intelligence squared

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DYSLEXIA PROFILE PDF Print E-mail
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Friday, 06 October 2006 19:29


' If you had demanded that the N.I.H. solve the problem of polio, not through independent, investigator-driven discovery research but by means of a centrally directed program, you would end up with the very best iron lungs in the world - but you would not get the vaccine that eradicated polio.'

DFES LINK - DYSLEXIA RESEARCH - OFFICIAL UK GOVERNMENT RESEARCH SITE :


The role of government .Government defines the problem , independent investigator-driven discovery research postulates solutions , governments implement these solution when and only when these solutions are brought to it's attention .

GIFTED DYSLEXIA PARADOX

Brock Eide "In short, dyslexia has a boatload of possible symptoms that makes it difficult to spot. And one of the biggest symptoms is one that educators rarely correlate: giftedness. Underneath all of the spelling mistakes and the trouble focusing, the backwards handwriting and the processing problems, dyslexics have a high tendency to be extremely smart. In fact, studies have shown that the average IQ of a child with dyslexia is routinely higher than that of the regular population."

"They stretch the boundaries, from a young age" Brock Eide continues. "When they read, they can't just automatically match sounds and letters, so they use contextual cues and problem solving and no one may realize there's a problem." Dyslexics grow so good at problem solving, at finding alternative ways to compensate for the fact that they struggle with the written word, that they become expert brain stormers. "Dyslexic children often become some of society's greatest adult thinkers," Brock Eide says.

THE UNIFIED THEORY

Based the worlds most used meathod of correcting dyslexia

Our view is that dyslexia falls within a spectrum , that dyslexics are not less than ,or less able or less capable , if anything we lean the other way , if this view annoys you , if you are not comfortable with our pluralist ideas then stop reading .

The unified theory and the Davis perception of dyslexia as a gift share the same basic premise, rather than viewing dyslexia as a pure deficit this explanation views dyslexia as a difference . Lets illustrate , the word ' hippopotamus has a fixed association , if you think of the mind as a treasure map , the word hippopotamus triggers retrieval of associated image into working memory . Pretty straight forward you will agree , but what about words that are far harder to pin down , trigger words . According to Davis trigger words cause disorientation . The Davis solution to literacy , model these hard to pin down words in clay , in three dimensions , in order to provide the mind with a concrete kinesthetic association .Giving the visual working memory something to retrieve, something to work with . The implication is that the gift of Davis dyslexia is to see the world in a highly visual 3 dimensional way and not from an auditory sequential viewpoint .

THE THEORY

Applied Learning Styles , unify the four big theories .The Working Memory Hypothesis, Automation , Time and Differences . Applied learning styles are very exciting , PERSONALIZED LEARNING shows great promise , by addressing root causes , learning styles are not only elegant they suggest workable solutions . By shifting processing and formation of cognitive colleges away from the inner ear [internal dialog] [PHONOLOGICAL DEFICIT] and it's reliance on transitory auditory memory , an area of weakness , towards the hippo campus and the inner eye [DIFFERENCES] .

A contextual [cybernetics] systems approach ,defined simply as the art of ensuring the efficacy of action ,identifies WORKING MEMORY as the weak link in the system . The solution is to implement a learning paradigm which relies on fixed visual colleges [TIMING]. It takes longer to formulate memories but once formulated they persist , set free from the ebbinghaus curve ,to borrow a term from NLP you create capability , changing behavior [AUTOMATION] , encouraging personal discovery based learning where the learner is informed and empowered and seeks out appropriate materials outside of the classroom , this is the aim of every literacy programme , READ TO LEARN not LEARN TO READ ! . This is the Einstein hypothesis .

TESTIMONIAL

My personal back story begins as a 21 old working my way through university . I had two part time jobs bar tending at night , working for a retailer part time during the day . In my spare time I studied law and business . I had originally intended to study economics as a major .The grey science suited me . I was a natural systems thinker . Recalling and Interpreting visual content was not a stretch demand and supply curves just made sense to me . The course however was marginalized , so in my second year , I switched and found myself studying business and law .

Test 1

At 21 I took the test for dyslexia . Administered by an accredited body the result was bad , shockingly bad certainly not what you expect from a law student . As my academic course rolled on . I increasingly struggled with the work load but never the work itself . My memory I believed to be excellent .

Test 2 - Mild

At the age of 24 after university , I got pulled into a Cherie Blair's class action lawsuit , the second test was administered by a qualified appointee of the law firm representing the class . The second test result showed a marked improvement from shockingly bad to an almost non existent condition . At the time I never made much of it , why flag up something that is no longer and issue , ' it is what it is ' and besides the problem was more or less solved. In terms of education I almost certainly never achieved what I should of and consequently I never got the structured career opportunities . The class action eventually came to nothing but at the time it was most certainly not in my interest to improve so dramatically .

.... So what had happened

Let me make this clear , I did'nt think for one minute , I had a problem with memory , my memory was I believed excellent .I could remember pages of text word for word and had reproduced those notes in exams under pressure many , many times , but I reasoned good should not be the enemy of great . After all people exist who can count into entire decks of cards inside a minute , I could not do that , nobody I knew could do that . As a feat of memory it was mightily impressive , as a former law student I knew the value .

On deeper reflection an epiphany , my memory turned out to be photo recall , it was capacity limited , slow and inflexible . I couldn't just read edit and store . I needed to take notes then mentally photograph those notes . I wasn't a great listener . I got bored quickly . If you didn't get to the point I had a tendency to lose concentration . My own sub vocalized thoughts tended to crowd out new information , sequences were easily broken . I simply wasn't one of life's multi tasker’s. On more than one occasion in my early life I have had to re-read half a dozen pages of a text book or newspaper , even entire chapters. I frequently found it impossible to focus as unresolved questions and unrelated thoughts and ideas queued up for my attention. The result , I would achieve absolutely nothing, learn nothing , the worst thing , it was my time I was wasting. I was inefficient .

Even when focused I was unable to edit summarize or boil down my thoughts . Once fixed the order was hard wired. A photographic memory that could navigate to the correct page but not the correct chapter or sentence . I was note dependent .I thought I had a gift I did not . Curiously in later years I discovered I had the right type of wiring to excel but not the knowledge or training to leverage capability . In written examinations I was never quite sure if I was going to answer the question or not .

What I lacked was an effective reading strategy and the capability to execute that strategy .

An effective reading strategy allows you to retain focus and summarise materials effeciently without recourse to written notes . Facilitating the parsing of complex text with a clear understanding and appropriate critical insight . Most importantly it is reductionist ,one concept , one idea per chapter and this is the key insight it need not be verbal , sub vocalization creates noise and too much noise equals distraction .

Verbal and non verbal memory can be trained

To train memory capability you need a means of generating random information , a method for remembering that information and a way of checking recall .

The Digit Span software was conceived as a reliable ,effective ,age neutral assessment and training tool . The forcing of memory taxes concentration and sequential memory , scoring the test provides simple reliable and accurate feedback . The addition of a phonetic character set added method . That method is applied inside a controlled environment with short time cycle feedback loops which is great for accelerating learning . I would go on to develop more advanced tools more advanced techniques but the DS remained a vital bridge .



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THE MYTH OF DYSLEXIA-

Our society is being brainwashed North Korean style , reading is a symptom not the condition , Joe Elliot argues that literacy has nothing to do with dyslexia , while being literate is a foundation of educational success , it is not and never has been a function of intelligence . That does not mean that dyslexia does not exist but rather reading difficulties are a symptom not the condition .What we diagnose as dyslexia today , will in the future turn out to be a fundamental difference in information processing .Under pressure to get results , unable to solve the paradox , schools and charities have focused on what they can do, fix what they can fix . Learning to read it turns out and reading to learn are not the same thing . Could human brains be wired differently , for plurality .A plurality of thought means accepting more than one idea , more than one viewpoint , more than one way of seeing the world , without feeling threatened . How else can we explain how dyslexia and the genius of Einstein , Edison , Marconi , Faraday can co exist inside the same mind .

