The word ‘dyslexia’ comes from the Greek ‘dys’ meaning ‘difficulty with’ and ‘lexis’ meaning ‘word’ or ‘language’. So ‘dyslexia’ means literally ‘difficulty with words’.
Our school recognises that there are many different definitions of dyslexia. Devon Local Authority (LA) has settled on one definition in order to provide clarity for every-one concerned. This definition is supported by current research evidence and is used by a professional body representing educational psychologists.
The Devon definition:
Dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent reading and or spelling develops very incompletely or with great difficulty. This focuses on literacy learning at the “word level” and implies that the problem is severe and persistent despite appropriate learning opportunities. It provides the basis for a staged process of assessment through learning.
(British Psychological Society 1999)
This definition focuses on observable difficulties rather than possible causes because there is no agreement about what the underlying causes are, or indeed which characteristics, other than a difficulty developing literacy skills, are common to all students who might be labelled ‘dyslexic’.
There are many definitions available, such as this one from the British Dyslexia Association:
Dyslexia is a specific learning difference which is constitutional in origin, independent of socio-economic or language background and can occur at any level of intellectual ability. It can cause unexpected and persistent difficulties in acquiring certain skills in one or more of the following areas: reading, writing and sometimes numeracy and spoken language. There may be accompanying weaknesses in the skills that support personal organisation, for example, speed of pro-cessing, short-term memory, sequencing and possible weaknesses in auditory and/or visual perception skills.
If you want to know more about this complex area, the following websites provide more information:
British Dyslexia Association – www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk
Dyslexia Action – www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk (It is possible to customise this website to listen to the web pages being read)
DDAT (DORE) – www.ddat.org
We feel that what is most important is that we will seek to identify a student’s specific area of difficulty and we will seek to address their needs within the school environment.