Dyslexia can be a serious barrier to learning or a trial to overcome. The key is early diagnosis and intervention, writes Louise Holden

What do Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, John Lennon, W.B. Yeats and Winston Churchill have in common, apart from genius? Dyslexia. Of the thousands of Irish school children currently awaiting special educational resources, you can be sure a large percentage have it too. There are no official figures for dyslexia prevalence in Ireland but, based on international studies, up to 8 per cent of the population is thought to be affected. Symptoms may be mild to severe but there are few people with dyslexia who cannot be helped by early diagnosis and intervention.

Anna McCartan* can say, with the benefit of hindsight, that her daughter started to display dyslexic tendencies at around the age of three. She could not do jigsaws and had serious problems with sequential learning skills such as reciting the alphabet. However, Anna started to suspect dyslexia only when her daughter had serious problems reading and writing in senior infants.

"I took Catherine for private assessment with an educational psychologist recommended by the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. Her performance IQ was almost 40 points lower than her general IQ. She was clearly intelligent but when it came to reading and writing she was not demonstrating that." Armed with a diagnosis of dyslexia, things got a bit easier. Anna was able to apply for exemptions from Irish for Catherine. She was also able to enrol the child for a year's free special reading tuition at St Rose's Reading School in Tallaght.

"The year at St Rose's was great for Catherine's development and confidence. However, when she returned to mainstream school there was little continuity of support and I have been paying for private tuition ever since," Anna explains.

When Catherine finished primary school, Anna found herself back at square one. "I had to pay for a new assessment for Catherine in order to get her exempted from Irish at second level. It cost €350. If you cannot afford to pay for private assessment there is a waiting list of up to two years for the National Educational Psychology Service. I don't know how families without resources cope."

Children with dyslexia qualify for exemptions and supports based on the severity of their condition. If, for example, you have an average IQ (92) or higher, but your reading skills fall into the 10th percentile of all students (the lowest 10 per cent), you are likely to qualify for an exemption from Irish and special accommodations when taking State exams. Many parents have complained that the criteria for exemptions are arbitrary and do not take account of the individual needs of students. One parent is reported to be considering legal action against the Department of Education and Science for excluding her daughter from exemptions.

For those parents with the right documentation, the situation is improving.

The Report of the Task Force on Dyslexia, commissioned by the Department of Education and Science in 2001, recommended - among other things - the development of a strategic plan for the establishment of additional special classes in mainstream schools for students with specific learning difficulties.

The Department of Education has acknowledged that there is a backlog in the processing of applications for assessment and officials are currently preparing to implement a change in the allocation of services. Schools will soon be allocated full-time permanent resource staff according to pupil numbers. With these staff in place, schools will be able to manage their own assessment and support allocation. A circular outlining the new system is due for publication this month.

On foot of the Task Force recommendations, the Department has also commissioned a special video and CD for parents, explaining dyslexia and providing therapy guidelines.

In the meantime, parents who suspect that their children might have dyslexia have a set course of action to follow, though it is a slow process for those without money.

After ruling out problems with sight and hearing, parents should, as a first step, contact the school. If school authorities agree there is a problem, they will refer the child for assessment by the National Educational Psychological Service.

The problem that arises at this point is the delay in processing applications - the Department has received over 2,300 applications for assessment this academic year alone, none of which have yet been processed.

Alternatively, parents can arrange for a psycho-educational assessment with a private psychologist. According to Anne Hughes of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland, parents can avail of psycho-educational assessments at its Dublin office for €300. Parents can expect to pay up to €500 for a private assessment, however, and a list of registered psychologists can be obtained from the Psychological Society of Ireland's website at www.psihq.ie.

Once a child has been diagnosed as having dyslexia, the first line of support is the class teacher. He or she may be able to give some additional support in the regular classroom to students with learning difficulties such as providing photocopied notes and exempting the child from certain activities such as reading aloud.

Students with moderate dyslexia may receive extra support in their school from the Learning Support teacher in a small group setting.

