Innovations and Insights

✍ Scribed by Ellen Morgan

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 977 KB
• Volume: 2
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1076-9242
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0909(199611)2:3<209::aid-dys48>3.0.co;2-7

✦ Synopsis

Responses to diagnosis

Many dyslexic people, particularly adults, respond to diagnosis by expressing considerable relief. They often enter the assessment room carrying a lifetime of baggage reinforcing the belief that they are thick, lazy or stupid. Yet there is commonly a recognition that these allegations didn't really apply to them. Therefore, the term 'dyslexia' serves both as a substitute for all the negative labels that were previously used and as an explanation of their particular learning difficulties.

After the relief, however, dyslexic people need to understand the nature and the reasons behind their differing learning styles. Most often, they are left with little sense of what dyslexia really means. McLoughlin, Fitzgibbon and Young (1994) highlight the importance of offering adults appropriate feedback to ensure that they benefit from an assessment of dyslexia. 'If, following an assessment, a client leaves without a greater understanding of the nature of their difficulties and what they can do to overcome them, then the assessment has been a waste of time' (McLoughlin, Fitzgibbon and Young, 1994, p. 44). They suggest that proper counselling should provide clients with an insight into their strengths and weaknesses profile along with suggestions of coping strategies.