TVNZ has a piece about dyslexia that’s both good and bad. The good: It calls attention to the fact that Learning Disabilities are not officially recognized in New Zealand. The bad: It repeats the common mistake of equating dyslexia with reversals and pegs incidence at 10%. There’s a 10-minute video that has other misinformation (e.g., individuals with dyslexia have attention problems; some, but not all, do).
Dyslexia affects at least one in 10 kiwi children but the Ministry of Education does not recognise it as an official learning disability.
It is a disability that, at a basic level, may be recognisable through problems such as seeing words or numbers back to front or putting them in the wrong places. It is not associated with a lower IQ, and in fact, many dyslexics have been known to have above average intelligence.
However, the learning needs of dyslexic children are unique. But under the current system, those with dyslexia do not receive the extra time and attention they need.
Link to the print lead I’ve quote here; from it, you can also find a link to the video (Flash required).
The discussion between newscaster and Steve Maharey (Minister of Education) is worth watching. Is it that the newscaster champions using the term “dyslexia” while the Minister says New Zealand uses “Learning Disabilities?” I don’t know exactly how New Zealand structures its special education services, so I need help here.
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John, it never ceases to amaze me that the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand & Great Britain aren’t identical in their approaches to difficulties with reading. I gather that in Australia, the Whole Languagers have had a very deep impact. And of course Reading Recovery is a NZ product. I don’t understand why the UK is so enamored of “retained reflexes” and “Brain Gym” and the Davis Dyslexia method has made a HUGE inroad in the Southern Hemisphere. Oh, and that dyspraxia thing — evidently quite prevalent in the UK, while not so common here. One of the courses SPELD offers for credit is developmental optomentry. Why?
Here’s the contact for various NZ bodies:
SPELD is an acronym for Specific Learning Disabilities.
HEAD OFFICE
SPELD NZ
c/o Secretary, P.O.Box 25, Dargaville
Phone 09-439-5955
E-mail faj@xtra.co.nz
SPELD
Auckland,
P.O.Box 24-042,
Royal Oak, Auckland 1030
Ph 09 - 624 - 3771
Fax 09 - 624 - 3717
E-mail speldauckland@clear.net.nz
SPELD’s Characteristics of Learning Problems/Dyslexia
Pre Schoolers
Slow development of speech.
Scrambled pronunciation of words.
Difficulty learning nursery rhymes.
Reluctance to play with puzzles.
Difficulty with rhythmical tasks.
Clumsiness.
Children
Difficulty following instructions.
Difficulty with explaining time, organisation, direction.
Difficulty learning times tables, days of week, months of year.
Letter and word reversals.
Large discrepancy between written/verbal language and between academic achievement and general knowledge.
Adults
Difficulty following lengthy spoken instructions.
Slow responses to spoken information.
Poor organisational or time keeping skills.
Difficulty reading telephone numbers, dates and names.
Confusion with left/right.
Slow inaccurate reading, poor spelling.
Effects in a Learning Environment
School is often a difficult place. Without support and understanding, students may develop inappropriate behaviours which get all the attention while the underlying disability is undetected and ignored. Results may be confusion, frustration, anger, withdrawal, family disruptions, emotional distress, delinquency and problems with the law.
What Can Caregivers Do?
Remember - knowing more about the problem will enable you to
understand and help.
Talk it over with the class teacher.
Have hearing checked.
Have eye sight checked by an optometrist.
Discuss the problem with the family doctor or paediatrician.
Contact SPELD
How Can SPELD Help?
SPELD members include families and psychologists, readers and teachers trained in dyslexia and specific learning difficulties. SPELD is an
acronym for Specific Learning Disabilities.
Clients range in age from young to old. Symptoms range from mild to severe.
I forgot to give you the URL for the above
http://www.speld.org.nz/index.html
Here’s another resource for you:
http://www.yellow.co.nz/site/dyslexiahelp/
Dyslexia in New Zealand
Help is at Hand !
What’s New?
* Check out below to find out about the Cookie Muncher Charitable Trust’s Davis Dyslexia Correction Programme Scholarship for those aged 8 to 18.
* On the new page,’Young Learners info,’ learn about the Davis (TM) Reading Programme for Young Learners.
* New testimonials on the ‘About the Facilitator’ page.
* A first for New Zealand—- Davis Learning Strategies courses for teachers. See the new ‘Young Learners info’ page
I forgot to leave the URL for the above.
And there’s the Learning and Behavior Charitable Trust
http://www.lbctnz.co.nz/
Our Vision
* To ensure the special learning needs of young people are identified and provided for and funded from within the education system
* To ensure all young people with Dyslexia / ADHD can take their place by right as successful future New Zealanders
International research shows that currently in New Zealand youth with Dyslexia / ADHD and low educational achievements are over-represented in juvenile crime statistics (80%), youth suicide rates (31%) and anti-social behaviour, such as substance abuse (80%). A large percentage of prisoners (50% approx.) have also been shown to be dyslexic.
New Zealand is one country that denies students in this significant special learning needs minority (10-20%) any funding or other process for identification and support in schools. The needs of this minority group are clearly not represented within Education 2000 funding. At the moment it remains the concern and responsibility of individual parents to find extra funds for assessments and remediation.
The LBCTNZ believes it is the fundamental right of all students with special learning needs to have their difficulties identified and remediation support available funded from within mainstream Education.
This is the priority goal of the LBCTNZ.
This group of students continues to struggle, trying to achieve academically, in spite of their average or mostly an above average intelligence. They are often labelled SLOW and are once again over-represented in the ANTI-SOCIAL or DISORDERED BEHAVIOUR category of learners and may feature predominantly in suspensions, truancy, expulsions, early school leavers.
Contact info
Email: lbctnz@slingshot.co.nz
PO Box 40-161 Upper Hutt, New Zealand. Telephone 04 567-8786, Facsimile 04 567-8783