15 Jan 09
2 edits
Originally posted by Palynka….Many do so because it gives them advantages, like not being penalized in exams for spelling and grammar mistakes..…
Of course dyslexia is not a fictional malady, but here in the UK it's true that the amount of students that claim it is ridiculous.
Many do so because it gives them advantages, like not being penalized in exams for spelling and grammar mistakes.
I have no way that I know of of judging whether or not that is generally true but I have known that I was dyslexia during many exams I did and I have NEVER informed the examiners nor requested extra time etc because somehow I didn't "feel right" about it (and I did dreadfully in some but not all of the exams as a direct result).
15 Jan 09
2 edits
Originally posted by KazetNagorraRemember that “dyslexia” is NOT simply defined as “difficulty in reading” but is a complex condition that has many other symptoms (like left-right confusion and problems with perception etc). There are many people that have difficulty with reading or cannot read but which are not dyslexic. It is even possible to lean to become good at reading despite still having dyslexia! (I am an example of this although it took me about ~16 years of determined persistence to learn to be reasonably good at reading) .
It's probably true that an overwhelming majority of self-proclaimed dyslectics is just stupid or lazy. It's a pity for those that really do have the disability.
There are a number of standard scientific tests that can detect whether or not a person is really dyslexic.
These tests (which I have taken) can be used to weed out the people that merely claim to be dyslexic from genuine dyslexics (like myself).
15 Jan 09
Originally posted by Andrew HamiltonBut you should have said something! 🙂
[b]….Many do so because it gives them advantages, like not being penalized in exams for spelling and grammar mistakes..…
I have no way that I know of of judging whether or not that is generally true but I have known that I was dyslexia during many exams I did and I have NEVER informed the examiners nor requested extra time etc because somehow ...[text shortened]... l right" about it (and I did dreadfully in some but not all of the exams as a direct result).[/b]
I have no problem about dyslexic people being identified as such in exams. What I have a problem with was correcting several 3-hour exams from students marked as dyslexic, without a single typo or grammar error.
15 Jan 09
1 edit
Originally posted by Palynka….But you should have said something! 🙂..…
But you should have said something! 🙂
I have no problem about dyslexic people being identified as such in exams. What I have a problem with was correcting several 3-hour exams from students marked as dyslexic, without a single typo or grammar error.
Yes, you are right -but I irrationally just didn’t feel right about it (something to do with the fact that nobody else in my classes asked for extra time in the exam -irrational I know).
15 Jan 09
Originally posted by Andrew HamiltonYes, the tests exist. But there are many, many psychologists who would be unemployed if they could not declare kids dyslexic, much to the delight of their parents.
Remember that “dyslexia” is NOT simply defined as “difficulty in reading” but is a complex condition that has many other symptoms (like left-right confusion and problems with perception etc). There are many people that have difficulty with reading or cannot read but which are not dyslexic. It is even possible to lean to become good at reading despite ...[text shortened]... ed to weed out the people that merely claim to be dyslexic from genuine dyslexics (like myself).
15 Jan 09
1 edit
Originally posted by KazetNagorraAre you sure that most parents would be “delighted” by this diagnosis? I know I wouldn’t! -but that is only because I know by personal experience how much dyslexia can be a pain in the ass!
Yes, the tests exist. But there are many, many psychologists who would be unemployed if they could not declare kids dyslexic, much to the delight of their parents.
I left school without being able to do a single exam!
15 Jan 09
1 edit
My apologies to Jiggie for breaking the topic of the thread.
That's ok, jiggie. You are me after all.
Thanks. So, does anyone know what disorder I have if I have a real hard
time reading text that span all the way across the screen? I need to split
text in tiny chunks or I can't read it all. My eye focus keeps jumping
between lines if the text span too long horisontally. It's never caused
me problems (I just use my index finger to follow the same line) but
maybe there's like benefits and stuff I can get if it's a real disorder? I'm
thinking my shoulders take the beating having to constantly raise my
arm to the screen and follow the text as I read it.
(No, I'm too stupid to have discovered the select text with your mouse
option as you read to highlight entire lines. How am I supposed to get
any benefits if the problem is perfectly solvable, eh?)
Thanks in advance. 🙂
15 Jan 09
Originally posted by Andrew HamiltonThis might sound ignorant (because it is), but how does it manifest in you? You seem to write very well here. Is it spellchecking?
Are you sure that most parents would be “delighted” by this diagnosis? I know I wouldn’t! -but that is only because I know by personal experience how much dyslexia can be a pain in the ass!
I left school without doing a single exam!
15 Jan 09
There is no standard accepted definition of dyslexia. That does not make it fiction.
