Just to make my position clear before the napalm falls, I think anyone
can be taught anything, providing the teachers have the time and other
resources and the learner has the will and commitment. The point of
responses to the post was surely that the student was following what is
nominally a postgraduate course. I say nominally, because it is
perfectly possible to enroll on such a course without any substantive
experience of academic work, in which case the student is likely to be
in trouble.
This is where I side with St John: if HEIs take on students for courses
(and take their money) when in practice they are in no position to
deliver the teaching required, they should revise their admission
procedures, not palm the problem off on disability support or expect
the DSA to make good the holes in their provision. Telling prospective
students that they do not have an adequate background to follow a
course is not discrimination in itself: what should happen is that such
people are told what background they will need to acquire before they
will manage the course. If people are likely to find courses harder
than does the average student, it does them no favours to lower the
standard of admittance (especially if no extra learning support has
been put in place).
At another level, if dyslexia is not defined as an inverse correlation
of IQ (or IQs) to literacy, then what it is it? I had assumed people
were defined as being dyselxic by deviation from the normative
performance of a peer population, peer here identified by IQ. Has this
changed in some way that the EP reports I see daily have failed to
convey?
Regards, Bernard
On Thu, 28 Nov 2002 15:44:21 +0000 Peter Hill <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> > What is the feeling about minimum IQ levels for dyslexic students - I
> know
> > this is a minefield but an MBA student with a full scale IQ of 83 ?
> >
> > Dr. John S Conway
> > DO
> > Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, Glos. GL7 6JS
> > Phone +44 (0) 1285 652531 ext 2234
> > Fax +44 (0) 1285 650219
> > http://www.royagcol.ac.uk/~john_conway/
> > <http://www.royagcol.ac.uk/~john_conway/>
> >
>
> Hi
>
> Are you suggesting that a dyslexia diagnosis should be tied to a
> minimum IQ, or that a student with dyslexia should have an IQ of at
> least, say 90, to enter HE?
>
> The former would involve redefining dyslexia (or adhering rigidly to an
> existing discrepancy-based definition). The latter would be
> discriminatory - unless, we test the IQ of all university entrants.
>
> A minefield, indeed.
>
> I am a little uneasy about tone and content of some exchanges on this
> issue (on this and other forums). I sense a degree of panic - and what
> could easily be interpreted as prejudice against those with dyslexia.
>
> I recognise that there are difficulties and that the pressure on the
> DSA is likely to increase as demand continues to rise. I feel we
> should beware though of knee-jerk responses rooted in a sort of quasi-
> science based on subjective impressions.
>
> I'd suggest that it is possible to chalk up an IQ of 85 on the WAIS (or
> other measure) and still be dyslexic. Further there are no rules
> prohibiting a student with an IQ of 75 from taking up undergaduate
> study. I really don't think it's a good idea - but it is certainly not
> for me (or anyone on this forum) to close the gates on any individual.
>
> Regards
>
> Peter Hill
>
>
> --
----------------------
Bernard Doherty
Student Adviser
ACCESS Centre
Anglia Polytechnic University
Tel: 01223 363271 x2534
Fax: 01223 417730
Minicom: 01223 576155
[log in to unmask]
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