[Samanthagreene]

ADHD is, but I'm not sure if dyslexia counts as mental illness or learning disorder. Also, are there meds for dyslexia?
-Sam

[krisakira]

It is considered a neurological disorder.

[Grey Matter]

I am dyslexic, it's considered, like said above, a neuro disorder. It's also considered a learning disability.

[shezbut]

Those respondents above got it right ~ I'd also like to add that there are no medications for treatment.
The following is a link that offers more info on the disorder.
Dyslexia: Treatments and drugs - MayoClinic.com

[Samanthagreene]

Thanks everyone! It runs in the family and I may or may not have it, so I was just curious.

[Samanthagreene]

Oh, another question, if dyslexia is treated early enough, can it sort of be 'cured'?

[Grey Matter]

It cannot be cured. Early intervention, such as certain therapies (OT is frequently used with any kind of learning disabilities. LD's such as dyslexia can cause or be connected to dyspraxia, which I also have) as well as intervention classes where assistance can be given with reading assignments, math, etc.

I was diagnosed as a child, I am 23 now. I still have dyslexia though it is no where near as bad it as it was when I was growing up. It was never cured, I was just given the tools to work WITH it rather than against it.

[punkybrewster6k]

No cure for dyslexia and no med for it. It is a learning disability. My son was 6 when diagnosed profoundly dyslexic. Now 17, with help, he struggles in school but learned great coping skills and has support. He is doing fine.

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[punkybrewster6k]

And in my opinion, it lools to be somewhat hereditary. I have other family members with it. Cousin, etc.

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[Catmom3]

Dyslexia is a physical neurological condition, NOT a mental illness... I know some countries still consider it mental illness but it isn't....

some countries consider epilepsy to be a mental illness also but it too is a neurological disorder and physical brain condition.

To me "mental illness" denotes a pattern of warped thinking of reality, sometimes trauma induced, sometimes patterned for them by role models in their life.

[SunnyGTIR]

I think it is not considered a mental illness but is sorted under learning disability. I know a few people who have dyslexia and have days where it is not hard to read, and that is all relative to how the person feels I've noticed.

[sewerrats]

To me dyslexia I see it has something in the brain, true my Gramma and spelling are bad , but a lot of letters look the same to me , so when i write I think I have hit the correct letter but have to edit my mail lots of times, and still get it wrong. But has I write it looks good so my brain must think its correct at the time

[snarkydaddy]

dyslexia is an "input" learning disability.. There are some advantages to having it. As dyslexics look at things differently they are good at solving problems others are stuck on and can not see solutions too. There are many work arounds in the case of reading one could listen to audio books or have a computer read txt or other information. It is very possible with a lot of work to be have a successful career and life. There are many examples of house hold names who have contributed to our world.

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[Hellion]

Dyslexia certainly is not a mental illness, however people with dyslexia can get mental illnesses.

No not a mental illness, just the brain finds it hard process words together into a sentence and they cannot read correctly, it can be improved over time, you can also have dyslexia with numbers which causes troubles with math lessons, that's called dyscalculia.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by Catmom3

Dyslexia is a physical neurological condition, NOT a mental illness... I know some countries still consider it mental illness but it isn't....

some countries consider epilepsy to be a mental illness also but it too is a neurological disorder and physical brain condition.

To me "mental illness" denotes a pattern of warped thinking of reality, sometimes trauma induced, sometimes patterned for them by role models in their life.

There can also be biological factors....Also not entirely sure what is meant by patterned by role models in their life I just don't see that causing mental illness. Depending on what they learn from this role model might contribute to mental illness however.

[sewerrats]

10 years ago you would not be able to read anything I wrote, its only with internet forums I have progressed to this readable level . Don't know gramma and I have to alter to more simple words that the ones I would like to use , But yes you can overcome it to a level . I don't get so many why don't you learn to write abuse now.

