I’ve seen parents almost come to blows over this topic…..

And others with tears streaming down their faces…..

Why? Because labelling a child as dyslexic means by definition that your child has a ‘learning disability’.

And the word ‘disability’ can be a bitter pill to swallow.

It means as parents we have to concede that our child is in some way disabled in order for them to receive the educational accommodations and support they need to get through school.

It seems silly really.

Was Pablo Picasso disabled?

Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Nelson Rockefeller, Whoopi Goldberg?

Is Bill Gates Disabled?

Is Carol Greider disabled? – She won the Nobel Peace Prize for Medicine in 2010.

Hardly!

Yet all are ‘dyslexic’ and by definition have a disability.

In some countries dyslexia is called a ‘learning difficulty’ or ‘learning difference’.

Whatever you call it….. you need to know that having dyslexia is not an indicator of poor intelligence.

In fact, people with dyslexia are as intelligent as all other people with some being highly intelligent.

Whether to label a child or not is something that parents and grandparents feel very strongly about…..

And so they should…..

Going down the path of identifying that your child is struggling at school….. speaking to educators…..tracking their academic progress….. and then deciding whether or not to have a child assessed for a learning disability is huge.

In fact… it’s frustrating and stressful.

I should know, I’ve done it three times.

Not only that, it can be extremely expensive too.

There is something you really need to know though, and it’s important.

It’s not so much about the actual label you decide to give (or not to give your child)…… it’s what you do with the label that counts.

A label can remain private or it can be public.

Your family can embrace it and tell select people, or tell no one at all, except the educators who will support and work with your child to help them to reach the best possible learning outcome.

But here is the important bit… a label and all the reports that come with it will give you the opportunity to put together an action plan to support your child.

• This can include a remediation program like Touch Type Read Spell, which will enable your child to catch up at school with their reading and spelling whilst improving their touch typing and increasing their work rates.
• It can mean accessing ICT learning technology and assistive software.
• It can also mean that after using Touch Type Read Spell, your child will be a supersonic touch typist….. so of course you would apply for the accommodation of access to a computer for all written classwork, tests and exams.
• Labelling a child is a ‘big deal’, but when the outcome means a plan of action can be put into place, in my opinion it is worth it.

Children with dyslexia invariably struggle with reading, writing and spelling, but don’t let that define them.

Instead work out what they are good at, just like; Einstein, Jobs, Rockefeller, Goldberg, Gates and Greider did.

Wishing you and your child every success.

Liz Dunoon
 
P.S. All ages can use Touch Type Read Spell. Go here and scroll down the page to watch some videos of both children and adults talking about their success using it.