News
September 2009
- World Dyslexia Forum
- Online learning course
- Films
- UNESCO Conference on Higher Education
- Never too late?
- A tribute to our volunteers
World Dyslexia Forum
D.I. announces that the European Commission, working with the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), is providing 60 scholarships for experts.
Applicants wishing to apply should visit the web site dedicated to the Forum.
The programme of speakers has been completed. We are delighted that Dr Frank Ramus, a CNRS research scientist at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, will be taking part. His studies focus on language acquisition and disorders, and he took part in the INSERM 2007 expert report on Dyslexia, dysorthography, dyscalculia.
The Language Rapporteurs, who are examining best practice in six language regions for their reports to the Forum are due to send in their interim reports this month. We are grateful to Dr Sana Tibi, reporting findings in Arabic, who has already submitted her report.
Online learning course
Dr Vincent Goetry, course director, has completed both the qualitative and quantitative profiles of the evaluations in French and English from more than 60 teachers and teacher trainers. These results are extremely encouraging with more than 95 % assessing the course as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. The revisions of both English and French versions are now in hand, to be ready for presentation at the Forum.
Films
Our own new film is called Dyslexia – On the right lines (La dyslexie – vers les combinaisons gagnantes). Marion Walker made a major contribution to preliminary discussions with Dr Vincent Goetry, who is overseeing the contents, as this complements the online course.
Editing has started in Paris under the supervision of Georges de Genevraye, a director of photography who is himself dyslexic and highly enthused about the project.
Demystifying Dyslexia is from the USA. We asked volunteer Rafael Recio Cuevas to review it.
‘Bruce Jenner, Olympic Champion in the decathlon (1976) and dyslexic himself, hosts this documentary of 58 minutes, which provides a holistic picture of dyslexia that aims to heighten understanding of condition in the United States.
It encourages viewers to continue working and investing in people with dyslexia, giving out the message that dyslexia can be overcome. It shows the difficulties of living and learning with this neurological difference and is an illuminating film for those interested in knowing more about the whole condition, especially parents. It gives perspectives from the different actors implicated: dyslexic people themselves (covering all age ranges), special education teachers, reading specialists, educational psychologists, parents, physiologists, and other professionals, through individual stories, educational initiatives, scientific research and explanations.
Despite the fact that we cannot ‘cure’ dyslexia we can minimize its negative effects by working with children from an early age. It is hugely important to screen pre-school children, mainly those with a family history of learning difficulties, and then start to work on the learning process as soon as possible to re-wire the brain connections of these children as well as adults. The brain imaging research in Georgetown University demonstrates this, as well as the work of special schools such as The Gow School which tackles the most difficult cases.
It should be a priority in every school to educate parents to understand the importance of their role, as well as seeing to it that their teachers have access to the appropriate training and to other experts as part of a multidisciplinary team.
It is crucial to spread expert information on effective techniques and strategies and to invest public money sensibly through focusing efforts and resources to demystify dyslexia for everybody.’
UNESCO Conference on Higher Education
Judith Sanson, Executive Director, and colleagues attended The New Dynamics of Higher Education and Research for Societal Change and Development – The World Conference on Higher Education in Paris from 4 – 10 July.
Conference reports can be found here.
Eminent speakers included the head of the Pasteur Institute, the Open University, Global Education at Cisco, and the former Assistant Director General Education at UNESCO, Sir John Daniels.
On 4 July Dr Vincent Goetry was invited to make a short presentation about dyslexia at a lively preparatory meeting of non-governmental organizations. (Dyslexia International is in operational relations with UNESCO as a non-governmental organization.)
Never too late?
Is it possible that, despite the very best remediation possible, a person may not acquire functional literacy?
Professor Uta Frith, Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, answered:
‘This is a very interesting question. You might get different answers according to whom you ask.
In my view it is perfectly possible that there are rare cases where a person is not able to achieve a functional literacy level. The success of intervention depends not only on external provision of remedial programmes, and the timing of the intervention, but also on internal factors, which have rarely been researched in this context, for example, motivation, stamina, resourcefulness, intelligence, memory, concentration, etc.
I also believe that intervention can be effective at any age. It is never too late. Early intervention is of course the most desirable.’
A tribute to our volunteers
Our warmest thanks go to our volunteers from many different parts of the world this summer: Amy from the UK, Fatimata from Mali, Gezem from Turkey, Gladys from Haïti, Patrick from Ireland, Rafael from Spain, Victoria from the UK, Xunxun from China, and Zebo from Uzbekistan.
Zebo
Patrick
HRH Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, Dyslexia International Patron with Amy and Victoria of Highsted Grammar School, summer work-experience volunteers, with English teacher Anne