Contrary to popular belief, dyslexia is not a 'reading disability'. It is a unique manner of brain-functioning found in 10-15 percent of the population, impacting the capacity to read, write, spell, process symbols, and concentrate. The condition manifests in a variety of symptoms. According to Dyslexia Research Institute, 60% of those diagnosed with ADD are, to some degree, dyslexic. Yet, because only five percent ever receive the proper diagnosis and assistance, many children grow up illiterate, thinking they aren't intelligent. But, dyslexia is not a sign of low intelligence and in some cases it is a sign of advanced intelligence. Until a few years ago, there was no scientific explanation for its cause.

In 1998, for the first time, researchers at the Yale University of Medicine proved that dyslexia is a very real neurological disorder when they discovered physical evidence of the brain malfunction involved. Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a Yale Pediatrics Professor, led the research team, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which allows the researchers to look into their subjects' brains.

Of the 61 participating adults, 29 had been diagnosed with dyslexia. As the subjects performed a series of increasingly difficult tasks, including letter recognition, rhyming, and categorizing words, the researchers studied their brain function. The results show conclusively that brain patterns in dyslexic readers are different from those of non-dyslexic readers. While the non-dyslexic readers used rear-brain areas extensively, very little activity in that critical area was detected in the dyslexic readers. The dyslexic readers compensate by using a front brain section known as Broca's area, associated with language processing and speech. The dyslexic subjects' ability to link and rhyme sounds was impaired.

Dr. Shaywitz notes that to be able to read, a person must link the printed combination of letters with the sound that it represents - a simple, automatic task for people with the customary connection between brain areas that control language and vision. Called "phonologic awareness", this capability enables an individual to notice, think about, and manipulate the individual sounds in words. Dyslexic children consistently differ from other children in this ability.

Genetics is a factor in causing the brain to operate so differently. Janet Cox, Director of Operations for the Learning Disabilities Association of BC says, "chances are that one of the parents will also have grown up with the same characteristics." Bonnie Kaplan at the University of Calgary & Alberta Children's Hospital Research Centre, says: "There are probably several genes influencing learning disabilities, and that there may be one major gene determining the presence of one particular type of dyslexia. The type of dyslexia we are studying is the one that we think is influenced by a major autosomal dominant gene. It's the type of reading difficulty associated with deficits in phonics, word attack skills, sounding out words, and usually spelling. Sometimes people refer to it as a deficit in phonological awareness. The scientific literature in the last 10 years has proven convincingly that this type of dyslexia is strongly influenced by genes." To date, however, no one has identified the gene responsible for creating so much havoc.

There is no cure for dyslexia, per se, and the condition is not outgrown, but with appropriate training, dyslexics can learn to read, write, and develop their special abilities and talents. May successful people and renowned geniuses were dyslexic. The brain is a mysterious thing, and dyslexia is not necessarily an adverse condition.

One parent recalls: "When our son was six he could play chess and music and was a natural in theatre, performance, and sports but he wasn't learning to read like his peers. He was obviously bright, but by the time he was in grade two he still couldn't read and we knew he was different."

Joan Alderice - founder of Aspire, providing help for children and adults with dyslexia - says that early intervention is crucial. The smarter the kids are, the more frustrated they become and the more likely to drop out of school and, as she colloquially expresses, "get into mischief." In her estimation, "a large percentage of the jail population have learning difficulties." During a career of teaching primary students, Alderice noticed that "about 10%" of the children had unexplained reading difficulties. After retiring from teaching, she made it her life's work to find out why. She educated herself with the available research and developed many of her own exercises for helping dyslexics learn to read. She has had tremendous success.

Recently, Aspire completed a nine-month study funded by United Way to identify and correct the underlying causes of learning difficulties. The project's demonstrated that children labeled as "Severely Learning Disabled", "Developmentally Delayed", and even "Mildly Mentally Handicapped," can develop essential learning skills. Professor Emeritus of UBC Art More, Ph.D., Optometrist Dr. Nancy Selinger, and Therapist Sandy Wrightman, noted that the children who received training in the study showed remarkable gains in cognitive skills, school readiness, language, balance, coordination, and fine motor control. "This study has given my son the building blocks that he was missing," the mother of one participant wrote. "Thank you for believing in him when others just labeled him and appeared to tell us that we were foolish to hope for more."

