Dyslexia not real?

[Melanie]

While I dont completely agree I can see where he is coming from.

MP says dyslexia doesn't exist

2 hours 19 mins ago
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An MP has claimed that the learning disorder dyslexia does not exist and is merely a "cruel fiction" to cover up poor teaching. Skip related content

Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley in Manchester, said it was "wicked" to label children as dyslexic because they were confused by bad teaching methods.

"The education establishment, rather than admit that their eclectic and incomplete methods for instruction are at fault, have invented a brain disorder called dyslexia," Stringer wrote in a column for the Manchester Confidential website.

"Dyslexia is a cruel fiction. The sooner it is consigned to the same dustbin of history, the better."

About 6 million people suffer from the condition, according to the charity Dyslexia Action.

It said that it was not the same as having reading problems and was a combination of difficulties that could also affect spelling, writing, maths or memory.

"Once again dyslexia seems to be making the headlines for all the wrong reasons," said Shirley Cramer, the charity's chief executive.

"It is frustrating that the focus should be on whether dyslexia exists or not, when there is so much evidence to support that it does."

Stringer said if dyslexia existed then countries such as Nicaragua and South Korea would not have nearly 100 percent literacy rates.

He said a scheme in Scotland's West Dunbartonshire area, which used to have a literacy problem among secondary school pupils, had eliminated illiteracy by teaching children to read using the synthetic phonics method.

"It is time that the dyslexia industry was killed off and we recognised that there are well known methods for teaching everybody to read and write," he said.

 

[debecca]

I saw that link on the BBC News website. What a load of rubbish!

I can see that there are a lot of failings in our UK school system but some children genuinely have learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD etc.

 

[lisa&alex]

im not sure which i come under... i dont think my education was very good at all....and i think i could have done with better education, maybe i wouldnt be so bad now.. who knows

 

[zebrastripes]

My boyfriend is really intelligent, has had a good education, and is STILL held back by his dyslexia

 

[Steelgoddess]

My boyfriend is really intelligent, has had a good education, and is STILL held back by his dyslexia

Inb what way hon?

Highly doubt its fake, what a silly thing to say... Just need to relise schooling over her is too "Ship in ship out".

 

[maria1976]

My boyfriend is really intelligent, has had a good education, and is STILL held back by his dyslexia

Same here with mine!

 

[Melanie]

I don't think learning disabilities such as dyslexia are fake either but I do think that there are kids that have been given a label they shouldn't have because of bad teaching. Once you label a kid with a learning disability its very hard from them to leave that behind.

 

[helsekia]

both my OH and my daughter have dyslexia.Kiaras is fairly mild,letters jumping around on the page,writing letters wrongly,back to front etc.it also affects her maths and she has hyperactivity and lack of concentration.of course dyslexia exists.i do agree with the fact that some kids are labelled as dyslexic quickly and wrongly because its 'easier' than looking for other problems.and some parents (very few) use the dyslexia label to make excuses for their childs bad behaviour in class.kiara has mainstream classes and extra support lessons daily and its been caught early so hopefully she will not be affected too badly in adulthood.

 

[Red_Fairy]

im dyslexic. Altho mild copared to some.

I still struggle to tell the difference between Bs and Ds, 9s and Ps, 3s and Ss. I left school with great qualifications, went to college and uni.

I KNOW it exists.

 

[helsekia]

im dyslexic. Altho mild copared to some.

I still struggle to tell the difference between Bs and Ds, 9s and Ps, 3s and Ss. I left school with great qualifications, went to college and uni.

I KNOW it exists.

kiara always gets b and d mixed up she even says the word with the right sound and writes thewrong letter.it can be very frustrating for her as im sure you know.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

That mps opened a can of worms, ive seen my nephew struggle with his school work due tovhis dyslexia so damn right its real MP whoever you are

 

[zebrastripes]

My boyfriend is really intelligent, has had a good education, and is STILL held back by his dyslexia

Inb what way hon?

