Dyslexia

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32777, 30 November 1971, Page 14

Dyslexia

Sir, —Referring to the word “dyslexia,” the explanation is: difficulty or inability to pronounce a word. It is a Greek word consisting of two words, “dys,” meaning against, and “lexis,” meaning a word. —Yours, etc., L. ARVANITIS. November 27. 1971.

Sir, —I must protest about Ruth Thom’s attitude, which seems to imply that autism and dyslexia are just fashionable labels for dumb children. My mother is involved in child welfare work in England and in particular with dyslexia. There is a rapidly growing understanding of these specific problems, with the result that children who were previously labelled dumb can now be helped and taught. The study of dyslexia is certainly too well advanced to be discarded with a few casual words. It is the teachers who fail to recognise dyslexia and regard affected pupils as “just another slow one” who cause much unhappiness. Rather than generalising about children who have difficulty in learning, we should be striving to identify, separate, and treat each specific cause, making use of the available knowledge.—Yours, etc., JENNY STREET. Lincoln, November 29, 1971.