). This negatively impacted the children
with dyslexia. Whereas those students who had teachers that supported them and
understood their needs and difficulties, reported feeling better about
themselves. One student reported that her teacher would print things up for her
instead of requiring her to copy questions down – she still had to answer the
questions, and she did the work, responding, “I’m not lazy,” – a positive
outlook (Glazzard, 2010).
That students with dyslexia may have positive qualities
that can be emphasized is in need of further research. Attree, et. al (2009)
studied the visual spatial strengths of adolescents with dyslexia and found
they had a superior ability when compare to those without dyslexia. By focusing
on the whole person and approaching dyslexia intervention in a holistic manner,
students and teachers may have a more positive and successful outcome.
Researchers have speculated that dyslexia may include enhancements in other
cognitive functions that control visual spatial abilities, creativity and
artistic talents (Attree, et. al, 2009). Children with dyslexia performed
significantly higher than children without dyslexia in real-life spatial tests
that measured their spatial recognition memory (Attree, 2009). This may indicate that people with
dyslexia have superior talents in some real-world tasks (Attree, 2009). The
researchers noted that the test was given on computer and was more engaging
than a pencil and paper task – suggesting further research is needed to see if
children with dyslexia perform better with interesting and exciting spatial assessments
(Attree, 2009). There seems to be a need to look for the positive aspects of
dyslexics – “holistic, 3D thinking and problem solving, keeping the big picture
in mind, and often do well on tasks with spatial components.” (Attree, p. 167,
2009). Dyslexia may contribute to creative ability (Gobbo, 2012). This
knowledge would help develop an approach to learning that addresses the needs
of students with dyslexia and improve their overall self-esteem. By providing
students with the whole picture of learning something, and not just the parts,
teachers will be addressing the learning styles of this often left-out group of
students.
References
Attree, E. A., Turner, M. J., & Cowell, N. (2009). A
virtual reality test identifies the visuospatial strengths of adolescents with
dyslexia. Cyberpsychology & Behavior:
The Impact of the Internet, Multimedia and Virtual Reality on Behavior and
Society, 12(2), 163-168. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2008.0204
Burden, R. (2008). Is dyslexia necessarily associated with
negative feelings of self-worth? A review and implications for future research. Dyslexia (Chichester, England), 14(3),
188-196. doi: 10.1002/dys.371
Culbertson, D. (2012). Uncovering the many misconceptions
of dyslexia. CEDER Yearbook, , 51-65.
Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67714829&site=eds-live
GIBSON, S., & KENDALL, L. (2010). Stories from school:
Dyslexia and learners' voices on factors impacting on achievement. Support for Learning, 25(4), 187-193.
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9604.2010.01465.x
GLAZZARD, J. (2010). The impact of dyslexia on pupils'
self-esteem. Support for Learning, 25(2),
63-69. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9604.2010.01442.x
Gobbo, K. (2010). Dyslexia and creativity: The education
and work of robert rauschenberg.
Disability Studies Quarterly, 30(3), 2-2. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=53909988&site=eds-live
Ness, M. K., & Southall, G. (2010). Preservice
teachers' knowledge of and beliefs about dyslexia. Journal of Reading Education, 36(1), 36-43. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=57311383&site=eds-live
Smythe, I. (2011). Dyslexia. British Journal of Hospital Medicine (London, England: 2005), 72(1),
39-43. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=21240117&site=eds-live
University of Michigan. (2013). University of michigan
development of language and literacy, dyslexia help starts here. Retrieved
January/18, 2013, from http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/
Yale center for dyslexia and creativity. (2013). Retrieved
January/2013, 2013, from http://dyslexia.yale.edu/
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