Essay Example: Is Dyslexia Exists or Not

Thousands of kids all over the world have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Dyslexia has been described as a condition that causes difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling in children. Dyslexia affects the capacity of a persons brain to process written and spoken messages. According to experts, dyslexia is a lifetime condition but individuals with the condition can enhance their reading and writing skills that help reduce the problem. The term dyslexia has been used for decades to describe kids with learning difficulties and was first used by Rudolf Berlin in the late 1880s. However, the definition and the existence of dyslexia continue to be a topic of debate. Various scientists such as Julian Elliot argue that dyslexia is a myth and term should be discarded as it is meaningless.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The Opposition

Many people are made to believe that they have Dyslexia. The opponents of this debate have argued that dyslexia exists and there is substantial morphological, environmental, and etiological evidence to support this argument (Friedmann and Haddad-Hanna 119). The first argument is that since reading is a linguistic skill, it is obvious that it involves a process that activates various parts of the brain that are vital in the processing of languages, which may be a cause of dyslexia. Second, the change in technological advances has enabled the studying of dyslexic conditions at different capacities and has revealed significant morphological differences in the brain among dyslexic individuals. Third, according to Peterson and Pennington, cross-cultural studies have revealed that dyslexia exists in all languages (1997). A common argument supporting this debate about dyslexia is that it only exists in the English language.

Strengths of the Opposing Arguments

Abnormality in the activation process of the brain parts is a suggested cause of dyslexia. Studies have indicated that there have been cases under activation of the posterior LH region of the brain. In the modern times, there have been technological advances that have assisted in proofing that dyslexia exists. Previously, studies lacked the capacity to proof that activation differences were either the cause of syndrome of dyslexia. With the current advancements, it is possible to regulate reading experiences in numerous ways. Scientists have found that the differences in brain activation are related to dyslexia since early ages. The proponents contend that dyslexia is not necessarily a qualitative illness; however, it includes a wide range of syndromes experienced by dyslexic individuals (Mahdavi et al. 66). Apparently, the etiology and detection of dyslexia is dependent on these syndromes. Moreover, imaging techniques have revealed that individuals with dyslexic symptoms tend to have significant brain differences.

Weaknesses of the Opposing Arguments

First, the authors fail to show how various brain conditions relate to supposed dyslexia syndromes such as difficulty in reading. There is no consistent finding to support the argument that a particular brain structure is linked to various reading problems. Additional evidence is required to link reading difficulties to various brain structures. The opponents do not provide sufficient evidence to support the etiological and environmental factors that cause dyslexia even though they have to provide some aspects to assist in understanding the condition. The exact cause remains a mystery. In all languages, a significant number of children have difficulties in mastering the skills of reading and the problem may continue to adulthood. Hence, it is a misconception to view people as dyslexics if they tend to experience literal difficulties.

My claim

Dyslexia does not exist for various reasons. First, it is impossible to distinguish between dyslexia and normal reading difficulties. The two individuals experience similar difficulties. Hence, it requires the management program for children under these two categories. With regards to the arguments of Julian Eliot, due to this difficulty, diagnosing dyslexia is pointless. Hence, dyslexia should be considered as non-existent. The term dyslexia does not have scientific significance and should be discarded. Millions of individuals across the globe have invested in tests that consume time and resources, which is unreasonable because the tests do not lead to distinct forms of treatment and management. Hence, researchers should focus on evaluating the capabilities of different children and their literal difficulties.

Justification

Extensive research on the topic of dyslexia has found that the symptoms among individuals diagnosed with dyslexia vary widely. In some cases, some symptoms are absent in some people diagnosed with dyslexia (Peterson and Pennington 68). Hence, it means that the diagnostic cases used by the opponents to support the existence of dyslexia may not be useful in other cases. A range of problems can make a child be diagnosed as dyslexic. Hence, Elliott and Gibbs argue that the term dyslexia is futile because there are no common aspects that can be regarded as similar to all dyslexic individuals (475). It is evident that dyslexia is not of any medical or educational importance. Starting with its definition, it is undeniable that the term is ambiguous. In the recent past, there has been a change in the definition of the term dyslexia. It has led to a wide range of problems. It has been difficult to determine what it is, its causes, and the distinctive treatment methods. Even though the supporting studies have compared aspects of dyslexics and normal individuals, these samples are not applicable in larger contexts because the opponents tend to select individuals based on their criteria (Gibbs and Elliott 323). Hence, it is the reason why it is possible to spot a few differences between the individuals.

Conclusion

The arguments presented in this paper support the idea that dyslexia does not exist. The opponents of this debate have argued that dyslexia exists because it has an impact on other body systems and it is not limited to literal problems. Clearly, it is unattainable to provide a distinctive line between dyslexic children and those suffering from normal reading difficulties. Both dyslexic individuals and those worth literal difficulties are subjected to similar forms of treatment. Moreover, the opponents have failed to provide substantial evidence to support the argument that various structural differences in the brain are linked to literal difficulties. For these reasons, it is no doubt that the term dyslexia is a hoax and the condition does not exist.

Works Cited

Elliott, Julian G., and Simon Gibbs. "Does dyslexia exist?." Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 42, no. 3, 2008, pp. 475-491.

Friedmann, Naama, and Manar Haddad-Hanna. "Types of developmental dyslexia in Arabic." Handbook of Arabic Literacy. Springer Netherlands, 2014, pp. 119-151.

Gibbs, Simon, and Julian Elliott. "The differential effects of labelling: how do dyslexia and reading difficulties affect teachers beliefs." European Journal of Special Needs Education, vol. 30, no. 3, 2015, pp. 323-337.

Mahdavi, Abed, et al. "Effectiveness of Education of Working Memory Strategies on Improvement of Reading Performance and Reduction of Depression in Children with Dyslexia." Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 6, no. 6, 2015, pp. 66-71

Peterson, Robin L., and Bruce F. Pennington. "Developmental dyslexia." The Lancet, vol. 379, no. 830, 2012, pp. 1997-2007.