# The dyslexia myth **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 6, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395 "2011-02-06T14:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/101 "2015-11-04T18:54:24Z")
I’ve been diagnosed as dyslexic, and even I don’t know whether or not it’s bullshit. My experience might be different from other people’s; here’s how it affects me. –Mild confusion over left and right. I understand the concept, but use the two words interchangeably. –I see numbers, letters and pictures very differently from each other. Letters blur, numbers scramble, pictures are in sharp focus. The letters and numbers thing is very mild, though. –In school, I got A’s in the stuff I’m good at and D’s in math and foreign languages. There was no middle ground. –Children tend to learn skills at different rates, but in the same order. I could read at 4, but couldn’t ride a bike until I was 10. –I can walk and chew gum, metaphorically speaking, just not at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/102 "2015-11-04T19:03:17Z")
> [@Sputnikkk](#): > > I actually can’t spell cinamon right off the bat—but that doesn’t mean I am dyslexic? No, all it means is my brain can’t remember all the quirky ways of spelling billions and billions of words in the English language, which uses a phonetic alphabet but doesn’t spell anything phonetically. English has way too many words with two "n"s for no reason. > > Instead of trying to fix dyslexics why don’t we just rewrite the English language so that it really is totally phonetic? Take out all the double letters that don’t need to be there, spell tomorrow as tomorow, and remove all silent letters, change dumb to dum, change what to wut, change it all into how you wuld write it if you where texting- shortn everything and make it phonetic. Having less letters would be a lot easier for dyslexics and non-dyslexics alike, it would save forests and paper. Where is Chairman Mao now that we really need him? I’ve met kids from Asia and Latin America with dyslexia in their own languages, so this particular revolution might have to wait. As for our freewheeling spelling traditions: These have to do with the way we import words from other languages, keeping the spelling more or less intact. English has poached the most words from German and French. If there is an i-before-e, the word likely has Germanic origins, whereas if it has e-before-i, it likely comes from the French. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/103 "2015-11-04T21:19:40Z")
I had a stroke just after my 15th birthday, whilst in class at school. I suddenly lost the ability to read. I could write and understand what I was writing as I wrote it but after 2-3 seconds was unable to read what I’d just written. I presume dyslexia involves some process within the part of the brain affected by my stroke. ---
**Author:** ![Sputnikkk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Sputnikkk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sputnikkk)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/104 "2015-11-05T10:48:35Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > I’ve been diagnosed as dyslexic, and even I don’t know whether or not it’s bullshit. My experience might be different from other people’s; here’s how it affects me. > > –Mild confusion over left and right. I understand the concept, but use the two words interchangeably. > –I see numbers, letters and pictures very differently from each other. Letters blur, numbers scramble, pictures are in sharp focus. The letters and numbers thing is very mild, though. > –In school, I got A’s in the stuff I’m good at and D’s in math and foreign languages. There was no middle ground. > –Children tend to learn skills at different rates, but in the same order. I could read at 4, but couldn’t ride a bike until I was 10. > –I can walk and chew gum, metaphorically speaking, just not at the same time. I think you might not be dyslexic but… the definition of dyslexia is so wishy-washy, you may as well call yourself dyslexic if feel the need, because I don’t know what other words you would use to describe your conditions. Your symptoms are interesting, especially about seeing numbers, pictures and letters differently. I’ve been reading definitions all week on what dyslexia is and all the definitions seem to contradict each other. Definitions from neuroscientists usually say the idea that dyslexics have a visual processing problem is a myth, and that dyslexics see things the same way everyone else —but they can’t crack the code that matches sounds to letters and creates words. They say dyslexia is tied to a specific part of the brain that they can see on brain scans, and in dyslexics it doesn’t light up the same way as other people. [Dr. Paula Tallal - Neuroscience, Phonology and Reading: The Oral to Written Language Continuum - Children of the Code](http://www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/tallal.htm) However, some are saying the people with visual distortions, are a subset of dyslexics and others seem to be saying its a different condition entirely, but those definitions are mostly coming out of neuroscience. People who aren’t neuroscientists, like the Dyslexia foundations, seem to define dyslexia much more loosely and include people with visual processing