Dyslexic students affected by noies? Er, noise.

Source:  BBC Health; Medical News today; University of Southern California

In what appears to be a slow medical news cycle, it is reported that a Northwestern University (Chicago) research team have found that students identified with reading and learning skills associated with dyslexia experienced more difficulty with noisy background environments.

This is actually interesting information for a number of reasons. First, dyslexia affects 5-10% of  children. Second, it suggests that dyslexia may have a component in auditory versus visual processing. Third, it provides potential for remediation including the reduction of noise in classrooms.

But none of those reasons are why I find this study interesting. I find this story interesting because it echoes a broader issue in the timely dissemination of medical information. I first encountered the story on the BBC Health website.  I’m an anglophile, deal with it.  However, I found it astounding that no one studying such a condition which has been around since at least when I was a young school child picked up on this.  Particularly for those of us victims of the broad educational social experiments of the 70′s.  Open Classrooms anyone?

So with very little effort on my part I found that the same results were reported on 12/12/2006 in Medical News Today, referencing a then researching team from USC.  Going directly to the source, I found that the USC Team not only came to these conclusions in 12/2005 but that they built upon a Northwestern University study from 2003.  OMG WTG?! -you might question/exclaim. OMG WTF?! Indeed.

The research is a paradigm shift (look it up, you should know that phrase) from the long-standing notion that dyslexia is a neurological wiring/processing issue having nothing at all to do with hearing.  In other words big news!  So why is it just this week being reported as new?  This is a problem.  A big one.  Just imagine all of the quality information out there that is being missed.  Anyway have a nice yad! (I kid because I care).

~Posted by David Marc Schwadron, Esquire