Highly doubt its fake, what a silly thing to say... Just need to relise schooling over her is too "Ship in ship out".

Well, he was pretty much tipped as a child genius in primary school.... and it was ok then, because he had loads and loads of time to work his way through his reading.. for instance he used to read the encyclopedia at bedtime, aged about 6 (can't you see why we're perfect for each other) so as long as he was going at his own pace it was OK. he really really struggled with spelling though-- FI,he'd know all these huge great words, but he wouldn't know how to spell them.He got an A at 11+, into a top grammar school, again, managed for the first couple of years... but then once external exams swung round...he had all these crazy little coping systems, and they just weren't compatible with the sort of exam based curriculum that becomes foremost once you hit about 6th year.

Ahh, it's hard to explain unless you know him...umm.. well say you asked him this question about politics, or history, or whatever. he could sit there and give you a long detailed and spot on answer, but if it came to writing it down, he just couldn't.

 

[Minxy]

Of course it's real, Tom Cruise says Scientology cured his

 

[nickilubs]

My boyfriend is really intelligent, has had a good education, and is STILL held back by his dyslexia

Same here with mine!

And my brother.

 

[Bee]

My boyfriend is really intelligent, has had a good education, and is STILL held back by his dyslexia

Same here with mine!

And my brother.

and my brother

Dyslexia exists but I think sometimes people are too quick to label kids, same goes for ADHD etc.

 

[lisa&alex]

He said a scheme in Scotland's West Dunbartonshire area, which used to have a literacy problem among secondary school pupils, had eliminated illiteracy by teaching children to read using the synthetic phonics method.

"It is time that the dyslexia industry was killed off and we recognised that there are well known methods for teaching everybody to read and write," he said.

although... know it exists... part of me thinks.. well great.. if you can eliminate illiteracy (which for a lot of people they can read and write.. but some things just dont knit together for them? does anyone else find that) it doesnt mean its not there...im all for the government trying to explore the avenues of.. does it exist doesnt it exist.. because.. in doing so.. maybe they will find better ways of teaching.. and helping sufforers..

i guess... there are different levels of dyslexia, its not just plain black and white.. can this person read and write?..

 

[cez8457]

Ive got Dyslexia, My parents and i thought i had it through out my school day but i would never let them tell any teachers, i was worried they would put me in the special needs class when i didnt need that. I finally plucked up the courage to ring an organization that dealt with dyslexia and went and had to do a few tests and questionaires etc, and they said i had it.

For me it will be reading out peoples phone numbers, ill read the correct number in my head but might say a different number. Also my mother use to be a teachers assisant so i never lacked teaching she was always there to help me, so i dont think the MP can really say is must be schooling. I was taught to tell the time which of course i can do, but i dont know how many times someones asked me the time and instead of say 20past ill say 20 too although i know in my head what the time is it comes out wrong. Now my mother will ask me the time and say are you sure after ive answered her, coz often she rushed around thinking shes late for something when really shes got like another 20mins to get ready coz i told her the wrong time lol.

Spelling - I can spell but i get what i call as brain freezes, Very simple words i cant remember how to spell, but i can remember a hour or two later.

They also say that Dyslexic people can sometimes be unorganized and thats me, I was always late for school, it didnt matter what time i got up id still be late and i had no sence of time then in the last ive mins i rush like heck. That still happens now im still late for alot of things.

I know its real, as i said i got taught very well and i can read,write, spell etc, but when i dont concentrate really hard the wrong words, numbers, times etc come out.

 

[Zoe~Louise]

im dyslexic

although my spelling is fine, its my reading that is affected! I have to highlight everything i read and when im typing anything on word i have to paint the page green to make it readable to me.

single words i am above my age (or was at time of testing) but long paragraphs jumble around making it extremely hard for me to read.

if that makes sense?

 

[Lou]

Of course it's real, Tom Cruise says Scientology cured his

Them damn lizards from outter space are clever buggers you know