Dyslexia and the internet

Doc · 08-05-2001 01:16PM #1

I suffer from dyslexia and have found that the new trends towards e-mailing and texting people on mobiles have caused problems for me. Spell checks help but if the word is spelt so badly nothing comes up in the suggestions box (it didn’t have one for suggestions but spelled it by saying no suggestions just now for me

) or if things do come up they are so similar that I don’t know which one to pick. People on the internet tend to make fun of people who make spelling mistakes in chat rooms and on posts (Recently happened to me on boards

).I just thought Id tell people about this and see if anyone has had similar experiences or laughed at people who spell badly in chat rooms?

smoke.me.a.kipper · 08-05-2001 01:22PM

most people's posts here have words spelt wrong. though i'd say this has more to do with typing mistakes, than with spelling.

to be honest, i don't think anyone really cares about spelling on the net, especially in chat rooms or on irc. if they do, then it's really kinda pathetic.

"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!"
-Nietzsche

Evil Phil · 08-05-2001 01:40PM

I'm dyslexic too, for long posts I generally spell check them in Word or Outlook before. I have a nokia mobile phone and have learned to use the predictive text thingy-ma'jig which helps a lot. Big problem now is my handwriting. It was like a 5 year olds before I started working. It's illegible now.

Oh, and I'm not able to distinguish between words like your and you're in text. I actually see the correct one as I'm typing but will notice the error later when I re-read something.

[fist]Snowball · 08-05-2001 01:53PM

dude, don't mind them. I have dyslexia, I have had probs at school and now I am goin to go back to collage. It's gonna be a biatch but there u r. If people r takin the **** ignore them or beat them up with trouts of somethin'.

Also, if u have a prob with words do what I do, use other ones. If I can't spell a word I might rewright a sentance so that I can change that word. The spell checkers r a pain because if u cant spell for **** like me and u don't get it simular they r no help. On chat rooms and the like spell phoneticly (or how ever u spell that 1) and people will get the jist.

Snowball.

Another sign in name ... he ... whats new.....

Bard · 08-05-2001 01:57PM

Like I said already, taking the p|ss out of someone's spelling is neither big nor clever. People should surely have better things to do than that, particularly when you don't know anything about person you're taking the p|ss out of.

Bard

"We do know it was we who scorched the sky..."

kayos · 08-05-2001 01:59PM

I hear you Doc and EP. I have dyslexia also and I find sometime the spell check falls over and dies when I try to run it against some of my mails/documents

The funny thing is that when writing code (all languages bar Open Script and ASM) I have no problems. I agree with kipper most ppl have mistake in their posts either caused by miskeys or not being able to spell the word. I dont care as long as you dont have to spend an hour tring to make out a 2 line post. And Phil my writing is cack as well most places when I'm signing for something look at my sig all funny like. One time I had a little cow in pennys refusing my card saying "Sorry but that cant be your signature" with a laugh. I nearly went through her. Generaly I take no notice of things like ppl dissing my spelling but some ppl can push to far and them is the ppl you quitly take aside and slap about the head

but in the main most ppl lay off once they know.

kayos

When you get to hell tell them I sent you,
you'll get a group discount...

tribes.gameshop.ie

08-05-2001 02:22PM

im realy intereste in this.I have been told that it has somthing to do with the inner ear and balance.It can throw letters around on the page when you read it.The one thing is.If sombody was to type somting out incorrectly could you read it.Kind of like it in reverse ? Or can you read sombody else's writing that has dyslexia ? Sombody reply to this post without using spell check.

amp · 08-05-2001 02:37PM

As a partial dyslexic I believe because I make the effort to check my spelling I have the right to slag other peoples spelling. I dunno if their dyslexic or not and frankly I don't care.

And if there are other dyslexics out there that can't take a joke well then that's just lard huck!

Lunacy Abounds! GLminesweeper RO><ORS!
art is everything and of course nothing and possibly also a sausage

kayos · 08-05-2001 02:39PM

There is a load of different way in which it can effect you and there is loads a possible reasons as to its cause (I dont really read up on this that often). In my case my main downfalls is oral sequancing i.e. when a lecturer is giving a lecture to try and take down notes is impossible and another thing is My brain bascily sends a signal to write a word and somewhere along the line that gets fupd up. I can tell someone easier that I can write to them about it. My main mistakes in spelling and reading are the mistaking letters b-d m-n g-p l-i w-v and the like. While in college I was given classes to help improve the spelling and reading (free of charge) which we're very good as they were one on one and the teacther coverd what you needed the one bad point was being in college and having to read and spell very basic words as it makes you feel very small but the teach really makes it feel ok. If you are in school/college and you have it make sure you talk to your conseller about it. I never had any joy in school but in college I had extra time in exams, free classes and the lecturers were meant to give me the notes (this never really happend so I got the note of class mates and got the photocopies for free). What really gets me is there is no real allowance in the LC exams for this sort of thing. Having to write a long esaay for a normal person who can spell and write neatly fast still takes a long time but for someone like myself it take 3 time as long (having to spend time checking you spelling and making sure your writing was readable) and as for aural tape tests dont even go there...

kayos

When you get to hell tell them I sent you,
you'll get a group discount...

tribes.gameshop.ie

Excelsior · 08-05-2001 02:46PM

Slagging off spelling is the ultimate low-brow activity of a web bully in my opinion.

My Adolescent website:
http://www.iol.net/~mullent

Shiminay · 08-05-2001 02:47PM

I reckon it's one of the most un-diagnosed/un-treated diseases in this country.

I know LOADS of people who can't spell and I reckon half of them are dyslexic (or have some form of learning disorder).

Unfortunatly, many teachers aren't equiped to deal with it and they get angry when despite a student's best efforts, they can't get their spellings right. I've seen it with my brother - he never did well in school and he's an extremely intelligent guy. I fully maintain that if his teachers had been any good, they'd have spotted that he had problems and was floundering despite his best efforts and as a result he left school only barly managing a Junior Cert. He's never been diagnosed, but I did a little test with him and he tended to read and write things backwards. When we were younger we thought it was because he was a lefty (and it's true that left-handed people can sometimes read and write backwards better that right-handers).

I know myself I nearly always get things muddled up when typing or writing at speed (well, as fast as I can) and I've often wondered if maybe I suffer from a form of the disease - anyone aware of some sort of quick test (online or not) you can take?

All the best!
Dav
@B^)
So I turned around to Jack Charlton and said: "Well of course it's not a football Jack, it's an '86 Chardonay!!!"
[honey i] violated [the kids]
Tribes 2 Goodness
The Dawn of the Beefy King approaches...

08-05-2001 02:54PM

I always thought i had it because i can get realy wrong spelling mistakes.How can you check if you have it ?

Bard · 08-05-2001 02:56PM

Originally posted by Dre as in Dray:
im realy intereste in this.I have been told that it has somthing to do with the inner ear and balance.It can throw letters around on the page when you read it.The one thing is.If sombody was to type somting out incorrectly could you read it.Kind of like it in reverse ? Or can you read sombody else's writing that has dyslexia ? Sombody reply to this post without using spell check.

I'd be interested in seeing what genetic or hereditary properties it has- whether its a condition that passes down in a family through the generations.

Personally, I have never had any such affliction as dyslexia. I've never even had a problem with spelling, having a natural aptitude for it since a very early age, and I never need to use the spell checker. Any mis-spelled words by me on boards (rare as I'd expect them to be) would be mistyped, and completely accidental.

Doc is my brother, - which is why this is of interest to me. An example on the other side might be his own excellence in a number of things such as rugby while I'm predisposed to nothing of the sort. Also, he has an interest in architecture, - a subject which is way over my head. Yet in other disciplines (like that which I'm employed in, I expect), I'd have the better aptitude... I was just wondering was there anything in genetics that made one brother proficient in something while the other is deficient in it.

Bard

"We do know it was we who scorched the sky..."

