I have to admit this reply is what first irritated me to some extent. I refrained from writing an immediate riposte to avoid sounding too harsh.
However, having been accused of trolling I feel free to do so now.
To just state casually that my ex, whom I described as an avid reader (meaning she was reading books all the time, and enjoyed doing so), was actually just "browsing words" (which I understand as "not comprehending"; yeah right, read through all of Agatha Christie, John le Carré etc. etc. without comprehending, don't make me laugh) is a quick and naive judgement of a person the lady doesn't know a thing about.
Then she proceeds to deny my ex had any sort of dyslexia problem and accuses her of being sloppy or negligent with her writing.
That is condescending and insulting and that line exposes a total void of understanding dyslexia at its core.

Yes spelling comes easy for those who read if the person in question does not suffer from dyslexia, but not for those who do.
Maybe Miss Glenda is an excellent teacher, I can't say either way, but she needs to put her mind to what she is writing, that might help.

 

I don't know about any research to back up what I'm going to state but here goes.
Dyslexia in my experience (one case only, my ex) has much more to do with having trouble with writing (active spelling) than with reading (recognizing words). If that would be a typical dyslexia case, then it seems to me not a reading problem per sé.
My ex would mess up words when writing (getting letters in the wrong order), but was/is an avid reader.

 

If the child's problem is dyslexia, then we have a real big challenge as it is a disorder that has something to do with the brain's composition. This problem though is rare. Most problems in reading stem from the lack or absence of proper teaching/instruction at school or in the home where much of the learning happens. There are kids who also do not learn as fast as the others and need a lot of targeted repetitive exercises. I had tutored a kid who was already in Grade 4 and was struggling to read even one-syllable words. It seemed like he didn't get any instruction at all on how reading was supposed to be done. After a few months of daily tutoring, he finally was able to read like a Grade 4 pupil. Another similar case was from a reputable school whose mother was my former student who came to express her problem about her daughter who could not read a thing and was already in Grade 3. There are countless of cases like this as some prep schools or kindergarten no longer teach the basics in reading. This is a problem because when they reach Grade 1 pupils are expected to know how to read already. In fact schools start giving real thick books with real lessons in them while the poor Grade 1 pupils are still clueless about reading. I was asked to tutor one for his lessons in all the subjects but I had a bigger problem when I found out that the kid could not read a single word in the book! How will he learn his lessons in Science, Araling Panlipunan, English, etc. when he could not read? I was caught between teaching him how to read and making him understand the lessons. And many other cases which requires immediate intervention/help. I am referring to this sort of problem.

 

Please keep going with your knowledgeable and intelligent discourse on this subject - just plough through the advice given by those who know nothing and then relax with a cup of tea and a piece of heavy cake.

 

Of course "hyperactivity" as it was once called, does definitely exist as a cognitive characteristic as applied in this case, to school children. It always has. But the newer, formal label "ADHD" calls, what is usually a natural and normal behavior of hyperactivity in some kids, a psychiatric "disorder" and that is relatively recent perhaps going real mainstream in the early 80's. Like it or not, such labels are demeaning and demoralizing because the world treats them as taboo. Disagree? Would you like to tell a prospective employer that you were diagnosed with "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" on a the health questionnaire of job application?

We would never have approved the admin of legal shabu to our kids as they grew up, certainly not for the purpose of chemically enforced compliant behavior in the classroom. Like many, I question whether chemical intervention is the best way to deal with kids who have a difficult time dealing with the educational process which can be boring to some children; "boring" results in the "attention deficit" part of "ADHD". When I was in class in the 50's/60's I distinctly remember there were always a few unruly kids in each class (but no meth prescriptions); some such kids were disciplined by having to stand in the hall, or write things down on the blackboard in repetition, or kneel on the floor or suffer a few cracks from a ruler on their knuckles. There were spankings sometimes. A few had to take time out for a 3 day suspension (I agree that seems counterproductive to the interest of the child and wont make a judgment on it). But they still do it today anyway, even with the widespread availability of these behavior modification drugs.

At other times, prior to this treating of supposed anti-social symptoms with meth, the kids were able to change teachers, sometimes with excellent results; different teachers can present topics differently in the minds of certain kids; what they found mundane and boring previously they would now find interesting and want to learn more about it. I am sure that has happened to many of us.

And finally there was the very rare case where a kid was so bad that no teacher could conduct a class without him and he was expelled. Juvenile delinquency and institutional detention sometimes even entered into it but that was the rare situation, an exception where drug therapy might be appropriate if it occurred today.

A few of them turned out to be successful later on getting their GED diplomas later on as serious students, outgrowing their rowdiness after learning a trade as a mechanic or joining the military.

I don't recall any of these earlier measures causing physical and mental addiction as methamphetamine compounds are prone to do. My kids' classmates kept requiring these drugs throughout high school and college. I have to wonder how much mental creativity has been stifled from these kids in their formative years after tranquilizing them into submission.

 

Great to have an expert's knowledge.

 

I have no problems with your post or your reply. Just pointing out that dislexia exists and cannot be ignored in any child who appears to be having problems reading.