ABSTRACT

The ‘dyslexia debate’ is resilient. In the media, a key component of the debate is the notion that dyslexia does not exist, popularised by a series of vociferous commentators. For them, dyslexia is an invention of overly-concerned parents, supported by a clique of private educational psychologists willing to offer a diagnosis – for a fee – even where no condition exists. In academic circles, especially psychology, dyslexia critiques are also present. In these, the principal argument is that the term ‘dyslexia’ is unhelpful – more an emotive word designed to attract funding, than a clearly defined scientific condition. Such arguments stand against other research in psychology, and discussion has become contentious. Largely missing from both sides of the debate, however, is a historical perspective. In this article, the origins of the dyslexia debate are traced, showing how queries about the term’s efficacy have marked dyslexia’s history since it was first identified in the 1870s. Through this tracing, this account seeks to move discussion beyond the existing either/or binary of dyslexia’s existence.

摘要

“阅读障碍辩论”具有弹性。在媒体中，辩论的一个关键组成部分是不存在诵读困难的观念，这一观点被一系列有争议的评论员所普及。对他们来说，诵读困难症是父母过于关心的发明，并得到了一群私立教育心理学家的支持，即使在没有病情的情况下，他们也愿意付费进行诊断。在学术界，尤其是心理学界，也存在阅读障碍的批评。在这些文章中，主要论点是“诵读困难症”一词无济于事–与其说是明确的科学条件，不如说是一个旨在吸引资金的情感词。这样的论点与其他心理学研究背道而驰，讨论也引起了争议。但是，辩论的双方都大大遗漏了历史观点。在这篇文章中，阅读障碍辩论的起源可以追溯，表明自该术语在1870年代首次被发现以来，对该术语功效的质疑如何标志着阅读障碍的历史。通过这种跟踪，该说明试图将讨论范围扩大到阅读障碍存在的现有或非现有的二元形式。