[This message has been edited by Bard (edited 09-05-2001).]

kayos · 08-05-2001 02:59PM

Right here you go all your questions answered
http://www.acld-dyslexia.com/ this is actually one of my old lectures sites so I mailed him up and got it off him

kayos

When you get to hell tell them I sent you,
you'll get a group discount...

tribes.gameshop.ie

Evil Phil · 08-05-2001 03:01PM

Apparently my dyslexia is caused by some kindo f optical defect. Which is why I see words as they should be but not as the are. This is why my spelling can be so bad and my handwriting is actrocius. The worst affect is learning forigen languages (?!), even english is bad. As a result of which all the colleges I applyied to after school were informed and I was allowed to apply without the extra language(s). (Why you need French for computer science I don't now). However, the Dept. of Education would not make allowences for me in the Leaving. As a result I fell a grade in every subject due to presentation or my lack ther of. So I want from A's and B's to B's and C's. Severly limiting my college options, although I've done alright for myself since then. They told me to write with a good pen ffs, and these people are responisble for education!

I have found using spell checkers regularly has impreoved my spelling somewhat, but it's still not great.

I also reckon that dyslexic people tend towards techie jobs like I.T. or engineering. Something with the way the mind works, like it's not actually a disability just another way of thinking or learning.

(and no spell check

)

Kayos, look up an orginasation called Adults and Childern with learning dysabilites (formally dyslexia Ireland). They should be able to point you in the write direction. (Oops, sorry Kayos that was meant to be Kharn, I think the K's threw me off).

[This message has been edited by Evil Phil (edited 08-05-2001).]

Evil Phil · 08-05-2001 03:09PM

This dyslexic walks into a bra...

BOOM BOOM

Shiminay · 08-05-2001 03:11PM

Originally posted by Evil Phil:
Kayos, look up an orginasation called Adults and Childern with learning dysabilites (formally dyslexia Ireland). They should be able to point you in the write direction. (Oops, sorry Kayos that was meant to be Kharn, I think the K's threw me off).

Given that we work and live together - it's an easy mistake to make

And just to make it more fun, his REAL name starts with a K too!!!

I agree with the techie/IT jobs thing - anyone I know with dyslexia tends to be more geared towards that sort of a job - lateral thinking and problem solving sometimes comes easier...

All the best!
Dav
@B^)
So I turned around to Jack Charlton and said: "Well of course it's not a football Jack, it's an '86 Chardonay!!!"
[honey i] violated [the kids]
Tribes 2 Goodness
The Dawn of the Beefy King approaches...

kayos · 08-05-2001 03:12PM

Did you hear abou the dyslexic raver???
he popped a F instead of an E

Shinji · 08-05-2001 03:20PM

The problem with the Internet in this respect is that it can be hard to tell the difference between a dyslexic person and some moron who just can't be bothered writing a proper message, so one tends to just ignore anything really badly spelt and formatted.

That said, spell checkers and so on do exist for a reason. I know it's a bit more work for the dyslexic person to undertake... but, well, a short-sighted person must wear glasses, a person with a broken leg must use a crutch, a person with dyslexia must be extra-careful with their posting and use a spellchecker. Seems fair enough to me.

Evil Phil · 08-05-2001 03:23PM

Did you hear about the dyslexic Devil worshipper?

He prayed to Santa

But seriously, I don't know if it is hereditary but it's definatly a working theory. I do think it's more common than people realise, and as far as I know there's never been a major study into how many people it affects. I reckon it affects a rather large percentage of the population. I'd like to see such a study carried out; it could make life a lot easier for the talented kids that are doing sh*t in school (you all know whom I'm talking about).

[This message has been edited by Evil Phil (edited 08-05-2001).]

Megatron · 08-05-2001 03:57PM

well i DO suffer from it. I did a test about 3 years after i left school. so the school tested one of my brothers there and yes he had it. so he was given some marks because he had dyslexia ( i know it's wrongly phrased but i'm in a rush here ) he was doing his leaving. so i asked seeing as i had been diagnosed with it how about my leaving cert, i was then told by the Dept. of Education that they would look into it ..
and i have never heard from them about it scince.

and as far as people with dyslexia going for I.T. jobs i would have to agree, and they always seem to make the best trouble shooters as well !!!

