When Testing Leads To More Confusion

Testing For Dyslexia

“Definition Displacia” - when testing leads to more confusion:

“Definition displacia” is a term invented by Daniel Willeman, the father of two dyslexic sons, to mean: “a situation where everyone agrees there is a problem yet there is no conclusion as to the exact nature or severity of the problem”. Some of the severe risks of definition displacia are:

1. More time will be spent identifying the problem than correcting the problem.

2. A decision will be made that if it can’t be identified there is nothing that can be done to help.

3. The problem is mis-identified and the wrong actions are taken. (Examples: wait and see whether the child grows out of the problem, or medicate the child.)

4. An extreme conflict situation may develop between the parent and school. (rarely good for the student)

So what can you do? There's not an easy answer, but one thing is to focus on finding solutions, rather than labeling the problem.

The book The Gift of Dyslexia provides one approach that can be easily implemented. The Perceptual Ability Assessment described in the book is extremely useful as a way to find out whether Davis methods are likely to work.

Our webmaster has also written a book geared to helping parents sort out conflicting advice and opinions and make informed decisions about how to help their child. The book - The Everything Parents Guide to Children with Dyslexia is written in clear and easily understandable language, and guides readers through the various theories and approaches to dyslexia, covering issues from early childhood to college age.