Culture Watch
Overcoming Dyslexia
by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.
Alfred A. Knopf, publisher
366 pp
In the interest of full disclosure, we should note that this reviewer labored for many years in Early Childhood education. In addition to teaching pre-reading skills, I took part in the identification of kindergarten children who were at high risk for having problems learning to read. It’s therefore quite likely that I came to the book in question with many preconceptions formed from my personal history, and not a few prejudices against the large number of educators who have laid claim to expertise in the subject of dyslexia.
I am delighted to report that Dr. Shaywitz’s book has left me stunned by its brilliance, its accessibility, and its thoroughness. If there is a child or grandchild in your family who is having difficulty decoding the written word, I can recommend Overcoming Dyslexia without reservation, and indeed urge you to purchase a copy immediately. Actually, the same recommendation pertains for adults who suffer from reading problems, because Dr. Shaywitz offers real hope and lots of sound, practical advice for any reader at any age.
Perhaps the best news of this book is that there is always hope. For many years, educators have believed that if you don’t intervene early-on when a child is having trouble learning to read, he or she is doomed to a life of illiteracy. Dr. Shaywitz notes that while delayed intervention can mean more and harder work for the adult student, it is never too late to teach and stimulate the centers of the brain that are basic to success in reading.
These are exciting times for educators who teach reading, because for the very first time they have solid scientific evidence of what goes on in the brain when a person reads. Thanks to tools like functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), we no longer have to rely on opening the skull and peering in, which early scientists did, and which gave precious little precise information. Now we can observe the likenesses and differences between the brains of proficient readers and the brains of dyslexics. We have even been able to observe changes in the dyslexic brain as it undergoes the right kind of remediation. Truly, we can in a sense re-wire the brain, because while dyslexia is not a curable disease, but rather a condition that stays with a person for life, scientists and educators have learned how to define the reading process and therefore refine the teaching process, so that the brains of dyslexics show new activity in the critical areas.
Overcoming Dyslexia is brilliant not only in its complexity, but also in its careful, step-by-step presentation. You need not be an educator to follow Dr. Shaywitz’s definition of dyslexia as “a reading difficulty in a child or adult who otherwise has good intelligence, strong motivation, and adequate schooling.” Her explanation of the problem and history of the steps that have led to the current breakthroughs fill the first half of the book. Along with the history, she gives several anecdotal accounts of children and adults with dyslexia. Her thorough discussion of the skills needed to become a good reader is exceptionally clear
Dr. Shaywitz’s section on diagnosing dyslexia not only provides a list of clues to look for, but also refines them into an age-appropriate order, from the very earliest evidences all the way up to diagnosing bright young adults.
The second half of the book is prescriptive, given to very precise suggestions for treatment of the condition (you’ll note that many of the suggestions are essential for non-dyslexic young children, also). Included are things like exercises to encourage phonemic awareness (i.e. being able to hear and separate the sounds that make up a word) and comprehension of the alphabetic principle (knowing that changing the placement of a letter, or substituting another letter, in a word will change its sound or meaning). She reminds us of the efficacy of introducing rhyme and alliteration to very young children via songs and nursery rhymes, or making a game to help the understanding of syllabication by clapping the number of syllables in a word:
“el”(clap)“e”(clap)“phant”(clap).
There are lists that suggest appropriate books for various stages of early reading, as well as advice on choosing a school and a good reading program. There is a discussion of accommodations which will make a dyslexic’s school progress easier. And, in a particularly lovely and moving chapter, Dr. Shaywitz speaks of how to protect and nourish your child’s soul.
This is, as stated, a reader-friendly book, but it is also a fine piece of scholarship. There is a question-and-answer section at the back of the book, as well as extensive notes, and there’s a really good index which you will, I’m sure, find yourself using often.
— JS
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