Getting diagnosed with dyslexia in adulthood

[Zelenius]

More and more I am encountering people in their 30s and 40s who claim they were very recently diagnosed with dyslexia or another learning disability. How can this be? It is obvious that they had a mild case to begin with, but they usually struggled with certain subjects in school. Their problems almost always involved writing and reading, but sometimes involved doing math. Some thought they had "dyscalculia", or were simply "bad at math", but dyscalculia is far rarer than dyslexia and is usually so severe that people with it can't even do basic arithmetic. A lot of people assume that having difficulty with numbers is just "normal"(because "math is hard") or if it is severe enough it is a math specific learning disability(like dyscalculia), not realizing that dyslexia affect can mathematical ability.

How can something like dyslexia go undetected through so many years of schooling? Or can dyslexia develop later in life?

I realize that dyslexia ranges from severe to very mild, but it seems schools are reluctant to label or help the borderline cases for a variety of reasons. I think I may be a borderline case; I had reread what I just wrote over a dozen times to correct many spelling and serious syntax errors, along with some malapropisms. If it wasn't for spell-checker, I'd be nearly unintelligible if I were having a bad day.

 

[Modified]

For people that age or a bit older, not much attention was paid to it. I imagine there is some sort of regular testing now in schools.

My brother was diagnosed in 1986 when he was 16. He went to some kind of learning center, and I'm not sure what they did for him but he went from getting C's and D's in school to A's and B's.

 

[drkitten]

More and more I am encountering people in their 30s and 40s who claim they were very recently diagnosed with dyslexia or another learning disability. How can this be?

Lack of testing.

Even today, there's a lot of pushback from various groups -- usually "conservative" groups -- about widespread testing for various things that might explain poor academic performance. There's a certain mindset that finds it easier to explain difficulty as "lazy and/or stupid."

I admit to a certain degree of sympathy with these people, especially when I get handed a student who has so obviously worked the system to get special treatment in order to inflate their GPA or to get out of difficult assignments.

But the history of dyslexia is largely one of neglect. Even the term "dyslexia" wasn't officially recognized by the US Department of Education until 1994. If Modified's brother was tested in 1986, his school district was well ahead of the curve.

 

[I Ratant]

Dsylexics of the World, UNTIE!

 

[korenyx]

I can see how people might not find out about learning disabilities until adulthood.
Kansas does not list dsylexia as a learning disability so the state does not test for it. Parents who think their child has it have to pay for testing and tutoring themselves.

 

[godless dave]

More and more I am encountering people in their 30s and 40s who claim they were very recently diagnosed with dyslexia or another learning disability. How can this be? It is obvious that they had a mild case to begin with, but they usually struggled with certain subjects in school. Their problems almost always involved writing and reading, but sometimes involved doing math. Some thought they had "dyscalculia", or were simply "bad at math", but dyscalculia is far rarer than dyslexia and is usually so severe that people with it can't even do basic arithmetic. A lot of people assume that having difficulty with numbers is just "normal"(because "math is hard") or if it is severe enough it is a math specific learning disability(like dyscalculia), not realizing that dyslexia affect can mathematical ability.

How can something like dyslexia go undetected through so many years of schooling?

Fewer people were looking for it back then, or knew what to look for. That's part of the answer.

I'm 40 years old and someone I knew as a child, he would be 37 now, was diagnosed with dyslexia back in the late 1970s or early 80s. In his case, he exhibited signs early on but wasn't diagnosed until his parents moved and he changed school districts. While he lived in my school district the administrators strongly disagreed with the diagnosis - probably because once you got a firm diagnosis, the school district was obligated to pay for special education for the child.

 

[SRW]

I was diagnosed with Dysgraphia in third grade when my family was living in Seattle. From 3-6 grade I received extra attention and help. Then we moved to LA all that went away. I struggled through high school and college, and was 14 units from getting a BSCS when I got frustrated and quit. I had to take a written exam to pass, I sat and looked that the blank paper for 90 minutes. Then walked out.

I went to a shrink, a few years later, spent $1,500.00 got the diagnoses and was allowed to take the test with a computer. Had no problems completing my degree.

One of the things you learn early on is to avoid being put into a position where you have to do those things you cannot do easily. (like writing elegant sentences). You learn to cope with what for you is normal. If someone gives me a form to fill out, I always take it home for the wife to fill in the blanks.

So it does not surprise me that someone would go through life without being diagnosed. People learn quite early that you do not want to play scrabble and to avoid asking you directions.