[etni] Dyslexia:Why Some Very Smart Accomplished People Cannot Read Well

From: Margie Cohen <margiec@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: margiecj@xxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:51:11 +0200
Dyslexia: Some Very Smart Accomplished People Cannot Read Well

ScienceDaily (Dec. 19, 2009) â?? Contrary to popular belief, some very smart, 
accomplished people cannot read well. This unexpected difficulty in reading in 
relation to intelligence, education and professional status is called dyslexia, 
and researchers at Yale School of Medicine and University of California Davis, 
have presented new data that explain how otherwise bright and intelligent 
people struggle to read.
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*        
The study, which will be published in the January 1, 2010 issue of the journal 
Psychological Science, provides a validated definition of dyslexia. "For the 
first time, we've found empirical evidence that shows the relationship between 
IQ and reading over time differs for typical compared to dyslexic readers," 
said Sally E. Shaywitz, M.D., the Audrey G. Ratner Professor in Learning 
Development at Yale School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics, and 
co-director of the newly formed Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
Using data from the Connecticut Longitudinal Study, an ongoing 12-year study of 
cognitive and behavioral development in a representative sample of 445 
Connecticut schoolchildren, Shaywitz and her team tested each child in reading 
every year and tested for IQ every other year. They were looking for evidence 
to show how the dissociation between cognitive ability and reading ability 
might develop in children.
The researchers found that in typical readers, IQ and reading not only track 
together, but also influence each other over time. But in children with 
dyslexia, IQ and reading are not linked over time and do not influence one 
another. This explains why a dyslexic can be both bright and not read well.
"I've seen so many children who are struggling to read but have a high IQ," 
said Shaywitz. "Our findings of an uncoupling between IQ and reading, and the 
influence of this uncoupling on the developmental trajectory of reading, 
provide evidence to support the concept that dyslexia is an unexpected 
difficulty with reading in children who otherwise have the intelligence to 
learn to read."
Typical readers learn how to associate letters with a specific sound. "All they 
have to do is look at the letters and it's automatic," Shaywitz explained. 
"It's like breathing; you don't have to tell your lungs to take in air. In 
dyslexia, this process remains manual." Each time a dyslexic sees a word, it's 
as if they've never seen it before. People with dyslexia have to read slowly, 
re-read, and sometimes use a marker so they don't lose their place.
"A key characteristic of dyslexia is that the unexpected difficulty refers to a 
disparity within the person rather than, for example, a relative weakness 
compared to the general population," said co-author Bennett A. Shaywitz, M.D., 
the Charles and Helen Schwab Professor in Dyslexia and Learning Development and 
co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
Sally Shaywitz estimates that one in five people are dyslexic and points to 
many accomplished writers, physicians and attorneys with dyslexia who struggle 
with the condition in their daily lives, including Carol Greider, the 2009 
Nobel laureate in medicine. She hopes to dispel many of the myths surrounding 
the condition.
"High-performing dyslexics are very intelligent, often out-of-the box thinkers 
and problem-solvers," she said. "The neural signature for dyslexia is seen in 
children and adults. You don't outgrow dyslexia. Once you're diagnosed, it is 
with you for life."
Shaywitz also stresses that the problem is with both basic spoken and written 
language. People with dyslexia take a long time to retrieve words, so they 
might not speak or read as fluidly as others. In students, the time pressure 
around standardized tests like the SATs and entrance exams for professional 
schools increases anxiety and can make dyslexia worse, so the need for 
accommodations is key in helping those with the disorder realize their 
potential, she says.
Other authors on the study include Emilio Ferrer at the University of 
California Davis and John M. Holahan and Karen Marchione at Yale School of 
Medicine.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human 
Development, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of 
Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Citation: Psychological Science (January 1, 2010)
Email or share this story:
 
Margaret A. Cohen-Jackel,  M.S.S.A.
 
(972) 077-9330695
(972) 052-2937800
 
(USA)216-592-8004
 

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[etni] Dyslexia:Why Some Very Smart Accomplished People Cannot Read Well

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