Mr. Donald Ewing:

We know from research and from what we see from interaction through the association with people who have the lived experience of dyslexia every day that the core difficulty is with accuracy and fluency in written language, both reading and writing. However, there are numerous associated issues, not least, as the Senator points out, with confidence and self-esteem. This to due to the consistent heavy emphasis placed on the written language in primary and in post-primary school education, especially when it comes to measuring accomplishments, achievements and formal qualifications.

We know children with dyslexia work an awful lot harder to manage those challenges. They are coming home often to do the same homework as every other child, despite it being recognised they have quite different needs, and that stress is passed on to families. We speak to hundreds of families every year who talk about the nightmare of homework and the stress of spelling tests on a Friday that make Thursday nights the worst night of the week for some children. For many teachers and for many of us, Thursday night is a relaxing night when it is getting close to the end of the working week. Where there is a spelling test where individuals are presented with the same words, and we have talked a lot about inclusivity and differentiation, the reality is people with dyslexia are being asked to do exactly the same stuff as their neurotypical peers and that puts them under massive stress. That stress is not just reserved from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. It is carried through to weekends, project work, study and exams.

Young people with dyslexia can be as smart as anybody else, but there is an overdependence in our education system on extended reading and writing to measure achievement. We know these young people need reasonable adjustments, as per equality and disability legislation. This is not an option, but a requirement on State bodies to make reasonable adjustments in order that individuals with dyslexia can show what they know and can achieve to their potential. Sometimes, that is with support and, other times, it is with reasonable accommodations when we work around an issue. I suggest the exemption from Irish is a good example of working around the issue to allow young people to thrive in education and not just survive.