In a February 4th New York Times Opinion piece, Annie Murphy Paul wrote about dyslexia. The following weekend, the New York Times published responses (The Reality of Dyslexia: Millions Struggle) to that piece. We especially would like to draw your attention to the following letter to the editor.

To the Editor:

For those of us in the field of reading, “The Upside of Dyslexia” was not a surprise. We know many smart and talented people with dyslexia. It is time for the federal Department of Education to recognize dyslexia as a specific diagnosis instead of using the broad and misleading diagnosis of learning disabled.

A diagnosis of dyslexia would pinpoint the problem and help children get the appropriate reading instruction to be successful in school.

The article states that an estimated 15 percent of the population is dyslexic. That translates to more than 45 million Americans. It makes you wonder how many scientists, lawyers, doctors, engineers and writers we have lost because they failed early on in school and no one knew how to tap into their talents and teach them how to read.

MARY BETH CROSBY CARROLL
Brooklyn, Feb. 5, 2012
The writer is a reading specialist at a New York City public school.