{"id":44811,"date":"2024-10-08T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T14:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.allaboutlearningpress.com\/?p=44811"},"modified":"2024-10-16T09:07:31","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T14:07:31","slug":"what-dyslexia-is-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.allaboutlearningpress.com\/what-dyslexia-is-not\/","title":{"rendered":"What Dyslexia is NOT: Myths and Misconceptions about Dyslexia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robin E. Williams<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n

The term \u201cdyslexia\u201d was first used over 140 years ago, with the symptoms having been well documented even before that. It\u2019s not new, and with the estimate being 5-10% of the population have dyslexia, you almost assuredly know people who are living with this challenge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Yet, the public\u2019s understanding of dyslexia is so full of misinformation and misconceptions. You may even be surprised to find what you thought you knew about it is not true.<\/p>\r\n

First, start by reading What is Dyslexia?<\/a> for the official definition of dyslexia and an explanation of the definition. Then, check out these common dyslexia myths and misconceptions to find out what dyslexia is not.<\/p>\r\n

Dyslexia is not<\/span> an intellectual disability.<\/h2>\r\n\"Learn\r\n

Dyslexia can occur in those with high, average, or low IQs. Struggling with reading and spelling does not mean a dyslexic student is \u201cnot smart\u201d or not good at learning.<\/p>\r\n

On the other hand, there is a myth that dyslexic people are gifted, have a high IQ, or must be good at art or other visual-spatial skills. While this is true for many individuals with dyslexia, it\u2019s not true for many others, just like the population in general. There is no correlation between dyslexia and intelligence one way or the other.<\/p>\r\n

Check out 30+ Important Things That Tests Can\u2019t Measure<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Dyslexia is not<\/span> a vision issue.<\/h2>\r\n

No, dyslexic children do not see words or letters backward, and getting vision therapy or using a special dyslexia font won\u2019t make reading easier for them.<\/p>\r\n

Mixing up the order of letters, writing letters backward, or even reading a whole word in reverse are possible symptoms of dyslexia, but this isn't because they see things mirrored or differently than everyone else. It is not a \"seeing\" issue but a neurological one.<\/p>\r\n

A vision processing disorder is not dyslexia, even though the observable effects of the two learning disabilities can look similar. Vision therapy will not improve spelling or reading in a dyslexic student unless he has a vision processing disorder in addition to dyslexia.<\/p>\r\n

Research done with dyslexia fonts shows that they may reduce some types of errors, but they increase other types of errors in both dyslexic and non-dyslexic readers.1<\/sup> Other research has also not shown improved reading with these special fonts.2, 3<\/sup> This is because dyslexia is not a visual disability. It is a language-processing disability.<\/p>\r\n

Here is our article on Vision Problems<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Dyslexia is not<\/span> the only cause of reading and spelling struggles.<\/h2>\r\n

Not every struggling learner has dyslexia. There are a number of other learning disabilities that can influence learning to read in addition to dyslexia, including auditory processing disorder, ADHD, autism, vision processing disorder, poor working memory, and aphasia. Furthermore, the underlying cause for struggling to learn to read may not be a learning disability at all but could be a physical issue, such as a hearing or vision impairment.<\/p>\r\n\"A\r\n

Fortunately, the components that make All About Reading<\/cite> and All About Spelling<\/cite> so effective for homeschooling a dyslexic child make it effective for children with other learning disabilities as well. They\u2019re multisensory, customizable, and mastery-based instruction can make all the difference!<\/p>\r\n

Here are some articles on learning disabilities other than dyslexia:<\/p>\r\n