| Reading is the most important skill that a child must | | | | Each Kana syllabary has 46 basic letters compared to |
| acquire at school, because one must learn to read to | | | | our 26. |
| be able to read to learn. The implication of this is that | | | | DIFFERENCES IN BRAIN STRUCTURE NOT THE |
| the child who is a poor reader will usually also be a | | | | EQUIVALENT OF A NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER |
| poor learner. | | | | It is also important to note that differences in brain |
| Unfortunately poor reading skills, and therefore poor | | | | structures do not necessarily equal brain disorders. |
| learning skills, have become a reality for an alarming | | | | Differences between dyslexics' brains and those of |
| number of people. The $14 million National Adult | | | | normal readers are not necessarily the cause of a |
| Literacy Survey of 1993 found that even though | | | | reading difficulty. Such differences can well be the |
| most adults in this survey had finished high school, | | | | EFFECT of a learning difficulty. |
| 96% of them could not read, write, and figure well | | | | Latest neurological findings - for example through the |
| enough to go to college. Even more to the point, | | | | work of Michael Merzenich of the University of San |
| 25% were plainly unable to read. | | | | Francisco - show that, while certain areas of the brain |
| Even more alarming is that reading difficulties are not | | | | are designated for specific purposes, brain cells and |
| limited to people who are environmentally, culturally | | | | cortical maps do change in response to learning. An |
| or economically disadvantaged. Many children come | | | | interesting study in London has found that an area of |
| from good homes, go to good schools and score | | | | the brain associated with navigation was larger in |
| average to above average on IQ tests. Yet, they | | | | London's famed taxi drivers than in other people. The |
| battle to learn to read, and many never succeed. | | | | drivers' brains have adapted to help them store a |
| Children with reading difficulties share a number of | | | | detailed mental map of the city, shrinking in one area |
| common symptoms. They are inclined to reverse | | | | to allow growth in another. |
| letters or words, to omit letters, to lose their place, | | | | The tendency over the past nearly a century has |
| to remember little of what they have read, or to | | | | been to try and fit the dyslexia shoe on the foot of |
| read with poor comprehension. These children are | | | | the children who fail to learn to read. All efforts to |
| considered to suffer from a learning disability (LD), | | | | make this shoe fit have failed. If a shoe does not fit |
| commonly called dyslexia. | | | | one foot, shouldn't we try it on the other foot? |
| According to the Orton Dyslexia Society at least one | | | | PUTTING THE SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT |
| in every ten of otherwise able people has serious | | | | When a person fails to learn something, there are at |
| dyslexia problems. The Foundation of Children with | | | | least two possible reasons why he failed. The first is |
| Learning Disabilities states that learning-disabled | | | | that there may be something wrong with the person. |
| children represent more than ten million of the total | | | | The second is that there may be something wrong |
| population of the U.S.A. Estimates of learning-disabled | | | | with the way in which he was taught. Unfortunately |
| students being dyslexic vary between 70 and 80 | | | | most people have so far jumped to the very hasty |
| percent. | | | | conclusion that, when the otherwise normal child fails |
| FIND THE CAUSE TO FIND A CURE | | | | to learn to read, it must be the first possibility that |
| Most problems can only be solved if one knows what | | | | applies. |
| causes the problem. A disease such as scurvy | | | | When teaching, it is imperative to take note of the |
| claimed the lives of thousands of seamen during long | | | | fact that learning is a stratified process. One step |
| sea voyages. The disease was cured fairly quickly | | | | needs to be mastered well enough before |
| once the cause was discovered, viz. a Vitamin C | | | | subsequent steps can be learned. This means that |
| deficiency. A viable point of departure in LD research | | | | there is a sequence involved in learning. It is like |
| would therefore be to ask the question, "What is the | | | | climbing a ladder; if you miss one of the rungs of the |
| CAUSE of dyslexia?" | | | | ladder, you will fall off. If you miss out on one of the |
| The idea that dyslexia is a certifiable biological | | | | important steps in the learning process, you will not |
| disorder, a physical problem that could be diagnosed | | | | be able to master subsequent steps. |
| and treated accordingly, gained credence during the | | | | A simple and practical example of this is the fact that |
| 1960s and 1970s, giving rise to an armada of theories. | | | | one has to learn to count before it becomes possible |
| One such a theory states that dyslexia is the result | | | | to learn to add and subtract. If one tried to teach a |
