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Julian Elliott

Who is dyslexic and why does it matter?

2016-02-11T22:06:42+00:00February 11th, 2016|myths|

"Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true." Francis Bacon I've been thinking about dyslexia for a while. Here are a few of the posts I've written over the past couple of years: May 2013 Does dyslexia exist? and Magic glasses and the Meares-Irlen syndrome October 2013 Are all difficulties desirable? February 2014 The dyslexia debate – is the label ‘meaningless’? One thing I've learned is that if you're in any way critical of the label 'dyslexia', you're going to get some grief. This is a highly emotive area and many people feel very strongly that being diagnosed as dyslexic was a positive, life-changing experience. [...]

The dyslexia debate – is the label 'meaningless'?

2014-02-27T14:01:02+00:00February 27th, 2014|literacy|

Back in May last year I wrote a post which asked whether dyslexia actually exists. Some people really liked it and others (particularly those with children who have been diagnosed with dyslexia) got pretty angry: it's one of my most commented on posts. With the imminent release of professor Julian Elliott's new book, The Dyslexia Debate, a bit a media storm has blown up. Yesterday I was asked by BBC local radio to be interviewed on the Mark Forrest show and The Independent got in touch to see if I would write a short article summarising my thoughts. Naturally, being a big old show off [...]

Does dyslexia exist?

2017-05-23T19:42:21+01:00May 26th, 2013|Featured, learning, literacy, myths|

Schools are packed to the gunnels (whatever they are) with students diagnosed with dyslexia. And, of the hundreds of dyslexic students I've taught, many have languished helplessly in the doldrums of illiteracy while some seem suddenly to make rapid and remarkable progress. This year, two students who were presented to me as dyslexic have experienced very different trajectories. One, let's call him Ben, had spent Years 7 and 8 being taught English in very small groups of students identified as having 'specific learning difficulties'. In Year 9 such students are put back into mainstream classes with the expectation that the work they've [...]

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