Resource teaching is specialised one-to-one tuition which is available to students who have been diagnosed by a psychologist with a specific learning disability, who have average or above average intelligence, and whose basic skills in reading, writing or maths fall at or below the 2nd percentile.

Special reading schools, or special reading units within mainstream schools, are provided by the Department of Education and Science free of charge to students with severe dyslexic symptoms. The regular school curriculum is followed, with the exception of Irish. The pupil-teacher ratio of these schools and units has recently, according to the Department, been reduced from 11:1 to 9:1.

Beyond school, parents may avail of private tuition, Dyslexia Association Workshops and Exam Preparation and Study Skills classes. Several DAI branches run summer schools for students with dyslexia every July.

Students with dyslexia may qualify for a number of other accommodations within the mainstream education system, such as exemptions from Irish and special arrangements when sitting State exams. These arrangements include the provision of a reader, use of a word processor, use of a tape recorder or a spelling and grammar waiver.

In 2001, 1,232 students availed of the spelling and grammar waiver, which means that they were not penalised for mistakes in these areas. However, the fact that special arrangements such as the waiver are indicated on the Leaving Certificate document is a matter of some controversy.

Anna McCartan has managed to keep her bright and confident daughter up to speed thanks to a combination of State intervention, private resources and the support of the Dyslexia Association. She feels lucky. "If I had not been able to pay for private assessment and tuition, I know that things would have been a lot different."

• For further information visit www.dyslexia.ie

* Name has been changed

What's the alternative?

The causes of dyslexia are not known, although there are several theories. New therapies based on these theories are gaining ground. For the moment, the best and most effective intervention is specialised teaching support and parental education. However, some of the following therapies are now available in Ireland.

Primary Movement

The Primary Movement programme is based on the theory that learning difficulties can be caused by primitive reflexes remaining active in the body. This condition is said to be corrected by a programme of exercises designed to inhibit primary reflexes and thus develop and improve balance and co-ordination. Training in Ireland, currently available only to teachers, is based on research carried out at Queen's University Belfast. Further information is available at www.primarymovement.org, www.ndt-ireland.com, www.braingymireland.com and www.ddat.co.uk

Eye-Related Therapies

Colour-tinted lenses or filters have proved effective in the elimination of glare which causes some readers to experience perceptual difficulties. Further information is available at www.irlen.com

Nutritional supplements

Essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils) are said to help maintain eye and brain function. These are found in oily fish (for example salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and in vegetable oils and seeds. Supplements are also available.

Recognising dyslexia

Possible indicators of dyslexia (ages three to five)

Slow acquisition of speech; difficulty pronouncing multi-syllabic words; spoonerisms (eg., fips and chish for fish and chips); difficulty with rhyming; inability to recall the right word; difficulty in adding to new vocabulary; problems learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colours and shapes

Possible indicators of dyslexia (ages five to seven)

Is slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds; has difficulty repeating multi-syllabic words (for example, emeny for enemy); confuses small or "easy" words such as at/to; makes spelling errors including letter reversals (d for b), letter inversions (m for w) and letter transpositions (felt and left); listening comprehension is better than reading comprehension; has difficulty planning or organising; has slow and poor quality handwriting

Possible indicators of dyslexia (ages seven to 12-plus)

Continues to have difficulty reading text aloud or silently; confuses letter sequences (left for felt); poor reading accuracy, fluency, or speed interferes with reading comprehension; spelling is inappropriate for age and general ability (for example, spelling the same word differently on the same page); uses avoidance tactics when asked to read or write; experiences language-related problems in maths (e.g., when reading word problems and directions, confuses numbers and symbols); is unable to learn multiplication tables by rote; lacks understanding of other people's body language and facial expressions; has trouble with non-literal or figurative language (e.g., idioms, proverbs); has difficulty remembering his/her own telephone number or birthday; lacks self-confidence and has a poor self-image