Dyselxia is not a disorder

A workshop on dyslexia conducted by Aggeliki Pappa, the founder and CEO of the ‘i love dyslexia’ organisation, was a highlight of the recent Global Education & Skills Forum held in Dubai. The workshop offered valuable ideas and practical advice to teachers and parents. Pappa also emphasised that more can, and should, be done to offer assistance to dyslexia sufferers.

Pappa began by making it clear that there are millions of smart people with dyslexia. Like others, they have a right to succeed, she noted. But they are effectively excluded from learning some of the most important life skills, like learning a second language. Dyslexic students should have the chance to learn English as well as their native or local language, Pappa said. This way, they can achieve a “global voice”.

Some educational leaders and commentators regard this idea as unrealistic, but their position borders on being “unethical”, said Pappa. It implies that children who have failed to read and write in their native language might not be able to achieve fluency in English in the future. But there is no reason why they should not learn to express their emotions and their thoughts in another language, however difficult learning that skill might initially appear.

Pappa said that our dealings with dyslexia relate to our wider attitude towards differences. We should be brave enough to see the opportunities that exist for every child. Teachers must look past the word “dyslexia” and try to understand the workings of dyslexic children’s brains, which are amazing in their own way.     

Pappa recommended that teachers do not see a dyslexic brain as something to fix, but rather as something to explore. Dyslexic students are simply learning in a different way, she said. Everybody is different, and listening to each other, and helping each other grow as human beings, is what counts, and that should apply to those with dyslexia.

Teachers should recognise that all students receive information in unique ways, and each one perceives the world differently. Students in a class do not act and react in same way, and there is nothing wrong with that, Pappa said. The “magic” of being a teacher is that it presents an opportunity to experiment, explore, and discover.