Nursery World - Dyslexia claim stirs furore

Education experts hit back last week after a Labour MP claimed that dyslexia was 'a cruel myth' that should be consigned to the 'dustbin of history'.

Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley, blamed poor teaching methods forilliteracy and said that children should be taught using syntheticphonics, citing the success of schools in West Dunbartonshire.

Writing on the website manchesterconfidential.com, Mr Stringer said,'The reason that so many children fail to read and write is because thewrong teaching methods are used. The education establishment, ratherthan admit that their eclectic and incomplete methods are at fault, haveinvented a brain disorder called dyslexia.'

He added, 'To label children as dyslexic because they're confused bypoor teaching methods is wicked.'

Mr Stringer said that if dyslexia really existed, countries likeNicaragua and South Korea would not have been able to achieve literacyrates of nearly 100 per cent.

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