Early diagnosis makes the difference

New research on how dyslexia has affected Irish adults in their everyday lives was presented to the fifth European Congress of Psychology at UCD this summer by Jean Browne and Evelyn Buckley, educational psychologists with the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Difficulties. Earlier this year they sent a questionnaire to over 400 adults who had been diagnosed as dyslexic between 1985 and this year, to find out where they are now, how they are doing, what they are working at and generally how they are getting on.

Their findings, based on 120 completed forms, show clearly that those who were diagnosed at an early age in recent years feel better about their experiences in school and afterwards than those who were older when they were diagnosed.

Almost 60 per cent of the people who were diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 57 years said that they their confidence had been "very much" affected in a negative way.

"These may be people who have gone through life being told they were stupid or lazy and know instinctively they are not," explains Browne. "They come in and report heart-breaking stories of how they were treated at school and say how much being assessed, regardless of getting help, is such a major relief to them and their lives. Being understood at school in terms of having a specific difficulty is obviously very important."

The findings point to the importance of the link between awareness and understanding of dyslexia and confidence - "confidence even in terms of their personal relationships."

In contrast, those who were diagnosed between the ages of eight and 21 years were not as badly affected - almost 30 per cent of them said that their confidence had not been negatively affected at all. Just 12 per cent of the respondents in this younger age category said their confidence was only "slightly" affected in a negative way - 15 per cent were "very much" affected. Also 35 per cent of all respondents said that being dyslexic had a very negative effect on their promotional prospects at work.

The study also found that nearly 85 per cent of the people who were diagnosed with dyslexia between the ages of 26 and 57 said they were not satisfied with the level of understanding at school. In contrast over a quarter of those diagnosed between 18 and 21 were satisfied.

"I get very depressed thinking about my educational past," said one respondent. Another said: "I find it very difficult when sharing a house that I will be found out. If they notice a mistake I have to come up with a quick cover-up."

Over 75 per cent of respondents felt that it was extremely important to increase the awareness of dyslexia for improving the level of support for future education and training.

In complete contrast to national trends, none of the female respondents was working in clerical jobs and only a fraction, 3 per cent, of males are involved in clerical work. "They are not going for the jobs that demand clerical skills," says Browne. "The study shows this quite clearly. They are going into careers that don't demand reading and spelling so much."

The study also found that the percentage of adults with dyslexia who are going on to third level is in line with national trends. "It was encouraging to find a high percentage going on to further education," says Buckley. She points to the fact that the respondants to their questionnaire came from all the socio-economic classes in spite of current perception of dyslexia being a middle class syndrome.

"People are coming from all classes," she says, "because it's such a big impediment to their lives."

Contact: The Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities, Suffolk Chambers, 1. Suffolk Street, Dublin 2. Fax: (01) 679 0273