Dyslexia

James McGuire
English 322
February 25, 2003
Section #567


Dyslexia it is a learning language-based
disability. Symptoms result in people having
difficulties with specific language skills are
reading. Students with dyslexia experience
difficulties in spelling, writing and speaking. Its
life-long impact can change at different stages in a
person's life. Because dyslexia can make it very
difficult for a student to succeed academically in the
instructional environment, it is referred as a
learning disability.
The causes of dyslexia shows difference that
anatomical and brain imagery studies the way the brain
of a dyslexic person develops and functions. People
with this have been found to have problems with
discriminating sounds within a word, a key in their
reading difficulties. Dyslexia isn't due to a lack of
intelligence or a desire to learn and with teaching
methods people can learn successfully.
One type of learning disability is dyslexia
others include: Dyscalculia (a mathematical disability
in which a person has unusual difficulty solving
arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.)
Dysgraphia (a neurological-based writing disability in
which a person finds it hard to form letters or write
within a defined space).
Dyslexia is not a disease and there isn't a cure
for it. The best way to find out that if you are
dyslexic is through testing by qualified examiner(s).
People who are very bright can be dyslexic and it's
unidentified as you get older. People are often gifted
in areas that do not require strong language skills
including: art computer science, design, drama,
electronics, math, mechanics, music, physics, sales,
and sports.
Dyslexia is diagnosed by a formal evaluation. It
assesses intellectual ability, information processing,
psycho-linguistic processing, and academic skills.
It's used to determine weather or not a student is
reading at the expected level and takes into account
the individual's families' genes and overall school
performance. Testing can be conducted by trained
school or outside specialists.
Dyslexia is treated by getting help from a tutor,
teacher and therapist trained in using a multisensory,
structured language approach instructing individual
students who go to school for the need of education.
The rights of a dyslexic person are the
Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Individuals are legally
entitled to special services to help them overcome and
accommodate their learning problems. Services include
education programs designed to meet the needs of
students. The Acts protect people with dyslexia
against unfair and illegal discrimination.
I may have experience with signs of dyslexia are:
Learning to Speak. I need to use my vocabulary in
English well every time. I probably have some memory
problems. It is hard to memorize everything at once
but, I need to take it by step-by-step one at a time
to memorize. I used to go to special education classes
and needed help with my speaking, what I really needed
to say is this and this. I had lots of special friends
in my classes who probably had the same problems as me
and we would talk a lot really well. But, some friends
can disappear in my life because, their lives have
changed. I think my family has some problems with it
too but it seems sometimes I have a lot of difficulty
when I speak with them or they just don‘t listen well
and say “what?” every time may drive me insane…laughs
out loud.

Facts About Dyslexia: Studies show that
individuals with dyslexia process information in a
different area of the brain than non-dyslexics. Many
people who are dyslexic are of average to above
average intelligence. They are behavioral disorders.
15-20% of the population have language-based learning
disabilities. Students with specific learning
disabilities receiving special education services,
70-80% have deficits in reading.
Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading,
writing, and spelling difficulties. Dyslexia affects
males and females nearly equally, and people from
ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Individuals who
are dyslexic can learn to read so they can process and
express information. Research shows that programs
utilizing multisensory structured
language techniques can help adults and children
learn how to read. There's a diagnosis about
appropriate instruction, hard work and support from
family, teachers, friends, and others as individuals
who are dyslexic can succeed in school and later as
working adults.

(Common Signs of Dyslexia: High School and College
Students): May read very slowly with many
inaccuracies. Continues to spell incorrectly,
frequently spells the same word differently in a
single piece of writing. Avoid reading and writing
tasks. Have trouble summarizing and outlining. Trouble
answering open-ended questions on tests.
Difficulty leering a foreign language. Poor
memory skills. May work slowly. Pay too little
attention to details or focus too much on them.
Misread information.
Have an inadequate vocabulary and store of
knowledge from previous reading. Difficulty with
planning, organizing and managing time, materials and
tasks.

Signs of dyslexia:
-Learning to speak
-Organizing written and spoken language
-Learning letters and their sounds
-Memorizing number facts
-Spelling
-Reading
-Learning a foreign language
-Correctly doing math operations

History: The Orton-Gillingham approach grew out of the
work of Dr. Samuel Torrey Orton (1879-1948) and Anna
Gillingham (1878-1964). Dr. Orton, a professor of
neuropsychiatry and neuropathology at the Neurological
Incertitude of Columbia University was a pioneer in
focusing attention on language differences by bringing
together neuropsychiatry information and principles of
remediation. As early as 1925, as a psychiatrist in
the Iowa Psychopathic Hospital, Dr. Orton noted a
similarity between an intelligent 16 year old dyslexic
boy's inability to learn to read and a "stroke"
patient's difficulty when the ability to read has been
lost.
(This reminds me of a black and white French
movie I watched at French class in High School. A wild
boy was found out in the woods and was captured by
adult wilderness hunters using dogs. They brought the
child over to a village and see if he had an ability
to learn but he had a disability. They took the child
to a hospital and a doctor took him to his house to
teach him new things and how to eat, walk; talk. The
doctor would analyze him in a book. This was in the
19th century and "probably early 20th century?"
although there was horse-carriages.)

