Dyslexia

[Rockonmetal]

I have it... and recently I have gotten replies like "You mean retarded???" or "?" or "I'm not talking to you, you retarded..."
Just wanna see what people think about it here...

[Twey]

So few people bother to read, write or spell properly these days that it's rare that I even think of it as a disorder any more. There are also various philosophical issues with categorising mental "disorders" that I haven't entirely thought through yet.

[BLiZZaRD]

My son has it. I read where it is supposed to be able to be cured by the infected. If you "want it bad enough" you can reverse dyslexia. I don't know about that though. My son does well, and just has to check every now and then if he spelled something wrong or if is math is weird looking to anyone else.

He is still an honor student and can make it without having to do the extraneous work involved in a "cure"

Because of him though, I have made my forum a proper spelling and word usage forum. You don't have to be perfect, but there is no leet or chat speak allowed.

[Moshambi]

So few people bother to read, write or spell properly these days that it's rare that I even think of it as a disorder any more.

i totally agree...and its all the internets fault i believe

[jscheuer1]

As the old saw goes, agnostic dyslexics stay up late at night wondering if there really is a dog.

I think dyslexia is a very common condition, and that almost everyone is affected at one time or another to one degree or another. And, whether it is truly a handicap or not, in severe cases it can be as significant an issue as any handicap.

However, true or not, it is also thought by many to be a sign of heightened intelligence and/or creativity. I think it certainly can be, as when the mind automatically recombines data to see what it will look like, or represent in various different forms.

Of note culturally, in the popular television program 'Heroes', Matt - the character with a mind reading sort of telepathy and other developing mental powers, is dyslexic.

[djr33]

Dylesia!

:p


Because of him though, I have made my forum a proper spelling and word usage forum. You don't have to be perfect, but there is no leet or chat speak allowed.Good for you. Perhaps that should be implemented here.

Mental disorders are far too often categorized in a black and white sense-- you have this and you don't have that. Each one is on a spectrum, and every person falls somewhere on that spectrum for every possible quality (beyond mental disorders, certainly).

I find myself flipping a few things here and there, though nothing remarkable, and only if I'm going fast (typing, for example).

If someone with one leg can learn to ski (with poles that have short skis on them), I figure someone with [severe] dyslexia should be able to function normally in the world. But of course it may be harder for them. There are ways to work around it, though. (ie, pick a career aside from proofreader ;))


Not sure what else to comment on. People who ever use the term "retard" or any derivation thereof toward you are pretty much pathetic. Don't worry about them. I'm tempted to say turn it around and point out a flaw they have (for example, comparing your grades in a certain subject), but in the end they won't listen anyway.


The poll on this thread won't be getting a vote for me. The first three are all true to some degree- "disease" is a strange word, but it does fit, and, yes, I'd rather not be affected by dyslexia. It does cause you to see things oddly. "slightly untreatable" is strange wording. It is treatable, perhaps not successfully. Like many things, it may never go away fully, but there are certainly strategies. In that sense, the fourth is almost true-- there is no "cure". It's just part of who you are. The fifth is only true if you let it be. Some people with some quality let that ruin their lives and never live fully. I find that stupid. You're dealt a deck of cards. Might as well play the game. But certainly it isn't a limiting factor and should not be a reason for exclusion from others. But, of course, so many things cause trouble in social situations, it's really unfortunate.

[Twey]

It's purely subjective. For example, not so long ago very few people could read or write at all, and finding it difficult to master the finer points of written communication wouldn't have been seen as unusual at all. Some people are good at certain things, some aren't; the classification of (for example) dyslexia as a "mental disorder" is arbitrary.

[Rockonmetal]

Wow, I didn't think it was that well known and understood/respected, maybe its just a bad vibe against us teenagers lol... thanks guys

[djr33]

Oh, it is well known and documented. But all mental disorders are vague. Bi-polar was the trend for a while, so it was frequently misdiagnosed when the symptoms pointed generally toward it.
Despite efforts by many, psychology is still very much an art and not a science. Certainly it is studied as a science but our vast lack of knowledge of how the human brain works makes treating it purely as a science not work, causing misunderstandings, especially by those who don't understand this, or who do not have much experience with psychology in general.
As I said, everything is a scale. And the only purpose that any diagnosis acts for is to give a label. And that label can be useful (in introducing yourself to a new doctor/therapist/teacher/etc, or for a possible direction to research a strategy, medication, or other response), but it is purely a label. You're dyslexic. No, not really. It's just a simplified way of saying "you fit the symptoms of dyslexia [well]".

The reasons behind it may be interesting. Twey has a good point that it's "new" perhaps only because the majority of people these days are literate, but it may also have something to do with the trend for ADD recently. The attention deficit experienced isn't some strange biological condition-- it's the direct result of many stimuli experienced by today's youth-- TV, computer, music, and that they can't simply, now, sit still and focus on something. I know I certainly have trouble just sitting down and reading a book. How boring... where's the interaction? :p

[Twey]

TV, computer, music, and that they can't simply, now, sit still and focus on something. I know I certainly have trouble just sitting down and reading a book. How boring... where's the interaction?Where's the interaction in TV or music? :)

I think I dismiss this theory, on grounds of myself being an avid reader as well as a heavy computer user (and I listen to music for most of the time I'm on the computer, too).

[djr33]

hm. It's misleading for me, as well. I was an avid reader, until reading became the mundane practice of homework. I still enjoy a good book, if I can find one.

Anyway, I was more stating a possible theory. Whether it's true is for a different discussion. (It may very well not be.)

[Rockonmetal]

Thats a good point... because I don't consider myself heavily dyslexic... sure I do miss spell some stuff every now and then *most of the time really big words... lol*... but at the school I go to, it is a school for kids with Dyslexia, ADHD, Autistic kids, ADD, but mainly its just a bunch of kids who either can't sit still or who need a little bit extra attention... I mean the classes are 7-9 kids, most of the time its 8 but for L.F *Language Fundamentals* you usually have 2-3 kids in the class with the same skill as you. The classes are 50 minutes, it is a great school, it costs as much as some colleges do, but I swear I've learned so much and so glad i learned different stuff than in public schools, Revolutionary war and American History yuck, I dislike it, its not that fun... but all the classes are hands on, and I think people learn better this way... I don't know, My sis in public school did fine, she isn't dyslexic *but she is ADHD and sooner or later her teachers will say something...* but recently she's had trouble with math, which I try to help her out but she is so stubborn that she won't listen lol *most of the time is because she is so tired...*
but anyways I didn't think i would receive this much attention...

[lainlives]

well i got very seveir adhd. i cant stand even to wait 10 secs. and since everthing tries to go as fast as my thoughts i screw everzthing up