Dyslexia Then & Now

Let’s take a field trip back in time to the 1800’s…

The interest in those with reading difficulties began with physician and professor Adolph Kussmaul when he referred to this as word blindness. Nearly ten years later an ophthalmologist by the name of Dr. Rudolf Berlin used a word derived from the Greek meaning poor or inadequate with words, and this was the term “dyslexia.” It was from here that people viewed it as a deficiency with one's visual processing.

It wasn’t until the 1920’s when Dr. Samuel T. Orton expressed an interest in the neurological side of how specific reading difficulty developed from brain dominance. In conjunction with the works of Dr. Orton & her knowledge of the English language, Anna Gillingham developed the Orton-Gillingham approach to instruction for those with dyslexia. This system is considered to be most effective because it has been in practice the longest. In fact, many other programs use it as the foundation when developing their own.

While Orton-Gillingham is not mandatory as the system of instruction for dyslexics, a program developed or utilized in Texas must use research based practices. These same components exist within Orton-Gillingham. It is about showing the how and why behind the arbitrary language of English. The English language is a difficult one for many because it is composed of 26 letters and approximately 40 sounds represented by 250 different spellings.

What is dyslexia today? According to The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, dyslexia serves as the top documented reading disability affecting 1 in 5 people, or 20% of the population. Many people believe that it can be explained as simply as reversing letters or difficulty with reading and spelling. However, it is more complex than that.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. (Adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, November 12, 2002)

The idea is that with intervention that targets those difficulties identified in dyslexics the person will make marked improvement. The Texas Education Agency (TEA), (2014), states that this should be combined between instruction and delivery of such with adhering to the following aspects. It comes from providing instruction that is evidence based with the components of: phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, syllabication, orthography, morphology, syntax, reading comprehension, and fluency. If delivery of the instruction aligns with research-based practices, then it will consist of an approach that is: multisensory, systematic, cumulative, explicit, and automaticity. Also, it will look at words not as a whole, but as small parts and components of the whole.

The term dyslexia has previously been diagnosed or studied as a disability within the brain. However, we must think of it more as a difference in the way a child learns. If you really think about it, the child still needs to gain the same knowledge and command of the English language as the average person. The way that information is acquired is DIFFERENT not a DISABILITY. In the words of Ignacio Estrada, “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

References:

Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. (2012). The Orton-Gillingham Approach. Retrieved May 9, 2017 from ww.ortonacademy.org/approach.php

Georgetown University Medical Center. (2003, May 19). Was Orton Right? New Study Examines How The Brain Works In Reading; Offers Key To Better Understanding Dyslexia. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 9, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/05/030519083450.htm

Lawrence, D. (2009). History of Dyslexia. Understanding Dyslexia. Retrieved May 9, 2017 from www.mheducation.co.uk/openup/chapters/9780335235940.pdf

Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2014). The Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders.