Camilia Sadik’s definition of dyslexia:
Dyslexia
is a name given to an acquired condition wherein analyzers, as opposed to
memorizers, can have various levels of difficulties when reading or when spelling
phonics in English words. Dyslexia is an advanced stage of poor spelling; poor
spellers misspell words but dyslexics misspell words plus see and write letters
in a reversed manner. When dyslexics slow down to write a word, they do not
reverse the letters in that word.
Why is dyslexia acquired?
Dyslexia
is acquired because poor spellers fall behind in class and feel forced to hurry
to keep up with the rest of their classmates. They are forced into speed-reading before learning to read or spell
words. They are forced to run before they can crawl or walk. Because of
hurrying and having to quickly move their vision from left-to-right and from right-to-left,
they see letters in a reversed or crisscrossed manner, and eventually
they spell them in the same reversed manner that they read them.
How do we become poor spellers?
When
logical persons, who only know the ABC’s, are asked to read stories before
learning phonics, they become poor spellers. They need to be taught phonics and
phonics in words before being forced to read sentences and stories and before speed-reading. For
instance, they need to be informed beforehand that the “y” can sound like an “i”
at the end of short words, before asking them to read a word like “my.” Without informing beforehand, young logical
learners expect to see “My cat is cute.” to be, “Mi
kat iz qut.”
How is dyslexia acquired?
Is there anything wrong with asking
analytic children who had just learned their ABC’s to read a sentence like “My
cat is cute”? Teachers of young children were asked this question and all
agreed that there was no problem with this sentence, and that they would
continue to ask young children to read more such simple sentences in children’s
books.
It is true that memorizers (40% of us) would
learn to read and spell “My cat is cute.” However, teaching, “My cat is cute.”
to logical learners who had just learned their ABC’s is like committing a linguistic crime. Logical learners expect to
see “My cat is cute.” to be “Mi kat iz qut.” and there is nothing wrong with the way logical
learners think. In fact, they are the most coherent and commonsensical thinkers
who cannot simply accept what they have just heard and seen; they questions WHY it is that English words are not
written in the same way that they sound.
It is this big WHY
that makes a huge difference between the two types of learners. It is because
of this why that analyzers fall behind in class while memorizers
are reading at a faster pace. Because they are so young, logical children
cannot form all the complex linguistic questions they need to ask; and, the
number of whys overwhelms them at such a young age. They may wish to ask
their teachers why the “q” sound is spelled with a “cu” in “cute”
and why the “i” sound is spelled with a “y” in “my” but they
cannot form such complex questions. Eventually, they become too overwhelmed
with the number of questions they wish to ask, and then they decide to keep
their mouths shut and put the blame upon themselves.
As a result, they continue to fall behind in class
and no one realizes why they are falling behind. No one else around them knows
what they have been through; even they, themselves, lose track of what is
taking place. This entire episode happens so
fast; it is like a quick nightmare that one forgets its details after waking
up. Shortly after that, the commotion created around them and the
worried parents lead these poor kids to believe they have some type of an
innate learning problem. Before they know it, the testing specialists come to
schools to diagnose them as dyslexics.
Their condition remains a mystery to them, to their
teachers, to their parents, and even to the specialist who may have a PhD in
dyslexia. It is an outrage to watch our nation’s finest type of thinkers being
forced to live with illiteracy and fall behind in schools. Since when was questioning, analyzing, and logical thinking
a defect? In time, these poor kids fall behind not only in reading
and spelling but also in all other subjects that require reading and spelling.
This explains why so many of the so-called dyslexics are very creative in
performing arts that do not require as much reading or spelling. Type “Celebrities
with Dyslexia” in search engines and you will need days to finish reading the
long list.
Consequently, analyzers become aware of the need to
hurry and read faster to keep up with their classmates that are memorizers.
They feel the pressure of having to read faster coming from their teachers,
their peers, their parents, and from society at large. They are told to try
harder and their teachers and other literacy advocates advise them to read more
interesting stories to improve their spelling skills.
They ask them to read more stories when these poor
kids cannot yet read or spell words or certain sounds in words. Nevertheless,
they continue to try harder to read as they are told. In the midst of all this pressure, they develop the
ability to speed-read before learning to read words. Eventually, they
speed-read without seeing the way words are spelled and they do not have the
time to see and differentiate single words like niece & nice or nose
& noise or exit & exist. They are
focused on the main idea and don’t have the time to look and see the way words
are spelled. They hurry so much that their visions travel rapidly from
left-to-right and vice-versa so that they end up seeing letters and sometimes
words in a reversed or crisscrossed manner.
When they write, they write in a hurry, in the same reversed
manner in which they read. They are in a desperate need to read slowly in order
to see the way words are written. Yet, they are forced into speed-reading, and
that only worsens their situation. Speed in reading or in anything is a result
of a process that one can only achieve naturally; speed cannot be achieved
through force. We cannot force babies to run before they can crawl or walk.
