Thursday, June 28, 2007

Hey, I think I have dyslexia

So here's a conversation I had yesterday, and I should add that I have this kind of conversation a lot. -I'm telling a colleague about this new blog when a student, sitting within ear range, strikes up this chat:
"Dyslexia? I think I have that. I'm always reversing letters and I put words in the wrong place in my sentences. My thinking's like that too. I sort of mix my thoughts up. Why's that? Do you think I have dyslexia? Should I do something?"
"Hmmm. Have you ever been tested?"
"No. I'm not sure about that, the whole thing about people knowing. What would people think if they knew? I don't know."
"Well, there's a few things to weigh up. You can get a lot of extra help in the disability unit, like specialised tutoring and extra time to take tests, but to get that help you have to show proof that you have dyslexia, or some disability, and to show that, you have to get assessed. And assessment can be expensive. The good news is that the people in the disability unit can connect you with someone who can diagnose you for free or for a relatively small fee (you may get quicker attention if you pay). The other thing to know is that college staff must keep your details strictly confidential. The disability unit can't disclose anything about you without your permission. Let's say, hypothetically, that you get diagnosed with dyslexia. You can choose to get extra help in the disability unit at college or decide to keep the information to yourself and forgo the help. Maybe you decide to get help in the disability unit but not disclose your info to your professors. After college, you may disclose at your workplace or not. The point is that you have the right to confidentiality. There are benefits to letting people know you have dyslexia but, conversely, you may feel that there's a stigma involved.
What's YOUR experience of getting an assessment or not?

1 comment:

carjug said...

Loved your book! I read it when I was taking teacher-ed classes at Appalachian State University.
Please give my website a good hard look, www.geocities.com/carjug
It has a color-code for the vowel sounds; I think it can seperate Slow-decoders from classic dyslexics, and it may have some teaching value. Try it out on some assorted struggling readers, (Fluent readers find it annoying, slow decoders love it, and dyslexic people say "nice try".)
It is fun, and as you know, hasn't been tried before.
Chris Bogardus
carjug@yahoo.com