problems, attention deficit disorders, lack of concentration, etc… I think this is because they want to make the definition all inclusive and unite all dyslexics so everyone can get some kind of assistance. I have a huge problem with left and right and always have. I have a hard time telling people whether to turn left or right in cars when they get to may street, I point left and then say verbally “right” totally confusing them. I also have no sense of direction. My boyfriend used to say every time he watched me come out of a store or building or bathroom, I would turn the wrong way every single time, and then right myself. But I consider myself navigationally dysfunctional not dyslexic. And I am a horrible speller, I will spell the same word like, “tomorrow” wrong every single time I write it. I’ll even avoid the word “tomorrow”, and write “the 6th” because its easier. If you gave me a list that said: tamorow, tommarow, tomorow, tomorrow, tamarow, I would not be able to circle the right one. I’m so thankful for autocorrect. Concentration wise, I either can focus my attention or can’t and I think this in part depends on how interested I am in what I am doing. I have an extremely hard time focusing on something boring to me, but don’t we all. I tested in school as a slow reader with an above average comprehension. So on a test that wasn’t a timed test I would get A+, but if timed I might actually not even finish the test. I was praised a lot for may writing in high school and won some awards. I do think I have a hard time doing tasks other people find easy and feel slower and stupid at times but still don’t think I am dyslexic. I just think some parts of my brain don’t function as well as other parts but who knows what my problem is? ---
**Author:** ![Sputnikkk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Sputnikkk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sputnikkk)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/105 "2015-11-05T11:18:41Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > I’ve met kids from Asia and Latin America with dyslexia in their own languages, so this particular revolution might have to wait. As for our freewheeling spelling traditions: These have to do with the way we import words from other languages, keeping the spelling more or less intact. English has poached the most words from German and French. If there is an i-before-e, the word likely has Germanic origins, whereas if it has e-before-i, it likely comes from the French. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Thanks for explaining reasons for free-wheeling spelling to me. I thought “powers that be” did it just to make it difficult and confusing, maybe even as a way to weed the stupid out of the higher tiers of education. Also, do you know which nationality came up with the word “circumcise”? I want to stay away from them. They are assholes. Why is there two 'c’s that sounds like a 's’s with a ‘c’ in the middle that sounds like a “k” and an “s” at the end that sounds like an “s” instead of a “c” that sounds like and “s”? Seriously, how could anyone have decided to spell it like that, it makes no sense at all. ---
**Author:** ![Sputnikkk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Sputnikkk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sputnikkk)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/106 "2015-11-05T11:25:24Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > I had a stroke just after my 15th birthday, whilst in class at school. I suddenly lost the ability to read. I could write and understand what I was writing as I wrote it but after 2-3 seconds was unable to read what I’d just written. I presume dyslexia involves some process within the part of the brain affected by my stroke. So after you got older did your brain heal itself? There are pictures here of brains of dyslexic people compared to non-dylexic people that show their brains don’t light up in certain spots. Maybe the stroke affected those spots, but then your brain healed. [https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.803/globe.html](https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.803/globe.html) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/107 "2015-11-05T16:11:03Z")
> [@Sputnikkk](#): > > Also, do you know which nationality came up with the word “circumcise”? I want to stay away from them. They are assholes. Why is there two 'c’s that sounds like a 's’s with a ‘c’ in the middle that sounds like a “k” and an “s” at the end that sounds like an “s” instead of a “c” that sounds like and “s”? Seriously, how could anyone have decided to spell it like that, it makes no sense at all. It’s an Old English word whose root, circumcisus, is Latin (although I suspect the Romans pronounced it differently, with more K sounds in it). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/108 "2015-11-05T16:22:51Z")
