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Basic Facts About Dyslexia & Other Reading Problems
Paperback
Published June 30, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 27, 2025
Quick and to the point with lots of timeless insights sprinkled throughout
December 28, 2024
This was written in 2008, and I think it could use an update. There's good information on dyslexia here, but in 16 years, surely there are some new neuroscientific insights.
One thing I didn't love:
Quote:
The most recent National Assessment of Adult Literacy (2003), reported by the National Center of Educational Statistics, showed that 5% of all adults are “non-literate,” about the same proportion as children in educational research studies who have chronic, severe, reading disabilities. These adults cannot read at all. Another 21-23% of adults can recognize some words but function at the lowest level of reading, often described as functional illiteracy. In other words, we can safely say that 20-25% of the adult population can only read and the lowest level or not at all. Of this 20-25% of non-literate and non-reading adults, only about 25% are immigrants whose command of English is limited [...] (26).
First of all, a new edition would have updated statistics (which, to be fair, are not a whole lot different, but still worthwhile to look at). Second, I take issue with immigrants being called illiterate. I realize it's not necessarily the authors calling them that, because it's based on official language from the National Center of Educational Statistics, but I got to thinking, how would I feel if I moved to Germany and was called a "non-literate, non-reading adult"? Those things just aren't true. Sure, I am not literate in German, but that doesn't make me illiterate and certainly not non-reading.
In my opinion, there needs to be a different category for those who are literate in one (or more) language but not the language of the country they currently reside in. When considering education, whether someone is a child or adult, literacy in any language makes a huge difference in the ability to apply phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills in learning how to read and write in a new language.
I liked that this book was a super fast read and explained dyslexia and other reading difficulties in an easy-to-understand way. It's worth reading if you want a quick rundown, but I'd advise something more current.
One thing I didn't love:
Quote:
The most recent National Assessment of Adult Literacy (2003), reported by the National Center of Educational Statistics, showed that 5% of all adults are “non-literate,” about the same proportion as children in educational research studies who have chronic, severe, reading disabilities. These adults cannot read at all. Another 21-23% of adults can recognize some words but function at the lowest level of reading, often described as functional illiteracy. In other words, we can safely say that 20-25% of the adult population can only read and the lowest level or not at all. Of this 20-25% of non-literate and non-reading adults, only about 25% are immigrants whose command of English is limited [...] (26).
First of all, a new edition would have updated statistics (which, to be fair, are not a whole lot different, but still worthwhile to look at). Second, I take issue with immigrants being called illiterate. I realize it's not necessarily the authors calling them that, because it's based on official language from the National Center of Educational Statistics, but I got to thinking, how would I feel if I moved to Germany and was called a "non-literate, non-reading adult"? Those things just aren't true. Sure, I am not literate in German, but that doesn't make me illiterate and certainly not non-reading.
In my opinion, there needs to be a different category for those who are literate in one (or more) language but not the language of the country they currently reside in. When considering education, whether someone is a child or adult, literacy in any language makes a huge difference in the ability to apply phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills in learning how to read and write in a new language.
I liked that this book was a super fast read and explained dyslexia and other reading difficulties in an easy-to-understand way. It's worth reading if you want a quick rundown, but I'd advise something more current.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews