Just the Facts About Dyslexia
In our quest to serve students with learning differences by delivering innovative programs that address their academic, social and emotional needs, Educational Pathways Academy strives to stay informed. We seek to understand the latest facts, statistics, research and trends happening across our nation and world surrounding literacy in exceptional student education, language-based learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD and neurodiversity.
It’s with this in mind that we kick-off a blog series “Just the Facts About Dyslexia.” The blog series summarizes findings from many research sources. It’s purpose is to educate families about dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities. We are sharing a cumulative summary of third-party information taken from a wide range of books, published articles and blogs, research studies and websites in this arena. Sources are cited accordingly.
In today’s blog, we’re talking about:
1) Dyslexia & the Population-at-large
2) Dyslexia & The Education System
Dyslexia & the Population-at-large
Dyslexia affects 1 in 5 people. (1) That’s effectively 20% of the total population! In addition, 8.5 million American students have dyslexia. (2)
Dyslexia is a spectrum condition. It ranges in degrees of severity, from mild to severe. While there are general characteristics of dyslexia, the specific challenges and the severity of those challenges can vary for each child. For example, some children may have more difficulty matching sounds with letters, while others are more challenged by memorizing sight words. Sometimes, when a child has mild affects of dyslexia combined with high intelligence, the condition can go unnoticed. (3)
Dyslexia doesn’t discriminate! In fact:
Nearly the same percentage of people from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds have dyslexia.
Nearly the same percentage of males and females have dyslexia. (4)
Boys make up about two-thirds of students identified with a learning disability even though research shows that boys and girls have equal rates of learning disorders. (5)
Dyslexia represents 80-90% of all those with learning disabilities. Dyslexia is the most common of all neuro-cognitive disorders. (6) Other language-based learning disabilities beyond dyslexia include dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dysphasia/aphasia, and auditory and visual processing disorders.
Dyslexia ‘travels in packs’ with other learning disabilities. In fact:
30% of children with dyslexia have at least a mild form of AD/HD. (4)
A child with a learning disability is twice as likely to suffer Attention Deficit Disorder, compared to the general population. (7)
Dyslexia is often hereditary. In fact, about 40% of siblings and as many as 49% of parents of dyslexic children also have reading issues. (8)
There are many misconceptions about dyslexia. For example, in a nationally representative public opinion poll, 50% of the general public agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that learning disabilities was a term often used to describe a condition that should really be called laziness. (9)
Likewise --- and alarmingly ---- 33% of teachers and other educators believe classroom challenges are sometimes just laziness. (10) Finally, more than half of the public, a similar number of parents, 43% of teachers, and 31% of educational administrators believed learning disabilities were often caused by conditions at home. (9)
Which brings us to our next section! Let’s take a look at what we know about the educational system and dyslexia.
Dyslexia & the Educational System
According to the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, 65% of all US 4th graders scored “below proficient” in nationwide reading benchmarks, which means they are not reading at grade level. (11)
Remember, dyslexia affects about 20% of the general population. So not only are dyslexic students likely below proficient in reading, their non-dyslexic peers are also struggling. Interested in why that could be? We recommend a visit to the podcast by Emily Hanford - www.soldastory.org.
Here’s the risk if students don’t receive intervention:
Of children with learning disabilities who display reading problems in the first grade, 74% will be poor readers in the ninth grade and into adulthood unless they receive informed and explicit instruction on phonemic awareness. (12)
One-third of students with a learning disability have been held back a grade. Repeating a grade raises the risk of dropping out. (10)
Students who repeat two grades have an almost 100% chance of dropping out of school. (13)
Stay tuned - we’ll talk more about the risk factors for students that don’t receive intervention in our next blog post.
Remarkably, dyslexia is identifiable, with 92% accuracy, at ages 5½ to 6½. (12) And yet, more than 80% of dyslexics leave school unidentified. Why? We’re not sure, but it is equally disturbing to share that 91% of teachers have little or no understanding of Dyslexic Strengths. (14)
Finally, the research around Dyslexic Strengths offers incredible hope! Dyslexics are more likely to own two or more businesses (15) and are 4x more likely to be entrepreneurs compared to the general population. (16) We’ll write more about that later, too!
About Educational Pathways Academy
Educational Pathways Academy (EPA) is a private school that specializes in the academic, social and emotional development of students with language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. At EPA, your child’s journey is about more than just delivering structured literacy or Orton-Gillingham instruction (although we do that, too!) It is about their total academic, social, and emotional success. It’s about helping them overcome and work around their disability, exploring their strengths and talents at every turn. And finally, it’s about preparing them for a successful life and career ahead, with whatever accommodations they may need to survive and thrive.
Sources:
“About Dyslexia.” Dyslexia United. Dyslexia United About
“H.R.3033 - Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act.” Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3033/text
“What are the Different Degrees of Dyslexia?” Lexicon Reading Center. https://www.lexiconreadingcenter.org/degrees-of-dyslexia/
“Statistics.” Dyslexia Center of Utah. Understanding Dyslexia (dyslexiacenterofutah.org)
Peterson, T. (2022, January 17). Learning Disabilities Statistics and Prevalence, HealthyPlace. Learning Disabilities Statistics and Prevalence | HealthyPlace
“Dyslexia FAQ.” The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. Dyslexia FAQ - Yale Dyslexia
“Substance Abuse and Learning Disabilities: Peas in a Pod or Apples and Oranges?” September 2020. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. ED452630.pdf
Understood.org - “Is Dyslexia Genetic?” online article - https://www.understood.org/en/articles/is-dyslexia-genetic
“Measuring progress in public & parental understanding of learning disabilities.” Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. (2010). Measuring Progress in Public & Parental Understanding of Learning Disabilities (tremainefoundation.org)
“Learning disabilities by the numbers.” Understood. Learning Disabilities in Children | Understood
The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, per 2013 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading test results and The Nation’s Report Card by the US Department of Education: https://thencbla.org/literacy-resources/statistics/#:~:text=Sixty%20five%20percent%20of%20all,at%20or%20above%20grade%20level.
“National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summary Report.” 1994. National Institutes of Health. NIH-Study-1994.pdf (readingsuccessplus.com)
“The State of Learning Disabilities:Facts, Trends and Emerging Issues (Third Edition, 2014).” National Center for Learning Disabilities. The State of Learning Disabilities: Facts, Trends and Emerging Issues (Third Edition, 2014) (ncld.org)
“Connect the Spots Report.” Made By Dyslexia. ConnectTheSpotsReport.pdf (madebydyslexia.org)
Julie Logan. “Dyslexic Entrepreneurs:The Incidence; Their Coping Strategies and Their Business Skills.” Cass Business School. 2004. Dyslexic entrepreneurs: the incidence; their coping strategies and their business skills
Tulip Financial Group (2003) Study commissioned for a BBC Two series ‘The Mind of the Millionaire’. British Broadcasting Corporation, London. Who wants to be a millionaire? | UK news | The Guardian