Expert on dyslexia tells New Zealand conference that school methods are formula for failure

From Scoop in New Zealand:

Traditional ways of dealing with dyslexia in the classroom are a formula for failure – creating low self-esteem and pushing kids towards a life of crime, according to a visiting international dyslexia expert.

Neil Mackay is in New Zealand to host a sold-out nationwide series of workshops for teachers and parents during Dyslexia Action Week (15-21 June).

A consultant to government and educational organisations in UK, Hong Kong and Malta, Mr Mackay has put together an ironic nine-step guide to ‘How to Create a Criminal’, outlining what the education system does wrong for dyslexic students. He says that right now, many New Zealand schools are unwittingly following that guide – starting with schools putting too much emphasis on reading at the expense of thinking and other core skills.

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Mr MacKay’s controversial but powerful views on the links between dyslexia and youth offending are in line with those of New Zealand’s Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft, who has identified a “route to offending” which begins with classroom difficulties caused by undiagnosed learning issues.

"I am seriously concerned as to the number of young offenders who have slipped through the ‘educational net’ because of undiagnosed learning disabilities, especially dyslexia. Overseas a pathway to eventual offending, originating from undiagnosed and unaddressed dyslexia is well-known,” Judge Becroft says.

Research is currently being planned to ascertain how many young offenders in the three youth justice custodial residences in New Zealand suffer from dyslexia or other learning disabilities. “There is a real need in New Zealand to analyse this important issue more closely,” Judge Becroft says.

In his workshops, Mr MacKay will advise teachers how to notice learning issues in the classroom and adjust teaching to allow for personalised learning. Personalised learning includes strategies based on developing comprehension through use of context, syntax and grammar, and looking at areas such as organisation of ideas, planning skills, learning to remember, raising self esteem and valuing emotional intelligence

He also has advice for parents on what to expect from schools, and what key questions to ask to make sure their child doesn’t get left behind – from what extra support will my child get, through to setting targets for progress and what happens if none is made.

Mr MacKay says that one in ten New Zealanders have dyslexia, including 70,000 schoolchildren, and that the country is at a crossroads.

“New Zealand has a choice whether dyslexic individuals become part of a problem, or part of the solution. If not addressed appropriately, dyslexia can lead to low self-esteem, disruptive and anti-social behaviours, truancy, depression, drug use and crime.”

“On the other hand, if addressed properly, dyslexia can become a key economic driver. Because of their alternative way of thinking, dyslexic individuals often excel in entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity – all implicit within the National Curriculum and sorely needed during tough economic times. Internationally, research is now focused on the unparalleled contributions dyslexics can make to the workplace and the economy.”