The causes and manifestations of "the brain's inability to acquire reading and spelling" (Wolf, Proust and the Squid, p. 168) vary. The notes in Wolf's book offer some definitions employed past and present, especially in one long footnote covering most of pp. 276-77. The last third of the book focuses on dyslexia. Maryanne Wolf directs the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, researches dyslexia, and is the parent of a dyslexic child (now college age I believe).
My state's educational system does not recognize the term dyslexia, although it offers many special programs for a range of learning disabilities. I struggled to get the resources needed by a dyslexic child in my care, ultimately finding them only outside the public school system and coming at substantial expense.
15 Jan 09
1 edit
For the record, I don't think dyslexia is a fictional disorder. Moreover, I
believe it was quite mean to give it a name that hardly anyone with the
disorder can handle. I'm dyslectic, but I have dyslexia. That's truly
malicious, that is.
It's like the word lisp. People who lisp can't name their own disorder. How
cruel is that? Tho, I have a lithp problem. No, no, no, it's "so" not "tho",
and "lisssp", not "lithp". Try again.
(Fredrik Lindström - swedish comedian - paraphrased).
15 Jan 09
4 edits
Originally posted by Palynka….This might sound ignorant (because it is), but how does it manifest in you?
This might sound ignorant (because it is), but how does it manifest in you? You seem to write very well here. Is it spellchecking?
..…
I have often heard that the symptoms are a bit different for each dyslexic and that seems to be true. Virtually every dyslexic has their own subtle form of the condition. One symptom I still get is this annoying left-right visual confusion -I often experience “word reversals” which means I often perceive whole words back-to-front!
This doesn’t only effect my reading but my everyday life -for example, I often get lost because I sometimes perceiving everything I see on one side as if it was actually on the other.
I also see the letters “dance” on the page. I also have a problem with my short-term memory. I sometimes having difficulty making out what people are saying (nothing wrong with my ears -it is the brain)
-all of these are common dyslexic symptoms of dyslexia but I have gradually learned to adapt and live with them but that learning process was a very slow and painful one.
But there is one fairly unique symptom I get: I often have an inability of making out what the words are being sung in a song when it is song with music because I cannot seem to always separate out the sounds of the singing from the sounds of the music in my head and perceive the two “smeared” together in an inseparable way that I cannot describe. I don't hear it as two sounds but one. As a result, I often listen to a song again and again and no mater how hard I try, I cannot make out most of the words even with the volume turned up full blast. And yet if the same song is sung quietly without the music, I may hear it perfectly.
….You seem to write very well here. Is it spellchecking? …
Yes -I am afraid it is.
15 Jan 09
Originally posted by Andrew HamiltonYes, here in Holland it's often cited as an excuse for not performing. "Well, my kid does not get very good grades. But he is dyslectic, so it's not his fault".
Are you sure that most parents would be “delighted” by this diagnosis? I know I wouldn’t! -but that is only because I know by personal experience how much dyslexia can be a pain in the ass!
I left school without being able to do a single exam!
15 Jan 09
Originally posted by KazetNagorraThats so sad that some parents use that excuse, it just needs a little attention and most peopledo very well
Yes, here in Holland it's often cited as an excuse for not performing. "Well, my kid does not get very good grades. But he is dyslectic, so it's not his fault".
15 Jan 09
Originally posted by FMFYou are really fond of that one!
I see what you're saying and it brings to mind the fact that there are so many chess players here and so few able to apply the same kind of analysis to life ... You have to see the entire board, not just the two pieces in direct confrontation. You have to see what comes next, what would happen if you did one thing or another. Using that sort of analysis, one see ...[text shortened]... hind each side along the same diagonal or file is another, more powerful piece providing cover.
18 Jan 09
Originally posted by Andrew HamiltonHave you ever looked into Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotopic_sensitivity_syndrome
I also see the letters “dance” on the page.
I know several people who have been greatly helped by tinted lenses, so I don't think this is a fluke.
But there is one fairly unique symptom I get: I often have an inability of making out what the words are being sung in a song when it is song with music because I cannot seem to always separate out the sounds of the singing from the sounds of the music in my head and perceive the two “smeared” together in an inseparable way that I cannot describe. I don't hear it as two sounds but one. As a result, I often listen to a song again and again and no mater how hard I try, I cannot make out most of the words even with the volume turned up full blast. And yet if the same song is sung quietly without the music, I may hear it perfectly.
I am not sure how unique that is. I have big trouble making out the words of a song, too, and that despite being a musician with above average auditory skills (in music) and hearing ability. I also prefer to have subtitles when watching films (even when they are in my native tongue) because I often find it hard to understand what people say with all the other auditory and visual input going on at the same time. I guess subtitles wouldn't work well either for someone who is dyslectic, though.