Hi, everyone. I’m Sarah, a Specialist Teacher Assessor.
And this week, it’s Dyslexia Awareness Week.
As a Specialist Teacher Assessor, I am often asked “On what scale is my child dyslexic?” And it got me thinking because I don’t deal in scales when it comes to neurodivergence or any kind of brain structure or difference.
Recently, I’ve seen lots of pictures where people have assigned dyslexia to some sort of scale, using spiciness ratings or scales of 10 and pictures and all sorts. And I think that does our neuro divergence a massive, massive disservice. because it’s not like you start at one end of the scale, being slightly dyslexic, and as you move along, get worse and worse, or have extra things added.
I never deal in scales. Instead, I think of spectrums.
I know what goes into making dyslexia, dyslexia. I will look at spelling and phonological awareness and capabilities and memory, and then look at the impact on literacy.
For those that have had excellent teaching, it can mask some of their challenges. That doesn’t mean they aren’t there; it just means they have some amazing strategies to be able to cope.
By dealing in spectrums, I can say, well, there’s a touch of this: there’s a touch of spelling difficulty; there’s a touch of reading difficulty; there’s a touch of writing difficulty, and then look at the impact on those areas to explore how their dyslexia is presenting.
If I did it on a scale, I’d end up with all sorts of scales and needing various axes to be able to explain it. Far too complicated! By thinking of a colour spectrum, and how those colours interweave, intermingle, and overlap gives you a much better understanding of how dyslexia can be presented, and why some people might really struggle with spellings, but be mostly okay with reading, or otherwise might really struggle with writing. But be okay with spelling overall.
It just means that they have different coping mechanisms and strategies.
Seeing dyslexia as a spectrum, not a scale
Means that we get a better understanding of the learner overall. And because we have a better understanding of our learner overall, it means that we can then provide better strategies that are personalised for their skills and strengths.
As part of a dyslexia assessment, we always look at their underlying ability skills in the verbal fields and with visual elements. Some of us also explore their strengths with physical manipulation. Once we’ve found out what their strengths are. We can use these to tailor make recommendations for that learner to help them where they struggle.
And you couldn’t do that on a scale.
But you can when you think of dyslexia as being on a spectrum.
So, in honour of Dyslexia Awareness Week 2023, I want you to think, as parents, as teachers, as educators, as people: think about the people that you know. Think about where they struggle but think about where their strengths are. How could you use their strengths to help them support where they find challenges.
I don’t want to detract in any way, shape, or form from those who have significant struggles with literacy, who have always struggled with spelling, reading, and writing.
I don’t want to downplay the challenges that you faced. We live in a predominantly literacy-based society. Everything is to do with reading and writing. From contracts that you sign at work to looking at road signs and maps when you are travelling. All aspects of our lives are to do with literacy and difficulties in that area can make life incredibly challenging.
Dyslexia impacts people everyday
You may have seen recently in the news that somebody lost their job because of spelling errors in emails. Their dyslexia made it so that spelling was hard and having that targeted and then losing your job because of spelling is something terrible.
This is why a dyslexia assessment is so essential. It provides that extra layer of protection when you are in the workplace or at university. Identifying that there are challenges, finding ways to support them means that everybody can access our very literacy-based society.
Thus, for Dyslexia Awareness Week 2023, stop thinking of dyslexia as a scale, and start seeing it as a spectrum. That means, if there are overlapping conditions, it’s much easier to see how they fit in with that already wonderful complex picture that makes every individual an individual.
You can also listen to this as a podcast epidsode.