[kim1975]

Originally Posted by Samanthagreene

ADHD is, but I'm not sure if dyslexia counts as mental illness or learning disorder. Also, are there meds for dyslexia?
-Sam

It is considered a learning disability, not a mental one.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by kim1975

It is considered a learning disability, not a mental one.

true but if you are depressed has kid nothing is going to sink in , I never was at school much with illness . SO lets say mental illness played its part . I can write a perfect letter ,but spell it and punctuate it . NO WAY if it is a learning disability I have had years to learn but I remain the same.

[venusss]

Dyslexia means you cannot learn to read and write BY THE STANDARD MEANS. There are various tools (cards with holes cut out in them)... and so... that can help you. One usually needs a tutor educated in these disorders.

My written English is actually much better then when I write in my native language without proofreading and autocorrect. Lotta reading helped.

Also, inability to learn grammar is not dyslexia, it's dysorthographia.

And these have nothing to do with IQ.... or being or not being depressed.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by VenusHalley

Dyslexia means you cannot learn to read and write BY THE STANDARD MEANS. There are various tools (cards with holes cut out in them)... and so... that can help you. One usually needs a tutor educated in these disorders.

My written English is actually much better then when I write in my native language without proofreading and autocorrect. Lotta reading helped.

Also, inability to learn grammar is not dyslexia, it's dysorthographia.

And these have nothing to do with IQ.... or being or not being depressed.

thank you , but I am am 66 now and learning new tricks is not high on my list of things to do. Inability not to spell or punctuate can have any name you want to put on it but it wont change how it works for me. I could write in my head a letter using far more advanced wording, but I sail round and keep it simple, my BRAIN is a temple , BUT IT WAS BOMBED AND DISTROYED YEARS AGO.

[healingme4me]

I think it's considered under neurology, not psychology.

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[venusss]

Originally Posted by healingme4me

I think it's considered under neurology, not psychology.

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In Czechlands it used to be called "mild brain dysfunction". They renamed it, to make it sound less horrible. They are not certain what causes it though.

I am taking a teacher's course and spec ped teacher pretty much scared us about how environmental pollution can cause it. Or that if we females ever gotten drunk or smoked a joint it can have impact on out eggs and our children may have various kinds of problems.

(and apparently I am not clumsy klutzy-klutz, but I have dyspraxia)

In the US, it is considered basically a learning disability although different states categorize it under special education as a learning disability while others consider it more of a learning difference that doesn't get served under special education but rather under separate dyslexia programs.

[Open Eyes]

HBO offers a great Documentary on it. My daughter and I watched it and it was very moving for her as she does have it and did struggle in school.

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/jou...ynopsis.html#/

This documentary is also based on a long study of dyslexia done by Yale. My daughter was involved in that study for many years. She began the study around age 6 and it helped me to understand where her challenges were, and how to help her.

Many people who struggle with it struggle with feeling they are not smart enough or good enough and often can get made fun of by their peers. My daughter dealt with that for years, sigh, peers can be mean. But, the truth is, often the person who has it can have a very high IQ, and in the study they noticed they tend to be more driven in spite of how they are challenged with learning.

As I mentioned, it has nothing to do with intelligence, the brain uses different areas when learning, which takes longer, but can actually have advantages. Because we now understand it better, students are often given more time to take tests because of how it can take the dyslexic brain a bit longer to read a question, understand the meaning of the question and then come up with an answer. That was a challenge when my daughter was in school because of how her peers made fun of her, she tended to not want special treatment or stand out by having more time than others when test taking.

Because my daughter was a part of that study, I was lucky because I had the paperwork to present to teachers and the school so she would not be punished for mis-spelling and the teachers would encourage her to be ok if she needed extra help or time. I was lucky because the paperwork I had to share with teachers discussed her challenged areas because not all dyslexics are the same. While math was a challenge for her, she grew to love it, and oddly enough she works in a job where she is always using numbers and math and she has designed programs to make certain calculations easier. Also, in spite of the challenge dyslexics have with reading, my daughter grew to love reading and reads a lot.

Our technology is very helpful to dyslexics because of spell check etc. now.

OE