The Myths and Misconceptions Surrounding Dyslexia

In this brief article we will look at some of the most common misconceptions surrounding Dyslexia. Not only can we come to a better overall understanding of Dyslexia by doing this, but we can also potentially help eradicate these misconceptions in our communities too. Many of the misconceptions discussed here are still seen today, despite the relatively common incidence of Dyslexia and modern ease of access people have to accurate and informative information on the subject via the internet. Much suffering, stigma and heartache could be prevented for dyslexics and the people close to them if most people simply understood more accurately what Dyslexia actually is.

Myth 1: Dyslexic children have below average intelligence.

This is absolutely untrue. Dyslexics have trouble with written words or numbers. There are numerous cases of people with perfectly average IQ or above, who in some form or another have difficulty learning to read and write letters and numbers correctly. Research has clearly shown that in cases of dyslexia we often find an "uncoupling" of IQ and reading ability – for an example study see here: dyslexia.yale.edu Dyslexic people show normal variation in intelligence – they simply have difficulty learning to read and write. Not only that but many people who have trouble learning to read and write are high achievers at school. It is simply not the case that people with dyslexia are stupid just because they are dyslexic.

Myth 2: Dyslexic children are lazy

This common myth is completely false. In fact, it is often the case that children who have dyslexia tend to spend more time doing homework and practicing their reading than children who have no difficulty with reading. Dyslexic children struggle to learn to read using the standard methods of school instruction and therefore have to put much more time into doing simple reading tasks to get only average results.

Myth 3: Dyslexia will prevent me from succeeding in life

While it may be true that having a learning disability with regard to reading and writing can be a huge challenge, it is not an insurmountable challenge. With appropriate early support and teaching methods, dyslexic children can develop extremely competent skills in reading and writing given time and effort. There are also many examples of successful people in society who have had dyslexia. Examples include Agatha Christie (author), William Butler Yeats (Poet) Albert Einstein (celebrity star theoretical physicist), Tom Cruise (Celebrity Actor), Steven Spielberg (Famous movie director) and Richard Branson (Billionaire entrepreneur and businessman) to name just a few.

Myth 4: Dyslexia is a visual problem

People often think that those with dyslexia write and say words incorrectly because they have trouble seeing the words as they learn them. This is not the case. People with dyslexia have no problems with their visual organs or apparatus. If they did then they would not, by definition, have dyslexia. Many apparently "normal" children reverse letters and mix up words when first learning to read and write, even though there is nothing wrong with how they see. Dyslexia is not a visual problem.

Myth 5: Dyslexia is not very common

In the United States, statistics have estimated the prevalence of dyslexia at almost 20 percent of the population. This means that at least 1 in 5 people in the United States have some form of dyslexia – this makes it extremely common.

Myth 6: Dyslexia affects only boys (or girls)

This myth likely developed because more boys than girls are asked to be evaluated for dyslexia in the first place – thus leading to higher rates of boys being reported with dyslexia. But, the important thing here is that both boys and girls have been documented with dyslexia. The reason why boys are more often evaluated as compared to girls has not been studied but some have anecdotally suggested that it is because of boys' naturally more energetic and boisterous behavior in classrooms that draw more teacher attention. Some feminist critics have argued that boys get more support and attention from teachers than girls and that detection of dyslexic difficulties occurs more frequently as a result.

Myth 7: Dyslexia causes anti-social or immoral behavior

A study was carried out by Kathryn Currier Moody and others in the year 2000, which found that the prevalence of Dyslexia in Texas prison populations was four times higher (80 percent of inmates were "functionally illiterate" while two thirds of the prison population had severe comprehension deficits) than the prevalence of dyslexia in the general population. See the study here: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Such statistics can often be misleading as the reasons for people's incarceration are complex and multi-varied. There are a whole host of other factors that might be at play in the causation of someone's incarceration – Social economic status, gender, age, ethnicity and level of education are all compounding factors which may be more important than one's degree of functional literacy. A further compounding feature is that kids with dyslexia are often severely ostracized and ridiculed by their peers because they cannot read or write properly – children are often accused of being lazy, stupid or "different." Some have speculated that a child or young adolescent, needing to find acceptance with a peer group can often start to associate with already delinquent elements at or outside of their schools in order to find acceptance and "belonging." This may especially be the case in those facing dyslexia and the social stigma that may come with it. The fact remains that a disproportionate number of people that have some form of dyslexia end up in jail but that is not to say that dyslexia is the cause of such an end. Such an explanation seems unlikely. The above myths are all false in some way or another. They are the most common misconceptions about dyslexia still believed by many today. In some cases such mistaken beliefs do not adversely harm or affect anyone else, but most of the time it is usually the already challenged person with dyslexia that has to bear the social burden and stigma of other people's ignorance – making an already difficult learning disability into a nightmarish social burden too. Getting the facts straight would definitely be of immense benefit to all concerned.