🚀 go-pugleaf

On Thu, 24 Feb 2000 at 10:20:39, Oz <Oz@upthorpe.demon.co.uk> wrote in
demon.tech.pc:
(Reference: <rxcvxAA3XQt4EwWG@upthorpe.demon.co.uk>)

>
>Which doesn't mean it doesn't affect other things than written (either
>reading or writing) english. Maths wouldn't normally be described as
>'english' for example.
>
This makes an important point. A person can be numerate - capable of
dealing with numbers and arithmetic processes - but cannot cope with
maths because that is more concerned with logical processes and to a
large extent with how to represent them in graphical (literally =
"written") form.

Perhaps, Oz, you could enlighten us, from the inside, so to speak, about
how dyslexia is a problem with recognising and/or writing words, rather
than actually understanding words and being able to use them.

I wonder if it is also worth pointing out that just because someone is
functionally illiterate - can't read more than a few words strung
together, is incapable of writing a grammatically correct sentence with
any but the shortest words mis-spelt - that person may not by any means
necessarily be dyslexic. There could be many other causes, some
inherent, some environmental and some even culpable. Extremely low
intelligence [1], absence from the critical early days at school because
of serious illness, living among people who despise any form of literary
endeavour so discourage any attempt from the very beginning, absence
from school by deliberate truancy (which may, of course, be related to
some of the other causes). There are many other reasons.

The thing that I associate as a characteristic of all dyslexics I have
met is the inherent ability being there, but "blocked" somehow. This is
evident from those, of whom Oz is an excellent example, who have managed
to break down this blockage and then do so well with their use of
language.


[1] I know it is politically incorrect to suggest that as a possibility,
but when those who argue that point stop one person from earning a
fortune because he shows a better aptitude for playing football than
another, I will give them some consideration.
-- 
John Underwood