Gifted Dyslexics

Joan Lash Treland, forerunner in identifying and remediating students with learning disabilities, focuses on a rarely discussed issue: high ability students who achieve at lower than expected levels. By identifying gifted, successful persons in fields ranging from science to politics, Joan begins the exploration of problems that deprive society of the benefits that the gifted underachievers should be contributing to our world. Joan examines the research into dyslexia, plus low performance not related to other handicapping conditions and brings the need for educators to delve into the necessity of identifying and remediating the physical, social, and psychoeducational conditions that cause individuals with great promise to lead lives of low to mediocre performance. In addition to the valuable organization of research, Joan's work makes public an often ignored waste of talent by educators and society as a whole. Highlighting this issue provides educators with an opportunity to find a societal/educational "fix" to a little understood, but serious problem. In her thesis regarding the learning issues that too often define an individual's ability to contribute to society, Joan Treland has examined the contributions and learning problems overcome by eminent individuals including Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Auguste Rodin, George S. Patton, William James, Hans Christian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gamal Abdul Nasser, Katherine Mansfield, Albert Einstein. The gifts of these "learning challenged," dyslexic geniuses have brought the world advances in science, beauty, understanding of the mind, and overcome threats to world peace. Ironically, each of these individuals suffered from the shame of learning in a different way, viewing the world through a different perspective. By focusing on the abilities and challenges of these gifted individuals Joan Treland presents an alternate view of learning and teaching to the strengths of the individual students. Educators and those in charge of public policy should read this wake-up call to a society that consistently wastes its most valuable resource: the ignored, gifted, and underachieving student. Dyslexia, depression, and lack of motivation frequently prevent talented young people from contributing to our society at the high level that should be expected given their overlooked talents. Joan Treland gathered the research-now parents, educators, and the political leaders must act.