> [@Sputnikkk](#): > > I’ve been reading definitions all week on what dyslexia is and all the definitions seem to contradict each other. Definitions from neuroscientists usually say the idea that dyslexics have a visual processing problem is a myth, and that dyslexics see things the same way everyone else —but they can’t crack the code that matches sounds to letters and creates words. They say dyslexia is tied to a specific part of the brain that they can see on brain scans, and in dyslexics it doesn’t light up the same way as other people. [Dr. Paula Tallal - Neuroscience, Phonology and Reading: The Oral to Written Language Continuum - Children of the Code](http://www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/tallal.htm) However, some are saying the people with visual distortions, are a subset of dyslexics and others seem to be saying its a different condition entirely, but those definitions are mostly coming out of neuroscience. People who aren’t neuroscientists, like the Dyslexia foundations, seem to define dyslexia much more loosely and include people with visual processing problems, attention deficit disorders, lack of concentration, etc… I think this is because they want to make the definition all inclusive and unite all dyslexics so everyone can get some kind of assistance. That’s certainly my impression. The professor who pegged me as “dyslexic” wasn’t an MD, and the doctor who diagnosed me didn’t use the word “dyslexia.” (I think he called it a "learning field disorder.) The term “dyslexia” has been used as a catch-all for a variety of rather dissimilar disorders. When I’m writing or typing, I can confuse p with b; when reading, I can confuse 3 with 8. Similar-looking characters are my Kryptonite. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/109 "2015-11-05T22:14:27Z")
Dyslexia literally just means “bad with words.” It’s just a term that describes people who have trouble with reading. It’s silly to try and redefine it. If neuroscientists see this one type of dyslexia that is different from other kinds, they should name it. Just like I said before. If you find a cause, you should name the cause. Dyslexia refers to the symptom. Redefining it now it just going to create confusion. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/110 "2015-11-09T16:45:58Z")
> [@bethewave](#): > > Holy cats… Speaking of which, did you ever hear about the dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac? He used to lie awake at night wondering if there was a dog. (groan) ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/111 "2015-11-09T17:35:02Z")
Same shit with ADHD and autism - someone has done the “it’s a myth” thing with them too, and probably many other disorders. There’s always some asshole who thinks he knows more than science and says “X is a myth” based on ignorance, and then you throw in the “they’re trying to make money or get special treatment” conspiracy theory, it’s enough to make some lame documentary out of or write a book around. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/112 "2015-11-09T17:57:06Z")
it’s the first time I see this thread, but I think monstro has an interesting point. Many objective conditions turned out to be, al least in part, social phenomenons. Like hysteria. Or shellshock. Or Repetetive Strain Injury. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/113 "2015-11-09T20:46:36Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > it’s the first time I see this thread, but I think monstro has an interesting point. > > Many objective conditions turned out to be, al least in part, social phenomenons. Like hysteria. Or shellshock. Or Repetetive Strain Injury. And many that were once thought to be social, or “psychosomatic,” or caused by demons, or bad parenting, or whatever turn out to be physiological. But “shellshock” is PTSD, and it’s real. So is repetitive stain injury - I can’t believe you even cited that one. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/114 "2015-11-10T16:53:21Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > And many that were once thought to be social, or “psychosomatic,” or caused by demons, or bad parenting, or whatever turn out to be physiological. > > But “shellshock” is PTSD, and it’s real. So is repetitive stain injury - I can’t believe you even cited that one. No, my point stands. Of course all those afflictions are real. And yet, how they present themselves, in what shape, severity and especially how often in the population, is also a social phenomenon. It’s much more complicated then just saying an affliction is “real” or “fake”. Remember how RSI was an epidemic twenty years ago? Well, [scientists say](http://www.anzca.edu.au/fpm/events/fpm-events/what-should-we-have-learnt-from-the-australia-rsi-epidemic.html), in hindsight, that probably > [@](#): > > The Australian repetitive strain injury, “RSI”, epidemic …was a condition of non-specific arm pain which was often so severe that it resulted in lost-time injury. It affected thousands of workers, particularly telephonists during the 1980s with a peak in 1984-85. The epidemic was associated with the computerisation of work replacing older technology. Whilst the cause was often attributed to the ergonomics of repetitive keyboard work a dose-response relationship was not demonstrated between injury rates and keystroke rate or duration of work. Other alleged causes such as secondary gain from workers compensation are discounted. > An anthropological explanation is offered based on unusual illness epidemics in other cultures. These epidemics arise due to threats to vulnerable groups in a particular social setting and are a culturally acceptable form of protest. In the case of the RSI epidemic it is suggested ordinary