MYTH BUSTED

So that the self-esteem of those who don't read well isn't adversely affected, dyslexia was invented:

Dyslexia, the learning disability thought to affect one in 10 Britons, does not exist and is no more than an emotional construct, education experts will claim in a television documentary to be aired next week.

Julian Elliott, professor of education at the University of Durham, said that despite 30 years in the field he has little confidence in his ability to diagnose the condition.

"Dyslexia persists as a construct largely because it serves an emotional, not scientific, function. Forget about letter reversals, clumsiness, inconsistent hand preference and poor memory - these are commonly found in people without reading difficulties, and in poor readers not considered to be dyslexic ...

"Public perceptions often link reading difficulties with intelligence and, in our culture, an attribution of low intelligence often results in feelings of shame and humiliation.

"It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the widespread, yet wholly erroneous, belief that dyslexics are intellectually bright but poor readers would create a strong, sometimes impassioned demand to be accorded a dyslexic label.

There was no need to invent dyslexia when the language already had two perfectly appropriate words to describe those with reading difficulties: lazy or thick.