ABSTRACT
While it is recognised that there are individual differences among all students and also within sub-groups such as dyslexia, there is still a very strong body of opinion, and research evidence, to support the specialist approach. Pumfrey and Reason (1992) recognise the potential difficulties in evaluating pedagogical approaches for dyslexia when they suggest that ‘the key issue is whether the considerable range of teaching/ learning methods, techniques and materials available are differentially effective with pupils (who have) identifi ably different learning characteristics’ (p. 113). They also suggest that one of the important aspects of pedagogical approaches for children with dyslexia is the quality of teaching and that ‘one important aspect of teaching quality is the knowledge, ability and willingness to look critically at the evidence … in support of particular methods’ (p. 125). The view held by Pumfrey and Reason still holds good today – they suggest that for conceptual reasons there is unlikely ever to be a panacea for dyslexia. This view is supported by the comments made in the BPS (1999) working party report into Dyslexia and Psychological Assessment when it suggests that no fewer than ten different hypotheses can be associated with dyslexia. This indicates that we need to be open to a wider and more diverse view of dyslexia as there can be a wide range of characteristics associated with dyslexia which will in turn mean a broader range of teaching approaches should be considered.
