The Case for Labeling

Although 1 in 5 children is dyslexic, less than 30% of these children are ever identified. Why is this? In fact, most schools won’t even use the word dyslexia. There is a philosophy in education today that society shouldn’t “label” these children dyslexic. This philosophy not only discourages children from being “labeled” dyslexic but it also discourages schools from identifying children with learning disabilities. Society sees “labeling” as a bad practice. I disagree with this philosophy. I believe it does a disservice to the dyslexic child and to their families. Today, a dyslexic student is only identified as having a learning disability after the child has fallen significantly behind their peers. Schools are then able to “label” the child as having a Specific Learning Disability. The label Specific Learning Disability includes many different types of disabilities, including brain injury. Dyslexia accounts for 80% of those identified as having a Specific Learning Disability. Dyslexia requires a specific type of intervention so that the student is able to actually close the gap. Without the label of “dyslexia,” most students only receive interventions that are appropriate for a group of disabilities, but never receive interventions that are specific for dyslexia. To me, that’s like identifying a group of people as having cancer and assuming that the same type of treatment will work for each individual regardless of the type of cancer.

If dyslexic students aren’t identified as “dyslexic”, they are often informally identified by their teachers as being lazy or slow. The other kids in the classroom are also labeling these kids as “dumb”. These kids are often picked on and bullied. Everyone seems to have a label for them whether or not the school formally “labels” them.  I can remember teachers telling me that I wasn’t trying hard enough. My second grade teacher told my mom that I was capable of reading but I just didn’t want to do it. She would send home papers that I had trouble reading and wrote in big red letters, “Joshua refused to do this.”    

I think having a “label” of dyslexia will help students get the right help and provide them with the appropriate accommodations for their weaknesses. It also helps families to have a term to research to better understand the learning difficulties. I knew I learned differently and was frustrated because I couldn’t learn the same way as my peers. The word “dyslexia” gave me confidence that I could achieve success.

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Why Bother Testing for Dyslexia in High School or College?

           While it is shocking to most people that one out of five children is dyslexic, it is even more surprising that less than 30% of these children are ever identified. It is not uncommon for people to find out that they are dyslexic once they're in high school or even college. Some people find out once they are adults and have children who are diagnosed with dyslexia. This is probably because dyslexics have an average to above average IQ  and they have learned to accommodate in life and because schools are not  identifying these children.

  My older brother diagnosed himself dyslexic in college. During this time my family was learning about dyslexia and worried about me. My brother recognized the signs and said,  “Why are you so worried about Joshua because I am dyslexic too?”  It took my parents many months before they recognized that he probably was dyslexic and never identified. He had delayed speech as a toddler and had speech therapy for a speech disfluency as a preschooler. In kindergarten, his report card said that he lacked  phonemic awareness. Although he was an honor student in high school, he had difficulty in learning Spanish.  My parents finally agreed to have my brother tested before his sophomore year in college if he was willing to use any accommodations for which he might qualify. My brother was right and he is dyslexic. He was extremely fortunate because he had Orton Gillingham in kindergarten through third grade.  My brother graduated from college last May and is now in graduate school. He has accommodations for extra time on his tests and he gets a separate quiet room for tests, like me.

According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, slow reading and writing is the primary symptom for dyslexia in an accomplished young adult. They explained that,  “In children, the phonetical  weakness affects reading accuracy; over time, accomplished dyslexic adults learn to read a core of words accurately. In bright young adults the phonemic weakness affects the speed of reading.”

Many people wonder how important it is for a student to be identified in high school or college. It is very important. According to Dr. Shaywitz of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, “ Far and away the most critical accommodation for the dyslexic reader is the provision of extra time. Dyslexia robs a person of time; accommodations return it.”  Dyslexic students need extra time on tests to achieve their potential. They also require these accommodations to be successful on college entrance exams. Teachers and students that help identify dyslexic students have the potential to forever change a student’s life. Identification provides a student with accommodations and accommodates a dyslexic student to achieve their full potential.