The dyslexia ecosystem: Commentary 2

✍ Scribed by T.R. Miles

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 28 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1076-9242
• DOI: 10.1002/dys.226

✦ Synopsis

Of course Rod is right that we should aspire to all the high minded goals that he mentions}sharing knowledge, open mindedness, avoidance of inertia and of stultifying dichotomies and a strong evidence base; but these are all much more difficult to achieve when resources are so limited. I believe that the main reason why dyslexia receives so few funds lies in our own divisions that quite understandably put off grant givers. 'If they can't agree amongst themselves why should we support them?' Dyslexia covers such a breadth of knowledge: neuroscience, cognitive and educational psychology, linguistics, special needs teaching, psychiatry, that no individual can hope to cover them all, and grant applications tend to be shot down by referees in another speciality spotting flaws in our knowledge. I agree with Rod therefore that an important step would be to sink our differences in a Dyslexia Academy devoted to increasing the overall resources available to dyslexia research, teaching and support. United we can avoid the divisions that enable each of us to be picked off and deprived of funds one by one.