MY PERCEPTION

Alex was assumed to have had Dyslexia, CAPD, and ADHD by several teachers and therapists. However, no testing was in agreement with CAPD nor ADHD and he is still too young to determine Dyslexia.  All of the symptoms represented by all of these possible diagnoses, however, are in agreement with a hearing impairment (as the previous 3 posts display), which he does have.  Do we find it interesting that many times children with Dyslexia or CAPD often have ADD or ADHD?  Maybe there is really only one diagnosis: hearing impairment.


Hearing impairment is a 'blind' disability for a child does not know what he is not hearing, because he does not know what he is supposed to be hearing. School aged Children who are prescribed glasses because they cannot see well enough to take notes from a chalk board typically do not show any signs to an observer.  Normally they are only found in the mandatory school vision screenings.  Why does the school perform these screenings if the child is not reflecting any outward signs of vision problems? Because they know that not all vision impairments are noticed by observation. So why isn't the same considered for hearing; why does an observer have to be able too see outward signs of impairment?? If vision can be impaired at levels only testing can detect, it seems appropriate to assume that hearing would also have levels of impairment that could only be detected by testing. What educational difficulties would be observed in a child who had an untreated vision impairment at a level unnoticeable by an observer?


I think it may be apparent to any readers that I do not believe that our current levels of hearing impairment are adequate and only address those levels of impairment that have apparent implications in the infant toddler period to any observer, but what about the periods that are marked in education of learning letters and sounds, then applying the knowledge to learn to read. These two pieces are the pieces that are typically weak in those children who present with Dyslexia or reading difficulty and they are typically addressed in kindergarten and first grade.  Which means, a lesser impairment may only be apparent to an observer once the child is in school , just like those children whose vision impairment is only apparent once they are in school.