Body to help dyslexics to be formed

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32708, 10 September 1971, Page 17

Body to help dyslexics to be formed

The first association in New Zealand to help people who are handicapped by word blindness, or dyslexia, will be formed in Christchurch next week.

A public meeting, at which the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr A. R. Guthrey) will preside, has been convened oy the head teacher of the Marylands special residential school in Haiswell (Bro. D. Keane) for September 16. Brother Keane, of the Order of St John of God, said yesterday that since the printing of a report in “The Press” last month about the possibility of forming an association to assist those suffering from dyslexia and also those professional people who dealt with them, he had received overwhelming support from all over New Zealand.

The original move to form the association came from Mrs J. Kerr, of Scotland, who wrote to “The Press” in June asking if there were any people in New Zealand interested in forming an association in the country to help dyslexics. Mrs Kerr has been instrumental in helping to set up many similar associations overseas.

In Australia a movement to help those with specific

learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, was begun in 1968, and now each state has a branch of the Specific Learning Difficulties Association, which receives federal and state support for research.

Dyslexia is commonly defined as a disorder in which there is difficulty in learning to read, in spite of conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity. Brother Keane said that the new association was being formed to help both children and adults, through education and welfare, who suffered from dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties.

“Already we have achieved something towards this end,” Brother Keane said. “Among those from Blenheim who showed interest in our association were two families living opposite each other, both with dyslexic children, yet neither of them knew this.”

“As a result of their both writing to us, we have been able to encourage them to share their common problem, and we know that each of them has learnt something from this shared handicap, he said.