General Chat

Interesting what was said about coloured lens too. I've seen them work.

Hi All Thought I would bump this after the programm last night. What did you think? I think that they are wrong to say it doesnt exist. I understand that its hard to tell the difference between a poor reader and a reader with dyslexia, but Dyslexia has many different severities. I will stick with what I know and believe - my Son and Hubby and Niece and Nephew have Dyslexia, in varying forms and severity. The experts know it, I know it and they know it. End of story. Vikki xx

Richard Branson (who has dyslexia himself) in the Sun today .... ''I'm certainly not a scientist but what Professor Elliott says is a load of bo****ks' !!!!!!! Just about sums it up I reckon! Maz. XX

Vera It is interesting to read of your son's coloured lens glasses. I sat in while a young child was tested at a specialist opticians, -as you say they are few and far between. It was amazing to see the difference that was made by reading through various colours. The speed and fluency was very much improved. It was hard to understand why this should be but we accepted the child's explanation ' The words stay on a straight line now' More can be read on the Irlen Syndrome site, from which I copied a small section here........ Individuals with Irlen Syndrome perceive the printed page and/or their environment differently. They must constantly make adaptations or compensate. Individuals are often unaware of the extra energy and effort they are putting into reading and perception. Reading may be slow and inefficient, or there may be poor comprehension, strain, or fatigue. Irlen Syndrome can also affect attention span, listening, energy level, motivation, work production, and mental health. People with Irlen Syndrome are often seen as underachievers or as having behavioral, attitude or motivational problems. Irlen Syndrome can also coexist with other learning problems, such as attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, or autism. Treatment for Irlen Syndrome may lessen many of the symptoms of these disorders. .........................................................

Oh this should be an interesting programme to watch - Im with everyone else that has replied to this thread - yes it certainly does exist. I was amazed when my son passed all his GCSEs at grade c as when he was nine he could only just write his name and that was all. His school refused to acknowledge that he had a serious problem and it was only after I paid to have him tested privately that he got any help. I refused to give in and after many meetings with the school my son got his statement, he had one to one teaching at primary school and help at high school. He was in the top sets at high school but still had an assistant who sat with him to help when he got stuck. He also had pink coloured glasses prescribed by the only optician in our county that had the equipment to test for them. I worried about him wearing them at school but he wore them from the day he got them to the day he left school. My advise to anyone with a child with possble learning difficulties or signs of dyslexia is not to be put off by the school but to fight for the right for your child to have the education he or she deserves. It will cost the school and the authorities more money to educate your child but he has the same rights as any other child and deserves to be taught in a way he can understand.

Hi I dont feel that my son or hubby has a 'disability' so to speak. We have always told our son that he is very clever and just the same as the other children but that he learns things in a special way. Apparently (and im no expert), it has been proven that in foetal development, there is a part of the cerebral cortex that develops back to front in those who have 'dyslexia'(broadly applied). They dont know why this happens, but in most cases it is linked to children/adults with this. It could sort of explain why said persons (dont want to offend anyone) write letters back to front and struggle to understand the wriiten word. My sis-in-law found that my niece (who has Dyslexia) read much easier if the book etc was placed on a music type stand and she read at eye level. Dont know why but it helped alot! As do certain types of coloured acetate placed over words etc. Though I think you need to see an optician who knows about dyslexia, to determine the correct colour acetate/glasses to use. An interesting article is here: http://www.interdys.org/servlet/compose?section_id=5&page_id=47 Vikki xx

Yes its called SPLD now. When I was young, I remember my mum talking about someone being 'word blind'. I think that was probably the early term for dyslexia.

I don’t normally post anything personal on the net. I as, yet have not read the report. Without going into to much depth when a child is assessed, although at school and through life they are labelled as having dyslexia, the actual assessment is Specified Learning Difficulty this is because there is so many facets to what is known as dyslexia ( lex as in lexicon) dyscalculia (cal as in calculate) and so on. Specified Learning Difficulty is not just a new label my first dealing with the assessments was over 20 years ago. Jan

hi mike my youngest son suffers with it and i can assure the 'experts' it isnt in the mind it is a genuine disability. i wish they could see my son sitting here crying cos he cant read the newspaper.its heart breaking by the way my son is now 25!!! and has 2 children of his own susie

I have a colleague who habitually writes 'Thursday' as thrusday, and Remember as rememember........ but he's got a degree in IT....... Bob

In case any one is recognising the 'symptoms' for the first time: Please look at the British Dyslexia Association web page for contact addys and phone nos.

I always remember a key phrase from a talk about dyslexia. 'If students dont learn in the way you teach, teach in the way that they learn'.

