Dr Greenway Promotes Dyslexia Awareness Week

Earlier this week, Dr Louise Greenway (Head of Learning Support) delivered an excellent assembly for our 3rd year pupils and above to introduce 'Dyslexia Awareness Week'- an annual national event, run by the British Dylexia Association- that aims at not just raising awareness, but also showcasing the amazing achievements that people with dyslexia have made.

To follow up this assembly, Dr Greenway kindly agreed to write the following piece for our website:

'Dyslexia matters.... to everyone. Those who are affected, their families, friends, teachers, employers- all the people they come across in everyday life. It is important we all understand what it means to be dyslexic and the misconceptions many people have.

So, what does the word 'dyslexia' immediately bring to mind? I'm sure most people would instantly say it means a person cannot read or spell properly. This is partly true, because dyslexia is defined as a 'significant difficulty in the acquisition of literacy skills', often as a result of poor phonological processing- which basically means that the brain is not good at manipulating and recalling the sounds of letters in words, and so reading and spelling are often not as fluent as their peers.

Dyslexia affects about 1 in 10 people, irrespective of their ability. Therefore, in every class in this school, there are likely to be at least two dyslexic students, and several members of staff who teach them. It is most commonly seen in boys. This does not mean, however, that girls are not affected- the key word is 'seen'. Girls tend to process information using both sides of the brain and can compensate for the effects of dyslexia more easily.

It often runs in families- it has a high degree of heritability. Dyslexia has only really been recognised in the last 20 years or so, and many parents and grandparents of dyslexics have struggled through school and life beyond without a formal diagnosis of dyslexia.

In Bablake, because we have such wonderfully bright young people, dyslexia often remains hidden and dyslexics have often developed good compensatory strategies to work round their problems. It is not until GCSE or A level that the need to read and write at a higher level or at speed in an exam, makes dyslexia evident.

Having dyslexia does not mean that a dyslexic cannot read. This is very true of the dyslexic pupils here at Bablake; most read fairly well because they have managed to learn to get round the difficulty recalling letter sounds and blending them together- which is how we learn to read, by hard work and ingenuity. In fact, some even read for pleasure, and this often hides the fact they are dyslexic for many years, because we assume dyslexics cannot read.

Then there is spelling. Most dyslexics are poor spellers, but they have often worked out ways to hide this by using words in their writing that they can spell- so their writing does not reflect their true ability; they may also avoid writing in public or they use a word processor which spellchecks for them.

Dyslexia is not just about reading and spelling. A person with dyslexia may be able to read fairly fluently, but under time pressure and with more complex text, their difficulties with reading become apparent. Dyslexics may also find it difficult to put their thoughts down on paper quickly enough or in an organised way.

Dyslexics can also find it difficult to be organised in general. They may have problems with maths and remembering what they have heard and writing it down at the same time, particularly in lessons. Telling the time and remembering which is left and right may also be hard.

In exams, it is often processing speed that matters most. This means that it takes longer for a dyslexic to read, understand, plan and write answers in an exam. This is why they can be allowed extra time- for them to be able to demonstrate their understanding and not be held back by their dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects every day life. Dyslexics often have to work far harder at everything, just to keep pace with their peers. However, although dyslexia can make life so much harder in school, the difference in a dyslexic's brain can be seen as a gift. Dyslexics have a different way of thinking, since they are more holistic and more creative. Dyslexics make very good engineers, actors, entrepreneurs, artists and musicians.

There are so many examples of famous dyslexics. Many have struggled with school, but have been able to break free of the constraints of a formal education, that judges them on their ability to pass exams to make a success of their lives, by using the gift of their dyslexia: i.e. creativity, determination and the ability to 'think outside the box'.

Dyslexia should not really be seen as a problem but as a difference. We should celebrate that difference, as it adds the colour to our lives.' Dr Greenway, who supplemented her talk by showing 'The Power of Dyslexia' video, added that if anyone would like more information about dyslexia, they should just drop into Learning Support to find out more. Obviously it is also possible to email Dr Greenway with any questions.

Photo courtesy of the British Dyslexia Association.