--- title: "Dyslexia a long history in education" site: "Scotch Global Thrive" url: "https://global.scotch.wa.edu.au/thrive/news/dyslexia" description: "Over time many myths have been dispelled about dyslexia. It was considered a reading difficulty rather than a disability, but linked to lower intelligence. Unfortunately, this misinformation impacted the lives of generations of dyslexic learners who were often seen as incapable of learning." published: "2023-07-04" updated: "2023-10-06" --- # Dyslexia a long history in education Over time many myths have been dispelled about dyslexia. It was considered a reading difficulty rather than a disability, but linked to lower intelligence. Unfortunately, this misinformation impacted the lives of generations of dyslexic learners who were often seen as incapable of learning. Path: News › Dyslexia a long history in education ## Dyslexia a long history in education "A boy, aged 10 years, was brought to me by his father on 8 Jan 1900 to see the reason for his great difficulty in learning to read. The boy had been at school for three years and had got on well with every subject except reading. He was apparently a bright, and in every respect, an intelligent boy... It was soon evident, however, on careful examination that the difficulty in learning to read was due to a deficiency of the visual memory for words." – Hinshelwood In the early 1900s, the term dyslexia was coined by a German ophthalmologist, Rudolf Berlin, who determined that the issues associated with reading were not related to any underlying eye condition but instead a deficiency in seeing words. He referred to it as wortblindheit or word-blindness. Physicians in the United Kingdom then began the long path to understanding dyslexia and its impact on a child's education. It wasn't until the 1970s that they developed intervention programmes that promoted the explicit teaching of phonics and language learning at a young age to reduce the impact of dyslexia. Over time many myths have been dispelled about dyslexia. It was considered a reading difficulty rather than a disability, but linked to lower intelligence. Unfortunately, this misinformation impacted the lives of generations of dyslexic learners who were often seen as incapable of learning. In 2011, more than 100 years after its determination, the Australian Government created a working party and published a paper entitled, ‘Helping people with dyslexia: a national action agenda’. Among other things, the working party agreed on a common definition. Dyslexia became recognised as a learning disability requiring government funding and a National Advisory Council. Today, our teachers are trained to identify dyslexic traits and adjust teaching strategies to support dyslexic students. A student or adult diagnosed with dyslexia is entitled to use a computer or laptop with assistive technology programmes installed, in class, exams and the workplace. Dyslexic students should also receive additional working time in timed examinations at school, TAFE and university. At Scotch Global, we provide inclusive and equitable education. Our team is passionate about removing learning barriers that students may face. We can provide support and adjustments that assist students with learning disabilities in overcoming challenges in their learning environment. At a more complex level, our curriculum and learning environment is designed in ways that make a learning disability less challenging, ensuring all students can choose how they learn and share their understanding. In the past, the level of reading skills, writing ability, organisation and rote learning required to be successful underpinned our education system. Our teachers have technological tools that help them discern a student's level of understanding. Teacher and self-reviews, assistive technology, and varied delivery modes form part of this toolkit. A student's knowledge can just as adequately be reviewed through a presentation rather than in writing or under timed conditions. It is just as valid for a student to understand and analyse a novel by having it read to them through an audiobook as it is by reading it themselves. It is just as valuable for students to discuss and demonstrate their understanding as it is for them to rote learn a response and regurgitate it in writing. Some would argue these skills are more relevant for a 21st century model of education. I am always inspired by the many successful individuals like Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, Pablo Picasso and Agatha Christie who were or are dyslexic. The talents of people with dyslexia have more recently been recognised, with social media platforms like LinkedIn adding dyslexic thinking as a valuable skill. The wide range of creative and talented people in this group shows that whilst dyslexia is a learning disability, it can have significant upsides, with the following abilities noticeably above average in dyslexic people. **Courtesy Advancing Equity and Inclusion: A guide for municipalities, City for All Women Initiative (CAWI), Ottawa** **Visualising:** Interacting with space, senses, physical ideas and new concepts (75% are above average) **Imagining:** Creating an original piece of work or giving ideas a new spin (84% are above average) **Communicating:** Crafting and conveying clear and engaging messages (71% are above average) **Reasoning:** Understanding patterns, evaluating possibilities and making decisions (84% are above average) **Exploring:** Being curious and exploring ideas in a constant and energetic way (84% are above average) It is fair to say that we have come a long way in helping students with dyslexia reach their potential, however, I believe the model of exam-based education is still a barrier for these students. The International Baccalaureate is more generous than the state-based system, which offers between 25% and 50% additional working time depending on the severity of the disability. In contrast, the state-based system offers an additional 10 minutes for every assessment hour, regardless. Students can gain entry to universities with a Certificate IV pathway, requiring no examinations. While there is still progress to be made, these changes mean that people with learning disabilities can have an equal chance of fulfilling their career aspirations. **Cara Fugill, Head of Scotch Global** ## Topics - Thrive --- Canonical HTML version: https://global.scotch.wa.edu.au/thrive/news/dyslexia