Dyslexia as a Language Disorder
Master's students Raneem Riadh and Amani Hadi recently led a seminar titled "Dyslexia as a Language Disorder" under the auspices of the Language Research Center on November 13, 2019. Their enlightening presentation encompassed various aspects of dyslexia, including historical background, underlying causes, symptomatic indications, and potential treatments.
Riad and Hadi commenced their talk by discussing learning disabilities related to dyslexia, such as dysgraphia and dyscalculia, further illustrating the topic with samples of work from individuals affected by these conditions. They explained that the term 'dyslexia' derives from Greek, with 'dys' signifying difficulty and 'lexia' referring to language. They defined dyslexia as a specific learning disability that affects basic reading and spelling skills and has a neurobiological origin. During the discussion on dyslexia's prevalence, they pointed out that this reading disorder is common and often underlies difficulties with reading, spelling, and writing.
The duo shed light on the history of dyslexia, recounting its first identification in 1877 by German neurologist Adoff Kussmaul. Furthermore, they highlighted the stories of notable personalities such as Pablo Picasso, Whoopi Goldberg, Muhammad Ali, Steven Spielberg, and Cher, emphasizing that they had excelled in their fields despite grappling with dyslexia.
The seminar proved to be an informative and interactive session, receiving positive responses from attendees. Participants included faculty members and Master's students from the main campus, contributing to the event's overall success.
