l cause.
4. Universal scientific consensus has yet to be achieved, so dyslexia should be abandoned
Science operates through the proposition of theories, their refutation, the proposition of new theories, and so on. There are few, if any conditions where scientific consensus is unanimous, with complete agreement on all aspects. Despite this, scientific consensus is often great enough to say that a condition exists, even if specific issues about that condition are still to be resolved. In this way, dyslexia is similar to many other, widely-accepted conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome or depression. Consider depression: there are ongoing debates about its causes (aetiology), exactly how it should be defined and differentiated from similar conditions, and the best method of treatment9. Irrespective, depression can often be debilitating, with effects felt across society. Like dyslexia, depression is invisible, making it easier for dissenters to challenge; like dyslexia, it is sometimes criticised by those who claim it is an excuse for common problems that affect others, such as sadness and general low mood. However, in both cases, their effects are clear, and while specific aspects remain the subject of research, scientific research supports their existence.
Arguments against dyslexia the term
1. Dyslexia diverts resources away from others who need help
Estimates suggest dyslexia affects up to 10% of people, a substantial proportion of the population10. It is also a problem with a skill, literacy, which is crucial to successful life outcomes – from educational performance, to managing personal affairs, to making progress in the workplace. In this context, governmental recognition and educational support are key to giving people with dyslexia a fair chance. Like any issue, support for dyslexia exists in a world of finite resources, but recent years have seen reductions, rather than increases, in budgets for special educational needs11. Moreover, support for learning difficulties, of all kinds, is not a zero-sum game. In increasing support for those with dyslexia, society moves toward a position where those with cognitive differences are assisted, rather than ostracised. Historically, campaigns for greater political awareness of dyslexia have not just helped those with dyslexia, but contributed to a social consensus that increasingly celebrates neurodiversity. Campaigns for other conditions, such as autism, have done the same. Together, these efforts raise the tide for all.
2. ‘Dyslexia’ is a term used for political reasons, rather than scientific reasons
Until the 1980s, successive governments in the UK refused to admit the existence of dyslexia. Research at the UK Dyslexia Archive, based at St John’s College, Oxford, has shown that this was for one principal reason: governments were unwilling to commit the financial resources required to address an issue that affects up to 10% of the population12. Such unwillingness reached a peak in the 1970s, when direct pressure from officials was placed on the late Baroness Warnock, chair of a review on special educational needs, to omit dyslexia from her final report13. In response to government intransigence, a highly-successful advocacy community was instituted from the 1960s, led by organisations like the British Dyslexia Association and campaigners like Marion Welchman. Together, these lobbied for government recognition of dyslexia, and so state support for those with such difficulties. The legacy of their success is the widespread support now available for people with dyslexia14.
Necessarily, this advocacy movement sought to bring attention to the dyslexia label. While the scientific basis of dyslexia was important to their cause, and cited frequently, their primary purpose was political. As such, the advocacy movement often used a more straightforward definition of dyslexia than that of the scientific community – an act necessary to achieve maximum recognition for the term, and to make it interpretable to non-specialists and policymakers. In this, they echoed the approach 