Early Dyslexia Testing and Screening

Most of the history of dyslexia has been compressed into the last 25 years. Before that the condition was practically unknown.

Dyslexics see things differently. Their eyes are the same as those of non-dyslexics, but their brains interpret the signals differently. Because of this they learn differently and need to be taught in the way they learn, not in the traditional mold.

For roughly the last 15 years, as part of a program to help in overcoming dyslexia, school-age kids have all been screened for signs of dyslexia in children. Those identified as “probables” went through a full-blown test for dyslexia. Those dyslexics then identified were subsequently taught according to the way they needed to be taught.

Before about 15 years ago, dyslexics were lumped in with the rest of the students and had to take their chances. Most were treated badly by the educational system, called lazy, slow learners, underachievers. They were made to feel ashamed of and embarrassed by their differences and learned to conceal them.

Today there are millions of dyslexic adults still struggling to deal with the world through a dyslexic lens, not realizing that dyslexia is their problem and a simple dyslexia test could set them on the road to life-changing improvements.

One of the problems in helping dyslexics is that there are many different types of dyslexia. Dyslexia takes many different forms; all dyslexics are different. They cannot be readily sorted into categories and then treated the same as a group.

Testing for dyslexia, especially in adults, is extremely important. Testing is the only way the numerous (in the millions) of adult dyslexics can be identified and helped. Without knowing, without the training they need, it’s probable that they can never reach their full potentials. A simple dyslexia test could set them free, dramatically improve their lives.

For more info on dyslexia and how it can be overcome, click on any of the above links.

Disclaimer: Nothing in the above explanations is intended to be or represented to be or should be construed to be any form of medical advice. The information herein has been gleaned from medical journals, news articles in the popular press and other freely-available public sources. It is presented here for informational purposes only. For any medical advice the reader is urged to consult with his or her licensed physician or other medical specialist.

by Horace Houseman