Dyslexia “The D Word” Part Three: Beyond Dyslexia Is Dyslexia Just Like Left-Handedness?

By Rachel Moore, MD, Certified Dyslexia Practitioner

In the first two posts of this series, we looked at the word dyslexia is a “diagnosis” and then as a “label”. What if dyslexia was never diagnosed and was so normal it didn’t need labeling?   Can we move beyond “the d word”?

Dyslexia as a human trait.  Since the original conception of dyslexia as a “condition”, the world has changed a lot.  Our knowledge of human biology, neurology and genetics has exploded and shed some light on what we see as “normal”.  What we’ve learned is that evolution has left humans with a beautiful variety of brains that are perfectly adapted to differing circumstances and environments over the last 300,000 years.  Some of those brains demonstrate patterns that we now term “dyslexic”.  

How did we get to the point of calling some brains “dyslexic” and other brains “normal”?  Well, first we had to invent reading and writing (around 5,000 years ago). We can assume that the people who invented the first systems of reading and writing were NOT “dyslexic” in that they perfectly understood what they had created and were able to synchronize their oral language with their written language.  Then consider the fact that most people didn’t really need to read and write in order to function in a society until very recently, say maybe the last 75 years or so?  With very low rates of literacy in society in general, and the reading and writing being restricted to the people who practically invented it, there probably weren’t a ton of “dyslexics” in the ancient world!   Looked at in this context, “dyslexia” is a creation of modern “literate” society. 

What we have is basically the imposition of a technology created by the majority and imposed on the minority who did not have the inherited neurology to use that technology.  Then, the majority deemed that minority “diseased”. Seems a bit odd, doesn’t it??? 

 Imagine you have a left-handed child that you need to send to Circle Cutting School.  Most of the students are whizzing along cutting circles with ever-increasing skill each day.  Some especially talented kids cut artistic spirals. Your kid struggles to slowly chop out a raggedy circle but you suspect that if you could just get some left-handed scissors, your child could do some amazing paper cutting.   At first, the teacher insists that your child’s work is “good enough” and points out that others in the class are struggling more. Also, he mentions that left- handed scissors are both expensive and rare. But you know there are other “lefties” in the family and you are sure that your child’s left-handedness is not temporary or changeable.  You see her potential. Sure enough, when your child gets the right scissors, she cuts beautiful paper snowflakes and paper chains. 

Ten percent of the human population worldwide is left-handed.  Historically, left-handers have been ostracized, feared and misunderstood.  Left-handedness was treated like a disease by the right-handed majority. Up to 20 percent of humans are dyslexic.  Is it possible that the majority have once again treated the minority unfairly, seeing disease and abnormality where there is only difference? 

 What then is the solution?  Reading and writing have become integral to our civilization and are necessary to access information in the modern world.  A life without literacy is disadvantaged. The majority (people for whom reading and writing come most easily) should find a way both to reach those whose brains are different (those we call “dyslexic”) and to alter the world through technology so everyone can participate.  Then we can stop using the “d word” altogether. Now that’s radical.