This may be semantics but...

Okay hold on a minute,Dyslexia is so varying I don’t believe either is tottally always correct.

I am dyslexic,had very significant visual spatial deficits.

My boys are dysgraphic which is another variation. One has my visual spatial problems and one has the auditory deficits. I believe you can be dyslexic with various differences in the disability itself. Such as some dyslexic do okay in math some don’t. Some do okay in writing some don’t. It can go on and on. One of the reason’s schools just won’t except the dyslexia diagnosis.

Again my children have the significant writing difficulties,reversals,spacing etc. Neither ever had problems reading,read way above grade level. I had the reversals spacing problems and couldn’t read.

The Orton site gives the very best definition of dyslexia I have found. In answer to the office of the blind and visually impaired,it has to be a physical reason,and not neurologocial,If I am not mistaken.

Yes, I’m afraid that dyslexia is definitely not a vision impairment. I’m not familiar with the research AA is mentioning. However, I do have a slight vision impairment so I have had services from the state Commission for the Blind. Nowhere in their definition is Dyslexia even mentioned. A vision impairment is definied by your visual acuity (how clearly you see) and your visual field. These are all from physical problems of the eye itself or the optic nerve, such as glaucoma or cataracts. For me, I have no lenses in my eyes due to having cataracts removed as a baby (long story!!). There are other factors too, such as glare and maybe even depth perception, which are two of my biggest problems. I think in some cases, I think visual perception can be linked with either LD or a true vision impairment.

Please don’t confuse my reference of the optic nerve with the neurological factors of LD. I don’t quite understand why. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the visual processing you are all speaking of relates to reading. Darn it, now I’m all mixed up :))))))

Take care!!

Christine

The general cause of dyslexia is how the brain processes visually inputted information. Some of the componets of vission are the optic nerve, the visual cortex of the brain, the optic chiasim, the vestibulum, the cerebellum the hippocampus ect… these componets are all elements in vision. So neurologically and neuro-scientifically speaking dyslexia or its causes add up to a visual disorder. The term dyslexia is really a misnomer. It means impaired reading disorder. People lable with dyslexia actually have problems with visual information that are not limited to the written word. Severe “dyslexics” often misinterpret facial expressions.

Improper and or mislabling really pisses me off. So in reality what is referred to as dyslexia is neurologically a visual impairment with profound cognitive and psychological involvement.

The term dyslexia has been used way too long as a catch all buzz word by less than informed “experts”. It’s a stupid term that at best describes a symptom of a complex neuro-logical event.

AA, don’t believe everything you read. Psychology is an industry thats about as well regulated as the psychic network and perhaps not as reliable. They do not want science rocking their boat with the truth.

Dyslexia has it’s political connotation so when someone agrees on a definition watch out. Should we treat dyslexia for what it is? Or shoul we screw with the meaning to justify whatever it is we need to justify.

Jaded Ball

I think everyone makes a good point about dyslexia. In my life and my work though labels are exactly that, labels. My preference is usually to look at how the defcit, challenge, etc is effecting how the person is performing a task, reacting to the world around them, hampering their performance, etc.

The real dangerous thing about labels is they give people something to react to and categorise someone by. When people here I have LD they are very shocked because I shouldn’t be able to express myself well or hold down a challenging job or have gone to University and College. I should be talking in ums and ahs and scratching my ass.

Don’t get me wrong I do agree with labels to medically diagnose something so someone can get the help they need or begin to understand what they are facing.Unfortunately labels have taken on a real power in our society and are deciding people’s destinies for them rather them assisting them to get the services they would benefit from to decide their own destiny. It’s very strange how one little word can change someone’s life entirely.

There is a difference between vision and eyesight. It’s important to understand that difference.

The literal meaning of dyslexia is difficulty reading or impaired reading. If we are going to be labled, why not at least have accurate ones?

AA

What are phonological problems and what part of the brain do they occurr?

I still maintain that dyslexia literally means difficulty reading.

It’s news to me that the cause of dyslexia has been pin pointed. The only research I know about suggests cerebral-vestibular dysfunction. (inner ear & cerebellum)

It means they can’t pick apart the sounds of the words they hear.

I don’t see how that could be the cause. So many dyslexics can rhyme, recognize sounds, etc., with no problem.

Yours truly,
Kathy G.

Phonological? Seems to me that if that’s the case Broca’s and Weirnekie’s area would be involved. Phonological? Sounds like more junk science/industry hocus pocus. I don’t buy it. Probably many parts of the brain is involved. Hey, they don’t even know why people studder. We have a long way to go before we start selling poorly thought out theories as fact.