Hi, if you dont think your son is getting the help he needs, speak to the head teacher and ask about statementing. They will try their hardest to put you off (someone was even told 'they dont do that any more') but make yourself heard. Contact your local British Dyslexia Association group (try yellow pages or CAB) and ask for assistance in statementing - we had a 'Parent Befriender' who attended all meetings with teachers and the LEA to help us - we even got to the point of threatening legal action against the school governors. Upshot was our son was statemented, the school said they couldnt meet the requirements of the statement so LEA paid for him to go to a private specialist school.

Hi All My husband has dyslexia (hes 37) but back then he was just called 'stupid' and such like. I wouldnt mind but he is a very very clever man. (not that im biased). Our youngest son aged 12 has dyslexia also. I knew from when he was about 2 years old, but only because I read alot about it and my hubby is dyslexic and knew the 'signs'. My son is very clever with practical things and loves science and mechanical problem solving. But, if he had his way, he would never go to school. He had all sorts of tests and meetings (because we demanded they do something to help him at school or I would teach at home and report the school). He got loads of help after that but is now in his 2nd year of Senior school and doesnt get the same sort of help. Some teachers understand but others just cant be bothered! He just has poor concentration and memory skills. And though his writing is atrocious, he has improved quite a bit. His older brother doesnt have this problem but it does run in my hubbys side of the family. Experts diagnosed my son - so are the sceptics saying they are making it up too? Perhaps if they had family with dyslexia then they would understand. There are many different severities of dyslexia and associated 'special ways of learning'. Understanding is the key to helping! My son takes Omega 3 fish oil supplements and has for the last 3 years or so - what an improvement. I also notice that if he misses a couple of weeks like when they are off school, then he gets frustrated more easily and impatient, but then, the experts would say that its just because he is being moody etc Sorry for ranting, but it makes my blood boil when these people say things they havent experienced for themselves, especially when you consider the turmoil the parents and children go through just to get through school, let alone try to enjoy it. Moan over......sorry. Thanks for letting us know about the program Mike - I have put it on reminder so I dont miss it. Vikki xx

Until my son was diagnosed I did not believe dyslexia was a real condition. Since he started school he had made no improvement whatsoever in his writing and reading and although obviously a very bright boy verbally he had been put in to 'withdrawal groups' making glove puppets and so on until we saw a tv programme about dyslexia and it was him to a tee. We had spent a fortune on private tuition but he would forget the next day what he had learnt. When tested by an ed psych his reading/writing was 5 years below his verbal skills. Although he could not seem to hear letters properly - i.e. hedgehog would be said as 'hedchunk'. Crisps were crips, vinegar, vigener and so on. He is ambidextrous, couldnt remember days of week, months of year, confused time, short term memory, spelt phonetically (e.g. pretty would be spelt p-r-t) last year would be next year or last week. At 19 he still cant spell his middle name or say the alphabet, nor does he know which month follows which. He doesnt know left from right, was never in any team games, was bullied, was a loner - the list goes on and on. He was still wetting and messing himself at 12. Dyslexia is often part of a wider condition which can include ADHD (another one I never believed in), autistic spectrum conditions, dyspraxia. People often say 'Oh I think my son/daughter is a bit dyslexic, he spells badly' Guys, it is SO MUCH more than spelling badly. And it is so distressing for the parents to be 'looked down' on by other parents and teaching staff. I would add my eldest son was star of the school - literally - and breezed through an honours degree at the same time as working for BBC and Channel 4 (at 18!) You have to live with it to recognise just how damaging it is for people. My own husband who believed he was just a bad speller and was put at the back of the class because he couldnt keep up with reading and writing, never applied for a job because he simply couldnt complete forms. He has had his own business for nearly 30 years as I do all his paperwork after he dictates to me personally or gives me a tape.

I think I'd better tell my son that his dyslexia (that was assesed by professionals) doesn't exsist, and that he really can put the written word on paper, and my brother and niece as well, (as it is heriditary) Oh and we'd better inform the specialist Dyslexia school in Rochester that they had better close, as it's all in their pupils mind.

Pipsy I understand your concern. Each school should have a special needs coordinator. What about making an appointment to meet them to discuss this? Dyslexic traits show in many forms and is no indication of the level of intelligence. I know one boy, way ahead of his years in reading ability but he finds even fairly simple words very difficult to put down on paper. Non bleached or lightly coloured paper seems to help some children rather than the usual white.

9pm Thurs C4

My daughter is very bright just cant put it on paper, her teachers say they love her stories and love hearing what she has to say, but also say she hasnt a problem its just normal, shes in year 5 now, i dont expect her to be a scientist, if she should need help, id expect her teachers to notice, by now at least. The poor lass has had that many substitute teachers lately, i dont think they know the kids well enough.

Pipsy.... it is possible to just have dyslexic traits... my daughter did and still does but she had wonderful teachers who found this out when she was very young - she had special classes at Primary School and the Senior School were helpful too. She is now the Manager of a large children's Nursery School and is doing very well. Some children are just slightly slower starters than others but they can catch up! Jacquie xxxx