Unlike most other neurological problems, the difficulty in learning to read, write, spell, or compute is the focus of one's success in school. Students are judged to be good or poor students based upon their ability to deal primarily with written language. Those who experience difficulty are often labeled by teachers and their peers as lazy, unmotivated, or lacking intelligence. The frustrated student may react to these labels with strong emotions which lead to inappropriate actions. Back to List of Questions 5.
Estimates vary considerably.
Although the figure is probably low, in 1990, the United States Department of Education reported that 1,200,000 American school children are so afflicted. None of the statistics include youngsters whose dyslexia has not been recognized or the large number of adults who experience various language difficulties. Back to List of Questions 6. Similar problems among relatives Back to List of Questions 7. Most experts agree that dyslexia runs in families and that it is probably genetically based.