Dyslexia - What Should We Do?

The title is a bit of a cheat really. I have no idea what to do about dyslexia, and I don't think anybody has a universally acceptable solution to the problem. I have included links to two short, but interesting articles that got me thinking about this question.

https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/10/24/city-buildings-lit-up-red-to-support-people-with-dyslexia/

I sometimes wonder about campaigns like this. Does lighting up some buildings or starting a hashtag campaign really help the people who are suffering? I think in this situation the real difficulty is to find the extra commitment in terms of finance and professionals (teachers, support workers, psychologists) to ensure that resources, training and support are available in our schools.

And this is where campaigns like this really can help. If you are walking down the street, or reading something online, and an image of a building lit up in red makes you think a bit more about how you personally can commit or contribute to supporting those in need, then we are one step closer to finding a real solution.

It is always going to be difficult to find ways to highlight the problems and the levels of suffering, loneliness and exclusion experienced by those with Specific Learning Difficulties.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50095218

80% ?????

When I went to school nobody had even heard of dyslexia. But now we have been aware of the problem for almost half a century. How can we accept that so many of our children are going to hate every day they spend in school, without gaining the benefits an education system has to offer? Surely the people who spend all their time working on the national curriculum are clever enough to include alternative and creative pathways through the education system?

Text Driven World

I recently travelled abroad for the first time in a long, long time, and suddenly realised how dependent I am on the ability to read signs, instructions and directions. When everything is in Italian and I only know two or three words of the language it can become a bit confusing.

I recently saw this article online and realised how difficult it must be for those with dyslexia to function in situations which seem easy to me.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7269835/Mollie-King-cuts-stylish-figure-white-vest-peach-skirt-departs-BBC-studios.html

Even driving to a strange town and trying to work out what to do in a car park can be a nuisance. I think it is interesting that even in her job as a radio presenter, Mollie King needs to be able to read phone texts as well as scripts and playlists, but has developed strategies to manage this part of her life.

HMRC Uses 'psyops'

https://www.devonlive.com/devon-men-say-hmrc-caused-2743802


I have just come across this interesting article in a Devon newspaper. It seems to me that all large organisations are now developing practices and strategies that are designed to manipulate customers, clients and the public, and that they are increasingly using behavioural scientists to guide these practices.

As a minimum wage earner, I always find it difficult and intimidating when dealing with these large and powerful entities. And I always wonder if the people who work for these organisations feel the same way when they are in a situation where they are 'victims' of similar strategies.

The other question that occurs to me is the character of the behavioural scientists behind such procedures. Almost all psychology students I have spoken to have been drawn to the subject with the intention of understanding and helping others - they are usually compassionate and thoughtful people, interested in how personalities, relationships and psychological illnesses develop and how people might be helped in various situations. The fact that some of these same people would become involved in manipulating, intimidating and possibly injuring others surprises me, and I wonder if they always know how their research and knowledge is being used.

Of course, the other question that occurs is why it is Devon men that are the victims; why not Devon women, or London taxpayers? (I know, I know - it is a local newspaper and refers to a few specific local men - but that headline still sounds odd to me).