ABSTRACT
It is useful to distinguish the kind of teaching which children are given after they have been found to be experiencing difficulty from the teaching which they receive when they are initially learning to read and write. Some educationalists, recommend use of the term 'specific learning difficulties' in preference to 'dyslexia'. The Bangor Dyslexia Test comprises a series of items, with a method of scoring which takes into account hesitations, special strategies, and the like as well as the correctness of the responses. The commonly reported limitations of dyslexics in the area of short-term memory may in fact be a consequence of their lack of phonological skills. 'Teaching reading' is in any case too limited an objective. The great advantage of an approach that is structured, phonic, and multi-sensory is that it is economical: reading and spelling can help each other along.
