Dyslexia or Literacy Difficulties? Does it matter?
What is Dyslexia?
Many people across the world struggle to acquire literacy skills. While rates of people with literacy difficulties may differ due to differences in the 'depth' of a language's orthography, environmental factors and the availability of educational opportunities, there is agreement that literacy difficulties present across the full range of intellectual abilities (Stuebing et al, 2002.)
Difficulty with literacy is sometimes referred to as ‘dyslexia,’ but there is no one clear definition of what this is and number of different definitions are currently in use in the UK. Even without agreement about what it is, dyslexia has been the source of much debate amongst educators, psychologists and researchers for a number of years. There are tensions between those on one side who encourage the recognition and relevance of dyslexia, and those on the other with concern about pathologising childhood and identifying the problem as being within-child (Solvang, 2007.) Alongside this, the long standing ‘discrepancy model’ in which dyslexia was characterised by a significant difference between a person’s intellectual ability and their performance in literacy assessments, has been largely discredited. This is because it has been shown unlike a learning disability, dyslexia is a learning difficulty which has no impact on cognitive ability or skills.
Dyslexia and poor literacy: is there a difference?
There is agreement that the primary symptom of dyslexia is difficulty in acquiring literacy skills. The problem, however, is not in distinguishing those who struggle with literacy from those who do not. Actually, the key issue is that there is no tangible difference between those with dyslexia and those who just have poor literacy skills. Elliott and Gibbs (2008) concluded that, “there appears to be no clear-cut scientific basis for a differential diagnosis of dyslexia versus poor reader.” There are no biological tests for a dyslexia diagnosis, nor is it possible to identify dyslexic individuals by assessment for specific cognitive markers (Peterson and Pennington, 2012.)
In 2005, the British Psychological Society produced a working definition of dyslexia, which is still in use. It does not distinguish between dyslexia and other forms of literacy difficulty, because the same struggles underlie both. The BPS definition states that, “dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent word reading and/or spelling develops very incompletely or with great difficulty. This focuses on literacy learning at the “word level” and implies that the problem is severe and persistent despite appropriate learning opportunities. It provides the basis for a staged process of assessment through teaching.”
That said, for some people, use of the term ‘dyslexia’ can be helpful. It can provide an explanation for learning difficulties and increase access to support that might not otherwise be available. Gibson and Kendall (2010) argued that having the label to explain difficulties can increase an individual’s self-esteem, and Glazzard (2010) described the diagnostic process as replacing negative, accusatory labels (such as ‘lazy’) with helpful and supportive terms (such as ‘dyslexic.’) On the other hand, some such as Gibbs and Elliott (2015) have argued that the label can reduce the self-efficacy of teachers, as well as children’s self-concept (Polychroni et al, 2006.)
More recently, Gibby-Leversuch et al (2021) explored the views of young people with and without self-reported dyslexia or literacy difficulties, focusing on the impact of the presence or absence of labels on people’s perceptions. They found that dyslexia tends to be perceived as biological in origin, leading to the perception that young people with the label are not to blame for their difficulties, while those without the label faced more negative judgments even though they demonstrated the same difficulties. Participants viewed the label as important for gaining support, but also highlighted the potential for discrimination on its basis.
Dyslexia support and intervention
Access to appropriate support and intervention should not be dependent on the use of a label. In the UK, exam access arrangements (Joint Council for Qualifications, 2021) do not require diagnosis but are available to those who require reasonable adjustments to be made in order to access assessments. In other words, those with a diagnosis of dyslexia and those without but with the same literacy difficulties should be afforded the same exam access arrangements in order to ‘level the playing field’. With or without a diagnosis, a specialist literacy assessment can be can be useful in identifying needs and ways of meeting them. Read about our specialist literacy (dyslexia) assessment service to find out more about how RocketEd can help.
All young people should be able to access appropriate setting based assessment, intervention and support from the time their needs first become noticeable. Teaching should be adjusted and differentiation used to support learners who are struggling to acquire literacy skills. As outlined by the Department for Education (2015), schools must adopt the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ graduated approach as a model through which to intervene in order to ensure that appropriate support and intervention is in place early enough to make a difference. Whether someone has been diagnosed with dyslexia, or just struggles with literacy, there should be no difference in how and when they are supported.
