A genetic test for dyslexia could be available soon. This article looks briefly at the news from genetics and the possible impact of such a test on education.
February 17, 2006 - A genetic test for dyslexia should be available within a year or less, according to a recent article in the New York Times.
Dyslexia is a neurological disorder that can create a variety of problems with language and symbolic logic, depending on the severity of the condition. Researches in the field of genetics feel they made a breakthrough in Dyslexia about a year ago with the discovery of a genetic flaw that seems to contribute to the disorder. Dr. Albert M. Galaburda of Harvard Medical School announced the discovery of two more genes linked to dyslexia at a meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics in Utah recently, according to the NYT article.
While the findings may eventually have a profound impact on the diagnosis of specific learning disabilities in special education students, the research is important from a genetic point of view because, as Dr. Galaburda was quoted as saying in the NYT, it means that for the first time, "we have a link between genes, brain development and a complex behavioral syndrome." Perhaps as many as a dozen genes play some role in the development of dyslexia, which explains the varying degrees of severity of the problems dyslexics may face.
Dyslexia, according to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), is "a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction." The use of the term "specific learning disability" allows for some confusion in the educational setting. The IDA's definition is largely behavioral and medical. School systems evaluate each student individually to determine whether in their particular case their difficulties with reading and language are severe enough to constitute an EDUCATIONAL HANDICAP.
Because Dyslexia is to some extent genetic, the number of people with the disorder varies from population to population. About 15% of Americans, for example, for some degree of dyslexia compared to only 7% of Chinese.
The impact on education if and when a medical test for dyslexia becomes available is hard to overstate. At the moment a child is determined to have an educational handicap because of a specific learning disability by comparing intelligence and academic performance. The process is somewhat subjective. Being able to identify a neurological problem in the majority of students with specific learning disabilities with something as simply as a blood test could take a lot of the guess work and conjecture out of the eligibility process.
REFERENCES:
BLAKESLEE, SANDRA , "Scientists Tie Two Additional Genes to Dyslexia," October 29 New York Times online at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/29/science/29gene.html?ex=1140325200&en=51dacc23ea04a713&ei=5070
O'CONNOR, ANAHAD, "Biology of Dyslexia Varies With Culture, Study Finds," September 7, 2004 New York Times online at http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/07/science/07read.html?ex=1140325200&en=1ac752070fba480c&ei=5070
Copyright © 2006, Greg Cruey and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.
