Jennie Sjursen 0:00
I've been told so many different things about dyslexia, and what to expect from my child, that I have no idea what's true and what isn't. How do I tell a myth from the truth?
Jennie Sjursen 0:12
I'm Jenny Sjursen, ex special educator turned dyslexia interventionist. It wasn't so long ago that I too, was overwhelmed by balance literacy versus structured literacy, education speak, and everything in between. Fast forward after many, many hours of self driven education. And you'll see I've built a thriving dyslexia practice helping students from ages six to 18. My specialties, working with, quote unquote difficult almost always to the student, and breaking down the complexities of dyslexic to everyday language strategies and action steps.
Jennie Sjursen 0:50
As most of you know, we started this dyslexia miniseries back in October in celebration of dyslexia Awareness Month. And then things were a bit off the rails. Due to changes with our previous recording app, we had to find and test new ways to get our episodes created and in the correct format for our editors. We finally have it all sorted out. I now bring you debunking the top 10 dyslexia myths, part two, and part one, we covered myths six through 10. In today's episode, recovering one through five and starting from the bottom at five. So let's get started.
Jennie Sjursen 1:27
Five. Dyslexia only affects reading. Over 80% of Dyslexics have problems with organization planning, prioritizing, being punctual and staying focused when there is background noise. Dyslexics can also struggle with handwriting, spelling, and writing.
Jennie Sjursen 1:46
Four dyslexia can be outgrown or cured. As dyslexia isn't a disease, there is no cure. It is lifelong. However, with early screening, early diagnosis, early evidence based reading intervention and appropriate accommodations, dyslexic students can become highly successful students and adults.
Jennie Sjursen 2:09
Three, Dyslexics are not intelligent. Okay, this one really bothers me. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'll just let the following stats speak for themselves. In one UK study, researchers discovered that around 40% of millionaires classified as self made are dyslexic. At least 25% of CEOs are dyslexic, even though they might not be aware of it. And NASA employs a workforce where over 50% of people are dyslexic
Jennie Sjursen 2:42
Two dyslexia is just reversed letters. This is a myth that never seems to die. Actually, reversing letters and numbers is quite normal for many young kids when they're learning to write. It's a developmental stage, and it's fairly common up until about age seven and a half. During this learning stage, his brains are transitioning from being pure concrete thinkers to adding abstract thinking. So take the chair analogy. If you flip a chair around, it's still a chair. Now, take the letter B. If you flip it, it morphs into something new. P. So up until age 7 and 7 and a half, a child's brain is still developing the ability to think abstractly after age seven and a half. Now there's cause for some concern and you might want to check into what's going on.
Jennie Sjursen 3:33
Number one, dyslexia is a rare condition. In fact, it is one of the most common learning disabilities. The International Dyslexia foundation states that between 15% and 20% of the population have a language based learning disability. Dyslexia being the most common of these dyslexia represents 80 to 90% of those with learning disabilities. It is the most common of all neurocognitive disorders. And with that, we wrap up part two.
Jennie Sjursen 4:07
If you have any further questions about dyslexia, please feel free to sneak into my inbox. We'd also love to hear your input. What would you like to hear from us in the future? Is there a topic we haven't covered yet? You really want to learn more about or do you have a pressing need and you're not really sure how to handle it or move forward? Send us a DM on Instagram or drop us an email at Jennie at literacy untangled.com That's j e n n i e at literacy untangle.com We can't wait to hear from you. Until next time.
Jennie Sjursen 4:38
I hope you enjoyed this episode of literacy untangled if you love this episode as much as I did, head on over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you want to continue the conversation or share your takeaways, head on over to our Instagram at literacy untangled and comment on your favorite part. I can't wait to hang out with you again soon bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