| when the link between the language, hearing and | | | | child to add and subtract before he had been taught |
| comprehension centers of the brain is somehow | | | | to count, one would quickly discover that no amount |
| misconfigured during fetal development. Another | | | | of effort would ever succeed in teaching the child |
| theory states that dyslexia is caused by "faulty | | | | these skills. Conceivably people who abide by the |
| wiring in the brain," whereas another holds that a | | | | learning disabilities idea would then conclude that the |
| subtle impairment of vision may be responsible, while | | | | child suffered from a neurological dysfunction, or |
| yet another believes that a cerebellar-vestibular | | | | from "dyscalculia," overlooking that the ability to |
| dysfunction may be responsible for the learning | | | | count must be acquired FIRST, BEFORE it becomes |
| disability. All these theories - most of them blaming | | | | possible to learn to add and subtract. |
| some difference in structure between the brain of | | | | This principle is also of great importance on the |
| the dyslexic and that of the so-called normal reader - | | | | sports field. If we go to a soccer field to watch a |
| have lead to nothing at all. Despite all these theories | | | | soccer coach at work, we shall soon find that he |
| and all the intervention efforts based on them, not | | | | spends much time drilling his players on basic skills, like |
| to mention the vast amounts of money expended in | | | | heading, passing, dribbling, kicking, etc. The players |
| the process, the numbers of dyslexics continue to | | | | who are most proficient at these basic skills usually |
| escalate. | | | | turn out to be the best players in the actual game |
| Except for the fact that proof of a neurological | | | | situation. |
| deficit still eludes the researchers, this theory leaves | | | | In the same way, there are also certain skills and |
| many questions unanswered. If dyslexia has a | | | | knowledge that a child must acquire FIRST, BEFORE |
| neurological basis, why is this supposedly | | | | it becomes possible for him to become a good |
| non-contagious "ailment" on the increase? Compare | | | | reader. Basic skills like concentration, visual |
| the present situation with, for example, that of a | | | | discrimination, accurate perception and memorizing, |
| century ago. In 1910 the literacy rate in the U.S.A. | | | | skills of association, auditory memory and lateral |
| was so high it was predicted, "the public schools will in | | | | interpretation are all functions that form the |
| a short time practically eliminate illiteracy." In 1935, a | | | | foundation of good reading and spelling. Until a child |
| survey of the 375,000 men working in the Civilian | | | | has mastered these basic skills first, reading will |
| Conservation Corps - a government-sponsored work | | | | remain a closed - or at most half-open - book to him. |
| project to provide employment - found an illiteracy | | | | Teaching these basic skills used to form part of the |
| rate of 1.9 percent. It is most noteworthy that this | | | | educational system for many centuries, but have |
| last figure was found among men primarily of low | | | | since been removed from Western education by |
| socio-economic status. It is even more noteworthy | | | | "innovative" educators such as John Dewey and his |
| that the illiteracy rates of the first half of the | | | | cohorts. In this way the epidemic that is now called |
| twentieth century reflected, for the most part, | | | | "dyslexia" was created. |
| people who had never had the advantage of | | | | Already in 1974, in "Reading Teacher," Bateman |
| schooling. | | | | suggested that the term "learning disabilities" be |
| It is also impossible to explain how a neurological | | | | replaced by "teaching disabilities." The focus, he said, |
| dysfunction can be more prevalent in specific areas | | | | should be on the inadequate skills of the adults who |
| or countries. While the National Commission on | | | | are supposed to teach the children, instead of on |
| Excellence in 1983 warned that the American nation | | | | blaming the children of mysterious brain dysfunctions. |
| was "at risk," remedial reading facilities were not | | | | In 1987 Dr. Thomas Armstrong coined the word |
| needed at all in Japan due to the rarity of reading | | | | "dysteachia" to refer to children suffering from |
| problems. Some would argue that reading problems | | | | "pedagogical illness" or inappropriate teaching |
| were virtually nonexistent in Japan because their | | | | strategies. |
| written language is easier than our Latin alphabet. | | | | Perhaps it is time that we investigate the possibility |
| That, however, is simply not true. The Japanese | | | | that Bateman and Armstrong may have been correct |
| Kanji ideograms consist of 1,850 characters. In | | | | when they said that the shoe was on the wrong |
| addition there are two Kana syllabaries, which - like | | | | foot. |
| our Latin alphabet - use symbols to represent sounds. | | | | |