Constantly, dyslexics think they have to hurry and
then they become obsessed with hurrying. Even when asked to look at words and copy
them, they hurry and may copy letters in a reversed manner. They hurry more
when their teachers ask them to find the main idea in the story they are
reading. Analyzers can only focus on one thing
at a time; hence, they focus highly on the main idea but not on the way words
are spelled. And this is the story of how dyslexia is acquired.
Characteristics shared by dyslexics:
Analyzers or dyslexic persons can only focus on one
thing at a time; for instance, they cannot focus on the main idea in a story and
on the way words are spelled. Poor spelling is, of course, always coupled with
dyslexia.
Typically, when analytic persons
or dyslexics are very busy doing something that requires attention, they cannot
be disturbed. If disturbed, they may become very angry. Autistic persons who
have dyslexia are similar but their reaction is much more dramatic; they may
have a fit when disturbed. Dyslexics tend to be perfectionists. To them, everything
they focus on means “Leave me alone, I am being creative here and you are disturbing
my train of thoughts.”
Typically, when driving and
someone is talking with them, dyslexics miss their exits. When text messaging
or talking on the phone while driving, dyslexics will most likely have car
accidents.
Typically, when dyslexics are
allowed the time needed to focus on that one thing that they like to focus on,
they become extremely creative at that one thing. This explains seeing various
types of creativities among dyslexics, but not among good spellers. Albert
Einstein could not spell and he is a fine example of such highly focused and
creative persons. Additional examples of such analytic persons who have
dyslexia are James Joyce, Thomas Edison, Agatha Christie, Nelson Rockefeller, Thomas
Jefferson, Robin Williams, Tom Cruise, Steve Jobs, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay Leno, Anderson
Cooper, Ben Affleck, and the list is too long to list here; type “famous people
with dyslexia” in search engines and you will need days to finish reading the
list.
Living an entire life with dyslexia:
Some
dyslexics may “get by” with reading but will have difficulties spelling the
words that they read. Others may not learn to read at all. If they did not
learn to read or spell by the end of third grade, chances are they are not
going to learn from traditional learning methods at all. According to them,
memorizing without reasons is impossible. Their
minds will never open up to the way English words are written without logical explanations.
Except in arts, music, and some
divisions of science, dyslexics will naturally suffer in schools from low
performances and low grades in the subjects that require reading and spelling
words in English. They often express their sorrow from the way society looks
down at them or blames them. The saddest part is that too many dyslexics tend
to think society is right and that they are to blame because they did not do it
right when they were little kids. Society owes
them a huge apology.
Typically,
a dyslexic person thinks s/he is the only one with spelling problems and tries
hard to hide this reality. He may continue living with this burden and may never
know that he is not alone; or it may take him 20 or 30 years of hiding and
living with a very low self-esteem before he discovers that more than 60% of
the population is like him. Poor spelling or dyslexia is so common in English
that nearly every person knows someone who cannot spell or is dyslexic. Please
inform anyone you know that he is not alone, and that he is better because he is
an analyzer.
A
woman attended my spelling class at Cuyamaca College in 1998 and said she had
not accepted promotion where she worked for 22 years, because she was too
afraid they would discover her spelling problem. After learning to spell, she
accepted the promotion. Millions suffer from low self-esteem and many books can
be written about dyslexics’ heartbreaking life stories. Before the labeling of “learning
disability” was accepted in schools, children were told they were too lazy to
study.
Isn’t
time to try to make up for some of the damage done in the past? Should we keep
the name “dyslexia,” which rhymes with medical conditions like anorexia,
asphyxia, hysteria, etc.? I suggest changing the naming of “dyslexics” to “analytical
persons,” and “dyslexia” to “analytical strictness.”
Cases of ADD caused by dyslexia can be ended:
Reading
is the foundation for all learning. Obviously, a dyslexic child forced to sit
in classrooms year-after-year without learning is going to be bored to the
point of developing ADD; if dyslexia is prevented early enough, so are most
cases of ADD. Yes, the cases of ADD caused by dyslexia can end in weeks or
months while ending dyslexia.
In
1999, I met Lee who was a child in sixth grade. Lee had been sitting in
classrooms for six years unable to read words. He was labeled with
dyslexia, ADD, learning disabilities, etc. Repeatedly, his parents were told he
was an impossible-to-learn case. In August of 1999, Lee learned to read in six
days, not in six years. Lee’s lifestyle changed after reading and ADD had no
more presence in his new way of life. B.J. could read but he could not spell;
he also recovered from ADD after learning to spell. Months later, B.J. said and
his father agreed, “Now that spelling is so easy my grades are all straight A’s.”
B.J.’s overflowing energy was transformed into positive energy. Anticipate
seeing a book about the life stories of those who used to have dyslexia or ADD
that is caused by dyslexia.
Conclusion:
Dyslexia is acquired but only by analytical
learners, and what causes it is being compelled to speed-read before learning
to read or spell words. Reading too fast, too soon causes poor spellers to see letters in a reversed manner and eventually that causes them to
write letters in that same crisscross manner.
