Today, there is a heightened sensitivity around defining an individual with a label—case in point, calling someone “dyslexic.” How a child or adult may respond, is connected to how he has filtered this diagnosis within himself, hopefully positively, encountering great support along the way.
It wasn’t until the sixties that neurological connections were made with reading difficulties. It’s easy to imagine, within that time frame, the poor self-images children adopted in school, when no one could help them understand how they needed to learn to read—the actor Henry Winkler comes to mind.
Now, we see respect and understanding around a dyslexic profile. If your child is struggling with a dyslexic “label”, everyone should be on board (parents, teachers, etc.) fortifying continually the POSITIVE, so any negative feelings that may surface, will not linger too long. I recommend reading How to Boost your Child’s Confidence which will help you support him.
Your child should grow to share proudly, “I am dyslexic—I’ve learned to read within a structured program.” He is not labeling himself, but simply giving understanding to others about his way of learning that is different from those with non-dyslexic profiles. Differing neurological pathways? Yes. Independent reading for both? Yes. Labels should never get in the way.