THE WAIS PARADOX

A documented paradox of the original WAIS , originally attributable to timing of the visual test , is that Verbal IQ is frequently in the top 10 percentile ranging up-to 130[genius] . Outpacing performance or visual IQ . The original visual test was designed for the army to measure aptitude for assembly and navigation skills . . The WAIS test itself is at fault . It may be as simple as a case of mislabeling or it could reflect the subconscious bias of the test designers . Remember these tests have hardly changed in more than 100 years . It should be noted that the Stanford Binet IQ test throws up a mirror image result and many subjects who score high on verbal IQ and average on the visual will excel with highly visual spatial tasks like chess . Simply by removing the spatial element you change the nature of the task . This does not make the task easier for a mind that is wired up to synthesize information . The reverse however will be true for the trained sequential thinker , who is wired up to analyze to break things down . NLP practitioners argue that no paradox exists , the tests are simply mislabeled , visual thinkers encode information differently at a sub conscious level they argue , thinking and speaking needs to be quick to keep pace with racing fleeting images , giving a high verbal IQ . The verbal test is really measuring visual IQ by proxy .Performance / visual is really measuring practical kinesthetic aptitudes . -->

PROFILE - source country UK accredited dyslexia bodies qualifying questionnaire



A dictionary definition of dyslexia defines this condition as an - Impaired ability to learn to read . The dictionary definition reflects the popular perception of dyslexia as a literacy disorder . However this narrow definition is misleading , the word dys-lexia relates to dys - difficulty and lexia - of or relating to words . Lack of facility with words in one or all of it's forms oral , written - symbol , memory . This lack of facility is relative to overall ability , the gifted may fall well within average ability ranges and never realize full potential . The profile is a pattern of inconsistency .

Below are a list of 12 questions used by accredited dyslexia bodies to determine if a full test for adults is warranted answering yes to any of these questions is cause for concern . Like hyperlexics dyslexics may exhibit exceptional visual abilities and aptitudes that border on the savant .

Profile

If you sub vocalize (read aloud in your head)
If you find it hard to concentrate
If the month's of the year your times table even the alphabet seems to dance in you minds eye
If you can't remember messages or Jokes
If you get halfway through a set of instruction If the thought of a textbook or manual brings you out in a rash
If making more than one mental note is a waste of time
If your train of thought is easily derailed and you struggle to pick up where you left off
If giving a prepared speeches is to be avoided
If you find it difficult to immediately apply new skills and knowledge
If learning anything worthwhile is a repetitive boring and time consuming exercise
If you can't remember what you have just read

A contradiction may also be identified a contradiction that will not be found in the general population , this contradiction is usually associated with high aptitude . The paradox of dyslexia is that high aptitudes are often accompanied by deficits with the basics . Agatha Christie couldn't spell , Einstein couldn't do his sums , the easy tasks and hard , the hard tasks easy .

DEVELOPERS NOTE

At the end of the last millennium Thomas G West in his seminal book In The Minds Eye coined the phase 'a constellation of traits' .The curse of language is that we become obsessed with labels , dyslexic [from the root dys - difficulty and lexia - language] , autistic , hyperlexic , statement no statement . We define and classify because we seek recognition of a frustrated expectation that potential is not being met , that potential is being blunted .If we can tap that potential then labels cease to have significance.

“Our intention in releasing courses which is not aimed specifically at children or literacy , is to provide an alternative where none exists .We accept that those who work for ,and on behalf of charities do an invaluable job but the message of the charities is pervasive . They have done too good a job in getting the message out in highlighting the plight of the least fortunate . Over the last 10 years the dyslexia charities have been so successful that nobody is left to speak to the 90 % who get by , who may or may not have been tested , Edison , Darwin , Faraday , Marconi , Churchill and Albert Einstein , Nobel prize winners all , deserve better .

Our innovation is to advance NLP as the definitive solution , a course pitched not at children , but at adults and families . We believe an aspect of genetic heredity facilitates greater identification. The best teacher is someone who has a vested interest , someone who has already developed their own coping mechanisms someone who gets by , who can work in reverse , interpret simplify and adapt . Faraday , Darwin , Einstein are no longer available . Our course will provide guidance our automated software / training tool will help provide ongoing feedback.







Last Updated ( Friday, 06 January 2012 17:06 )
 
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