Individuals can succeed in varied fields
dyslexia. Examples of some famous people:

Ann Bancroft - First woman in history to cross the ice
to both the North and South Poles.
Web site: http://www.yourexpedition.com

David Boies - Trial lawyer whose high-profile clients
have included former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Jr.,
Napster, and the U.S. Justice Dept. in its antitrust
suit against Microsoft.

Erin Brokovich - Real-life heroine who exposed a
cover-up by a major California utility that was
contaminating the local water supply. Their actions
had severe, even deadly consequences to the members of
the community. With her help, the townspeople were
awarded a $333 million settlement, the largest ever in
a U.S. direct-action lawsuit. (Julia Roberts played
her in the movie with the same name.)

Stephen J. Cannell - Author and Emmy Award-winning TV
producer and writer, who has created or co-created
more than 38 shows, of which he has scripted more than
350 episodes and produced or executive produced more
than 1,500 episodes. His hits include "The Rockford
Files," "A-Team," "21 Jump Street," "Wiseguy,"
"Renegade" and "Silk Stalkings."
Web site: http://www.cannell.com

Whoopi Goldberg - Actor and comedian, winner of an
Academy Award for her supporting role in "Ghost," also
an Academy Award nomination for her role in "The Color
Purple."
Web site: http://www.whoopi.com


Sir Richard Branson
British businessman and founder of a global group of
companies, which include the Virgin Megastore retail
chain, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, V2 Records and Virgin
Net.


John T. Chambers
President and CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc., a worldwide
leader in networking for the Internet with assets
exceeding $30 billion.

Cher
Singer and actor, who won an Academy Award in 1987 for
her leading role in Moonstruck.
Website: http://www.cher.com

Danny Glover
Award-winning actor, who starred in Lethal Weapon
(I-IV), The Color Purple and many more movies.

Tommy Hilfiger

Dr. John R. Horner
Noted paleontologist and technical advisor for Steven
Spielberg on the movies, Jurassic Park and The Lost
World.
Web site: http://museum.montana.edu/

Bruce Jenner
One of the world’s greatest athletes who won the gold
medal in the Decathlon at the 1976 Olympics.
Web site: http://www.bruce-jenner.com

Greg Louganis
Considered the world’s greatest diver who in 1988,
competed against divers half his age to be the first
to win double gold medals for diving in two
consecutive Olympic events. He also holds 6 World
Champion titles, 47 National Championship titles, 6
gold medals in the Pan Am Games and numerous other
awards.
Web site: http://www.louganis.com

Rob Lowe
Actor who co-stars on the Emmy Award-winning TV show,
West Wing, and also starred in the movies: St. Elmo’s
Fire and The Outsiders.

Craig McCaw
Billionaire founder of McCaw Cellular. Currently
working on a business venture (Teledesic) to put more
than 300 communications satellites into space.

Patricia Buckley Moss
Award-winning painter, best known for her paintings of
the Amish and Mennonites, which "thousands of
collectors in the United States, Europe, and Japan
have come to recognize, appreciate, and treasure."
Web site: www.p-buckley-moss.com

Don Mullan
Best-selling Irish author/journalist and broadcaster.
His book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday (1997), about an
event he witnessed in 1972 as a 15-year-old-boy, is
considered the catalyst for British Prime Minister
Tony Blair’s decision to conduct an inquiry into
Bloody Sunday, which will be the most expensive
investigation in British legal history.

Paul Orfalea
Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Kinko’s, world’s
leading provider of visual communications services,
document creation and copying with more than 1,100
stores worldwide.

Robert Rauschenberg
Painter who played an important role in the transition
from abstract expressionism to pop art. His works span
more than 50 years and are owned by numerous
collectors and museums worldwide.

Nolan Ryan
Baseball Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Ryan played for the New
York Mets from 1965 through 1971, contributing to
their 1969 World Series victory; California Angels
from 1972 to 1979; Houston Astros in 1980 and the
Texas Rangers in 1989.

Charles Schwab
Founder and Chairman of Charles Schwab & Co., a
holding company that engages in securities brokerage
and related financial services with assets exceeding
$800 billion.

Jackie Stewart
Among the most celebrated British professional racecar
drivers of the 1960s and 1970s. Stewart had 27 Grand
Prix wins in 99 Formula One races and won the World
Drivers Championship in 1969, 1971, and 1973, and was
runner-up in 1968 and 1972.

Henry Winkler
Actor, producer and director; studied at the Yale
School of Drama from 1967 to 1971; starred in TV’s
Happy Days as "The Fonz" from 1974 to 1984; recently
seen in the movie Little Nicky, as himself.