work-discomfort in the arm was perceived as severe pain for various sociological reasons. An analogy is made to an iceberg floating in water. In normal circumstances clinical arm pain can be represented by the small tip of the iceberg above the water but most discomfort is coped with and remains below water (sub-clinical). However the size of the tip above water may increase due to the iceberg becoming bigger (more pain) or due to the density of the surrounding water increasing (adverse social environment) causing the iceberg to float higher. Adverse factors in the work environment associated with the RSI epidemic included deskilling of work and threat of redundancy as well as various health concerns about the visual display units (radiations, vision, and miscarriage). This adverse environment was compounded by government, union and medical warnings of the crippling nature of the RSI and the need to immobilse the painful arm. Similar remarks can be made about [shellshock](http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-shellshock.html), which was an early form of PTSD. But is was also an internally psychologically, and more or less socially acceptible, way to deal with intolerable demands, in this case, the demands of a new and terrible kind of trench - war. Again, whole books have been written about how the once-common diagnosis of [“hysteria”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria) was the way in which women’s problems manifested in a socially and sexually oppressive society and era. No-one diagnoses women as hysteric anymore, but it was, in a way, a very real thing back then. Modern disorders can certainly be compared to similar afflictions of people in another culture or era, but it is seldom experienced the same. ( T[he book "Crazy like us](http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/film-and-book-reviews/review-%E2%80%93-crazy-us-globalization-american-psyche)"is about this difference) . I wouldn’t be surprised if dyslexia will follow the same pattern. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/115 "2015-11-10T18:00:53Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > No, my point stands. Of course all those afflictions are real. It sure sounded like you were saying they weren’t real. In any event, you’re just saying they are “experienced” differently. Okay. > [@](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if dyslexia will follow the same pattern. Does this mean you believe dyslexia is being overdiagnosed or “overexperienced?” Why? ---
**Author:** ![Raining\_Facts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e95f7d/32.png) [@Raining\_Facts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raining_Facts)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/116 "2015-11-11T01:05:24Z")
I had a slight learning disability due to an eye issue. I was tested by an optometrist and it was discovered the binocularity and message from my eye to brain was off. My dad would get frustrated…“keep your eye on the ball”. That made as much sense to me as someone speaking Greek. The ball would seem to disappear. Of course I know now I simply lost sight of it from leaving hand to being about to hit me in the face. I would fail quizzes in school and my mom went to see the principle. He took me to his office and called out words and I spelled them all correctly. He then sat in on the class and suggested I get eyes tested. Having read the post of the father who’s daughter would cry as letters moved around, and based on my own experience, I can’t see where dyslexia isn’t a real thing. Could it be improperly applied? Most likely. That is true of many conditions and diseases, but misdiagnose in some cases doesn’t mean real cases don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/117 "2015-11-11T09:43:57Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Similar remarks can be made about [shellshock](http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-shellshock.html), which was an early form of PTSD. It wasn’t an early form of PTSD, any more than St Vitus’ dance was an early form of epilepsy - they’re different names for the same condition. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395/118 "2015-11-11T15:03:15Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It wasn’t an early form of PTSD, any more than St Vitus’ dance was an early form of epilepsy - they’re different names for the same condition. Not quite, is my point. If PTSD looked and felt different in 1914 then in 1980, is it the same disorder? That is the point I’m trying to make. Psychological disorders don’t exist like the planet Pluto did, waiting for discovery and then for ever a scientific fact. Psychological disorders are real, but they are also social and cultural constructs. That doesn’t make them less real, but it does mean they change when culture changes. Look up that link to the book [“Crazy like us”](http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/film-and-book-reviews/review-%E2%80%93-crazy-us-globalization-american-psyche) I mentioned. The authors make a case for things like anorexia and depression not quite existing in that exact same way in Japanese culture before the Japanese adopted the image of those two disorders for themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395.md?page=5)