British MP says dyslexia doesn't exist

British MP says dyslexia doesn't exist

www.abc.net.au

A British MP has claimed that the learning disorder dyslexia does not exist and is merely a "cruel fiction" to cover up poor teaching.

Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley in Manchester, said it was "wicked" to label children as dyslexic because they were confused by bad teaching methods.

"The education establishment, rather than admit that their eclectic and incomplete methods for instruction are at fault, have invented a brain disorder called dyslexia," Mr Stringer wrote in a column for the Manc

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My goodness, is this MP a doctor? Maybe a Psychologist? No? Well perhaps he should keep his medieval, non professional thoughts to himself.

As someone who has professionally treated dyslexics I can assure you that it has nothing to do with education establishment!

Many extreme dyslexics actually see words inverted or back to front!

These idiots that try and pass themselves off as professionals really gets me mad. I hope he is prepared for a public apology to all of the suffers of dyslexia - not to mention teachers. Pft!



www.abc.net.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 14/1/09 by WatchNLearn]

Originally posted by WatchNLearn

My goodness, is this MP a doctor? Maybe a Psychologist? No? Well perhaps he should keep his medieval, non professional thoughts to himself.

As someone who has professionally treated dyslexics I can assure you that it has nothing to do with education establishment!

Many extreme dyslexics actually see words inverted or back to front!

These idiots that try and pass themselves off as professionals really gets me mad. I hope he is prepared for a public apology to all of the suffers of dyslexia - not to mention teachers. Pft!



www.abc.net.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 14/1/09 by WatchNLearn]

...or is the offical medicine "medieval"? Why believe in titles so much? Isn't that medieval in itself? Today's science will be considered "medieval" in just 10-20 years...

reply to post by WatchNLearn


I kind of understand where he is coming from here - I don't agree, but I understand.

Dyslexia exists - I have no doubt about that.

BUT in todays nanny state that is the UK, too many people are looking for a label to put on a child, too many people are looking for excuses for the failure of the system, and too many children are being labelled with something when there are other factors at work.

The explosion in children who have been "diagnosed" as dyslexic is truly astonishing, and that also goes for ADD, ADHD and a host of other problems.

Let's face it - some kids are lazy, some are a bit dumb, others are really dumb.
That doesn't make them dyslexic - that makes them human.

Ah you've got to love our MPs don't you? If they're not f***ing up the country, bankrupting businesses or fiddling their accounts, then you can be sure they'll turn on someone less fortunate than themselves- in this case dyslexics.
Graham Stringer has taken gross stupidity to a new level. Shame on him.. .

Originally posted by budski
reply to post by WatchNLearn

 

I kind of understand where he is coming from here - I don't agree, but I understand.

Dyslexia exists - I have no doubt about that.

BUT in todays nanny state that is the UK, too many people are looking for a label to put on a child, too many people are looking for excuses for the failure of the system, and too many children are being labelled with something when there are other factors at work.

The explosion in children who have been "diagnosed" as dyslexic is truly astonishing, and that also goes for ADD, ADHD and a host of other problems.

Let's face it - some kids are lazy, some are a bit dumb, others are really dumb.
That doesn't make them dyslexic - that makes them human.

I have to agree with this. Too many people claim to be dyslexic when in actual fact they are not. I think the original quote may have been taken out of context, but such is the media I guess.

Whilst he's entitled to his opinion, making uninformed statements in such a high status capacity is both potentially damaging and irresponsible.

I used to diagnose dyslexia for molecular genetic studies. If this MP was more informed, he would appreciate that a diagnosis of dyslexia is only provided following a battery of robust testing and evaluation. It isn't just plucked out of the air for every individual who has reading difficulties.

If dyslexia wasn't different from general reading difficulties, we would expect to see the massively wide and random range of signs and symptoms evident in those who have difficulty reading due to poor teaching/inclination etc. Instead with dyslexia, we observe a definable and measurable set of signs and performances, which are evident across the dyslexia spectrum.

There will be individuals who experience reading difficulties due to poor teaching, general ability, inclination etc. However, it's foolish and dangerous to assume that this encompasses all individuals who experience such difficulties

reply to post by budski


I totally agree with what you're saying. Where parenting and disciplining has caused certain behaviour, it seems that rather than acknowledging and addressing it, an increasing amount of parents would prefer a diagnosis of something or other.

I do genuinely wonder how they get these diagnoses though. Speaking from personal experience, there's usually a robust set of tests and interviews required to facilitate a diagnosis - although, I don't know the criteria for ADD/ADHD etc

reply to post by lizziejayne


In my experience (rather limited, admittedly) the diagnosis comes from one of 2 sources - either a GP or from someone inside the school, who has "noticed" something about a child.

In my opinion and experience, neither is qualified to make a judgement of that kind, unless they have professional qualifications to back them up, which in a specialised area such as this, they rarely do.

A good case in point would be my own GP - when he suspects an illness or disorder the patient is referred to a specialist, such as a friend of mine who suffers from one of the more extreme forms of ADHD.

An acquaintance of mine was diagnosed as dyslexic by a homeopath who had no other qualifications - bizarre, I know, but these things happen.

reply to post by budski


That's very interesting - I'd assumed that a diagnosis for ADHD/ADD would require the degree of testing required for the professional diagnosis of dyslexia.

The opinion a GP or teacher is not only insufficiently informed but is also frighteningly subjective. I agree that neither have the necessary knowledge to provide definative opinions in such areas. I used to work in a teaching hospital and it's startling how little training and experience trainee Doctors get in this field.

I think we are approaching a world where ADD maybe no more unusual than having a headache, in that sense people are mostly reacting to being programmed everywhere they look, that can be considered a adaptation. In the past few people had these issues, today anyone can exhibit the symptoms, so it seems maybe socially constructed. In large families even without TV people can become highly distractable, so it maybe not tech dependent just input overstimulations of the social environment are enough. Dyslexia seems a issue with some people, imagine trying to do precise mathematics and constantly reversing your numbers but never being discovered by any teacher, that borderlines with neglect. People need accomadations in such a precise world of math, but I wouldn't pamper them if they can't do the math, in math you need accuracy but the arts are great for people that excel at reverse engineering, same with software and peoples lives don't have to be dependent upon the numbers as much.

There are way to many case of ADHD and Dyslexia...it seems to me like it has become an excuse for incompetence.

It wouldn't be the first time that a mental illness was invented for the convenience of certain people....