
Challenges
Challenges for Students
-
Dyslexia doesn’t affect intelligence, students can be quite gifted in other areas but need to be given the chance to show their understanding in variety of ways (Culbertson 2012).
-
Dyslexia can take years to be diagnosed, students may be treated as “lazy” in the meantime (Elliot 2014).
-
Dyslexia is permanent, it can’t be “fixed” but students can learn and be successful with the appropriate accommodations and coping skills (International Dyslexia Association 2015)
-
More likely to have mental health issues such as anxiety and depression (Habib & Naz 2015; Dahle et. al. 2011).
-
Learned helplessness at school if the diagnosis is treated as a deficit or from negative experiences.
Challenges for Parents
-
Cost of diagnosis: around $1000, there is no government funding available for this (Ryan 2011).
-
Cost of speech pathology: around $170 an hour, there is limited access to department speech pathologists at school (Ryan 2011).
-
Supporting children who have developed problems at school such as anxiety, learned helplessness, and low self-esteem.
Challenges for Teachers
-
Motivating: finding a way to foster a love of literacy in reluctant students, to motivate students to read for pleasure and lifelong learning.
-
Time: students need intensive support to develop phonological awareness and reading fluency (Spafford & Grosser 2005).
-
Crowded curriculum: makes it difficult to allow extra time for tasks, pressure to move through topics.
-
Common approaches such as guided reading are not effective for dyslexics (International Dyslexia Association 2015)
-
Diagnosis: often takes years to be picked up, teachers need to be able to intervene and cater to needs as they arise (dyslexia debate)
-
Funding: There is no government funding available for aides etc., and before a diagnosis teachers need to work with limited resources and supports to respond to needs as they arise (Elliot 2014; Ryan 2011).
-
Behaviour problems in dyslexic students (Dahle et. al. 2011).
-
Wellbeing: ensuring dyslexic students don’t experience anxiety and bullying.