Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Parents, teachers, administrators, and politicians often demand the best reading method. Nothing less will do. So, of the hundreds of reading methods, which is best?  Read more...

Many parents of children with reading disabilities (and some advocates and attorneys) insist that the Wilson Reading System (Wilson) is the only reading method that can help their child learn to read. They claim it’s the scientifically proven method for overcoming dyslexia and other reading disabilities, and thus the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) supports it.

They’re wrong. And if they take this argument to court, and the school’s experts are well-versed in the research, the school has valid reasons for prefering its methodology, the IEP’s goals and objectives and services are sound,  and the hearing officer or judge believes, like most do, that courts should not overturn a school’s decision about methodology, the parents will likely lose.  Read more...

Often, no.

With enthusiasm, dedication, and genuine tears of gratitude, many parents advocate for particular reading programs, programs they claim cured their child’s dyslexia. They’re joined by many teachers and private reading consultants. These proponents—genuine in their beliefs and unbridled enthusiasm for particular programs—ignore these possibilities:  Read more...

• Good teaching, rather than the particular program, was responsible.
• The placebo effect was operating, as it often does. A sugar pill can sometimes be as effective as a brand name pill costing $100.
• The program works for some children, but only for a few.
• Other programs would have worked as well, or better.

Parents often ask me to recommend a specialized school or reading program for their child, who they say has “dyslexia.” Usually, they’re surprised by my first four questions: Who told you that your child has dyslexia? On what did they base their diagnosis? How did they define dyslexia? What is it that your child has difficulty doing? The reason I ask these questions (and more) is that many private reading services, including private schools, are ideologically committed to the concept of dyslexia. Whatever the nature of the child’s reading problem, they attribute it to “dyslexia.” Rarely do they use “dyslexia” in ways that have instructional value.