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Hello, my name is Hans Dekkers, Team Leader at Dynaread. So your child struggles in reading,
and you have wrestled with that reality for a while and have googled and inquired and
found resources and so forth. In that process you will most likely have come across several
things. But before I go any further, please do allow me to assure you that in most cases
Dyslexia has nothing to do with Intelligence. Dyslexia has neurological causes unrelated
to IQ. Having made sure there are no misunderstandings about this, let's continue. Some sources speak
about Dyslexia as a Gift. Other sources speak about the need to overcome or conquer Dyslexia.
Others still speak of Dyslexia as something that is no longer really relevant, as there
are so many technologies out there that can help you read, such as Text to Speech tools
and audio books. So on the one hand the gift of dyslexia is stressed, and on the other
hand the need to fight dyslexia and conquer it. And others still mitigate it to some extend
and point to text to speech technology and other audio tools. These conflicting signals
can be confusing. What is truth? Where is the balance? Well, the truth is generally
in the middle. And it certainly is here as well.
Dyslexia has neurological origins. Four out of five subtypes of Dyslexia share difficulties
in sounding out words: technically called a Phonological Decoding Deficit. This means
these children have a hard time learning and mastering the Phonics rules despite proper
instruction. Because of this they fail to properly expand their reading vocabulary:
trapping them in low literacy, or worse. This is obviously not a good thing to have. Text
to speech is nice, and we're certainly excited that such technologies exist, but they don't
help you when you are driving on the road trying to read a road sign, or finding your
way in an airport. Text to speech doesn't help you when you forgot your gadget at home.
And let's be honest with each other: Not everybody has the means either to buy the latest gadgets.
Being able to read is obviously of the essence in society. Though I am enthusiastic about
Text to Speech technology, and do encourage parents of children with Dyslexia to use them,
there is also a dark side to it. One sure way for a child with Dyslexia to stall or
even get worse in reading, is to NOT read at all. So, though these Text to Speech technologies
can help your child, they also risk that your child will even read less and less. OK, having
touched on Text to Speech, how about regarding Dyslexia as a gift? I don't think it is right
to label reading struggles a Gift. However, it is neurologically true that the Dyslexic
brain does possess some unique qualities. Children and adults with Dyslexia tend to
have higher creative abilities, better people skills, higher abilities in assessing, diagnosing,
and analysing complex things. They tend to do well in professions where these skills
are needed. About 30% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic. So that certainly qualifies as a
terrific Gift. So we talked about Text to Speech and about the Gift of Dyslexia, and
that leaves us with the perspective of overcoming or conquering Dyslexia. This issue of overcoming
is subjective and mainly depends on three factors: The magnitude or level of dyslexia
a child has, the age of the child, and the access to proper help or remediation. Allow
me to paint two extremes. Children with mild dyslexia, when diagnosed at Kindergarten,
when given proper Orton-Gillingham based Phonics remediation, will quite possibly overcome
dyslexia and move on to an adult life in which they may have forgotten they ever struggled.
On the other extreme are e.g. eleven year olds, with moderate to severe dyslexia. These
children may come a long ways in overcoming, and can most certainly be brought to functional
literacy--that's what we at Dynaread are all about--but they will likely always have to
work harder at reading new materials. But working harder is altogether a different reality
than being unable. Given proper effort, these children also have the possibility to reach
the point that they can pursue further education and reach their goals in life. That is: If
we bring them to functional literacy, which--again--we love to contribute to with our Dynaread program.
I hope this video will help you walk the balance. Your child is most certainly gifted, and possesses
strengths which non-dyslexics can be envious of. But, don't look to Text to Speech as a
fix-it-all, because that's a deception. Text to Speech, when properly used, is an aid,
but not a replacement. Help your child reach functional fluency in reading. And if your
child is seven or older, then allow me encourage you to check us out at Dynaread. We welcome
your questions, we understand the issues, we genuinely care, and we help. Even with
financial support.