Alderice wants to see the Aspire program incorporated into the regular curriculum of every kindergarten and grade one classroom, stating that it would constitute a "revolution in the education system." One key to the program lies in an analysis of each child's strengths and weaknesses. The Aspire program varies for each child but averages 60-80 hours over several months. Alderice is now offering a training program to educators and parents who want to help students or their own children.

Alderice's research drew from many fields, including optometry, occupational therapy, and education, and her techniques incorporate some of the material from the work of Ronald Davis. In 1980, at age 38, Ron Davis overcame his own severe dyslexia with a breakthrough that began with a simple observation. When he was at his artistic best as a sculptor, able to visualize his creation from every angle in his mind, he was at his dyslexic worst. He recognized that dyslexia could not be a structural disability but a function of the thought process. Shortly afterward, he founded the Reading Research Council in California, achieving a 97 percent success rate in helping clients overcome their learning problems. In 1985, he founded Davis Dyslexia Association International. He is also the author of The Gift of Dyslexia and The Seeds of Genius. Davis says that before the invention of written language, dyslexia didn't exist. People with the gift of dyslexia were probably the artists and custodians of oral history because of their excellent ability to memorize and recite the spoken word.

In today's world, however, in an effort to compensate for their loss of self-esteem, many dyslexics adopt ingenious methods to hide their learning disability. At about eight or nine years of age, the child invents what Davis calls 'tricks', like rote memorization, avoidance, and reliance on others for reading and writing skills. The child may excel in science, music, and art, but is tortured by reading and writing. The camouflage methods used by the child continue into adulthood, where dyslexics often excel even though they may be functionally illiterate.

According to Davis, to understand the gift of dyslexia, we need to view the learning disability from a different angle. He says that dyslexia is the result of a perceptual talent. The dyslexic is able to think in at least three dimensions - a perceptual reality, which worked to the benefit of Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Einstein, Churchill, Walt Disney, and General George Patton. In the two-dimensional flat world of words and letters, the dyslexic's perception may disorient, and a letter such as 'b' might be perceived by the brain as a 'q' or a 'd'. In fact, our mind takes in over 32 images every second, so if the view keeps changing, the dyslexic may be confused.

The Davis Dyslexia Correction Program - which normally takes five days - first determines whether the client has this 'visual conceptualization' ability and then provides them with an on/off switch for perceptual disorientation, an invisible tool called an 'orientation' point to ensure the perceptions are accurate and consistent. This is the first time the client has consciously intended to see as others see and hear as others hear, and it is entirely within their control.

Sue Hall, A Davis Dyslexia Facilitator in Vancouver (Positive Dyslexia Ltd.), can attest to the success of the program. Her 10-year-old son completed the Davis program in England. He told her that his dyslexia was "like a wound" for which teachers had provided Band-Aids but which the program healed. Hall is now a facilitator and believes in the program because "it is enabling, not disabling... encouraging ownership, responsibility, and choice."

As someone who has helped transform an ostensible liability into a gift of inspiration to others, Ron Davis says that apart from language skills, "there is much to be said for real life skills and experiential learning. Give dyslexics credit for these abilities and you may discover that their 'learning disability' is genius in disguise. Most dyslexics have a high level of intelligence and ability, which they've had since the day they were born."

Resources:

Learning Disabilities Association of BC
604-591-5156

Davis Dyslexia Association International
800-981-6433
www.dyslexia.com

Davis Dyslexia Correction® Positive Dyslexia Ltd.
604-921-1084
www.dyslexiacanada.comm

Dyslexia Research Institute
850-893-2216
www.dyslexia-add.org

ASPIRE Integrative Remedial Education Society
604-534-7972
www.aspiresociety.org

The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald D. Davis
Perigee Books