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Unnecessary Shame
So many kids with dyslexia feel ashamed because their peers and the educational system treat them poorly because they are different. What a waste!. Studies have shown that 15% or more of the general population has dyslexia. If that many kids and adults have dyslexia, maybe we all need to change our thinking.
A great resource with more info on the characteristics of the dyslexic condition is The Dyslectic Advantage by Brock and Fernette Eide.
For years dyslexia has been treated as a disease. It actually is a set of characteristics some of which are negative, like reading issues. Some of which are positive, like exceptional spatial thinking and big picture thinking.
Treating dyslexic kids as if these traits mean they are sick, makes kids feel even worse! They already suspect they are different. Now they are scared because they think bad things will happen to them because they are ill.
We need to help children deal with the pain of being different than their friends. We don’t need to make matters worse by mischaracterizing dyslexia as an illness.
For more see: Get Rid of the Shame
