An interview about dyslexia

Review of an interview about dyslexia – Author’s words of wisdom for dyslexic children

“A Current Affair” interview by Dimity Clancy, 2 Nov 2020

Recently, there was a very interesting, and at times disturbing, interview about dyslexia with Kate Finney, a teacher of children with dyslexia, five of her students aged 6 to 12, and Jackie French, author of 200 books who has dyslexia herself. Here are some quotes from the interview that highlight very significant issues in understanding how to help children with dyslexia.

Tracy Grimshaw: It’s estimated that 1 in 10 children in Australia live with dyslexia, but for those struggling, there is hope, there are wonderful teachers like Kate Finney to help.

Hugh (7), Pippa (11), Ben (12), Phoebe (11), Zac (6)

Kate Finney: Dyslexia is from Greek and means “difficulty with words”. Basically it is where children have a difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.

Dimity: … [Kate] says, “The signs can be very hard to spot.”

Kate: Children are very good at hiding their difficulties. They perceive that there is something wrong and they desperately want everything to be right, so they will mask a lot. So teachers and parents need to “trust their guts”.

Phoebe: I just see tons of letters everywhere and usually I don’t see words, I just see letters and I have to decode every word to get the word.

Dimity: And she’s determined not to let her dyslexia hold her back.

Phoebe: I guess it helps that I know I have dyslexia. There’s no cure or anything, I just have to work as hard as I can and try my hardest to do my best.

Phoebe’s mum: [nurturing their confidence as they grow] … frustration turns into anxiety turns into a drop in self-esteem and all of those issues then become bigger than the dyslexia itself. That’s really worrying for a child and the child’s family.

Ben: Sad a little bit because, like, everyone else could read and I couldn’t.

Dimity: So what did you do about it?

Ben: I just kept trying.

Zac: For me it means that I can’t write, I mean I can’t spell that good and read that good. It’s just like the words are too hard.

Dimity: Why do you think it is important to be able to read and write?

Hugh: It’s because they make you kind of much smarter.

Pippa: When you get older you can’t guess what it says, you actually have to be able to read it.

Kate: Literacy is crucial and we have got to give all children the fundamental right to being able to read and write. So if we deny children access to literacy we are actually saying to them, “You don’t count,” and they start believing that.

Dimity: … no one can show these kids they can be what they want to be more than Jackie French.

Jackie: … I couldn’t spell, I found it very hard to decipher words on the board, my letters were all mixed up, my numbers were all mixed up, but I still remember Miss Davies spending hour after hour after hour sitting next to me, guiding my hand so I could write. … I can’t write legibly now, I couldn’t at school. … Australia is going backwards with literacy. More and more children … every year have reading problems. It shouldn’t be like this.

Dimity: Jackie says that early intervention is key.

Jackie: Those early years struggling were always going to leave a scar. It is so, so easy to teach kids they are stupid, and this is where we are failing our children so badly. Day after day, child after child, school after school.

Dimity: But what concerns her the most is lack of training and resources available to help teachers help their students. … university without any specialised training to manage dyslexia in the classroom.

Jackie: There is a heck of a lot of “snake oil” around. Sadly, some of the literacy programs used in schools have been shown not just not to work, but even to make things worse.

Kate: The science of reading is based on 40 years of research and it’s understanding how the brain reads …

Dimity: For parents struggling to know which way to turn …

Jackie: Often you need to fight to get the help your child needs … fighting for the right to read. … [To dyslexic kids] You have a secret super power … keep working at it because, one day, no matter how hard it is now, one day you are going to be like an eagle and you are going to soar.

Let me know, via the contact page, if you can’t find the interview. You should be able to see the video of this interview about dyslexia (and I realised an almost full transcript) at https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/australian-author-jackie-frenchs-words-of-wisdom-for-dyslexic-children/cceb4d2d-1eb9-4f83-a218-9769d3109e99

For more information on the Australian Dyslexia Association visit: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dyslexiaassociation.org.au__;!!MpbeZZfSVWPj5oYM9g!BQ9lja7DH3Pis_g1qzl4EpKvnLUi3X5FRlAsCtB-Afm5in8_eorMaqxLvL8-j0w$