No !!!!! I will crush you with my Bare hands.
P.S. Avator fromerly know as Gamblor !!

SheroN · 08-05-2001 05:51PM

I dunno...i was just too lazy to learn my spellings while in primary school....

Paladin · 08-05-2001 06:36PM

Seems like there are a fair few dyslexics on the boards alone. What kind of percentage of the poplation is estimated to be dyslexic?

Hobbes · 08-05-2001 06:44PM

I got marked as a dyslexic in secondary school (I did a test), but I was only in that special class for one lesson before they realised I just sucked at spelling and sent me back to normal English classes.

If my memory serves me correct.
6 classes x 28 people (avg) = 168

Of that amount about 12 were in the dyslexic classes. (20%?)

Canaboid · 08-05-2001 06:52PM

Originally posted by Kharn:
Given that we work, live and sleep together - it's an easy mistake to make
And just to make it more fun, his REAL name starts with a K too!!!

I get confused too

neuro-praxis · 08-05-2001 07:18PM

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ANYONE WITH DYSLEXIA WHO PLANS TO SIT THE LEAVING CERT!!

My good friend Maria has severe dyslexia, and is doing the LC. She rang up the department and pushed and pushed with them until she got some exemptions and assistance for the exams.

Now, for the whole Leaving Cert, she has her own personal reader, who will read the exams out to her. She is exempted from spelling mistakes fully. She does not have to do any languages except for English. She has a room to herself, and extra hours for each exam.

Anybody with dyslexia, this is what you are entitled to. Do not delay if you are sitting them in June - this might mean the difference between a PLC and a university degree course.

Marie is going for engineering, and quite frankly, without this help, she wouldn't be making it. However, getting this assistance which she and all dyslexics are fully entitled to, means she is guaranteed to pass all her subjects with flying colours.

A study tip for other dyslexia sufferers - Maria gets her sister to read notes into a tape recorder and she learns them off by heart by listening to it over and over. Obviously this doesn't work with maths, but, just in case this might help anybody else.

Good luck to anybody doing the leaving cert this year!

Bob the Unlucky Octopus · 08-05-2001 07:28PM

Dyslexia must be one of the most interesting conditions around scientifically speaking. It's not a crippling disability (as was once thought)- but merely a group of people who see things in different ways. Autism is a more extreme condition in the same category.

Dyslexics are indistinguishable from normal people apart from the way they read and write. The only other thing is the amazing way that their brain organizes and catalogues information. A large number of dyslexic people enjoy huge success in discrete mathematics for example- their left-brain allows them to perceive concepts that non-dyslexics have to work harder for in order to realize.

They also enjoy success in the arts- Tim Burton, Ian McKellan, Ray Winstone and Michael Caine are all dyslexic to some degree. Tim Burton was even flunked out of his elementary school because he couldn't even spell his own name until the age of 9.

Dyslexia and autism give us a unique opportunity to understand how the brain catelogues what it considers to be important information.

Criticizing spelling online is petty and pedantic- I never do it. I only question spelling when the meaning of what's being said escapes me- and that hasn't happened much- 99% of the time, the person's meaning is clear- and there's no need to nit-pick.

I enjoy taking the p!$$ in a friendly fashion with friends though- just ask IRC #var regulars if you don't believe me

Other than that- why bother criticizing spelling if the meaning is clear? I mean- I use American spellings which make more sense than British counterparts, and vice-versa. Example- I use "theater" instead of the Anglo-French "theatre" but I write "paedophilia" instead of "pedophelia". That doesn't make the meaning of the word any less clear- so why bother questioning spelling at all?

Bob the Unlucky Octopus
=Caveat Emptor=

Victor · 08-05-2001 07:32PM

Originally posted by Kharn:
I reckon it's one of the most un-diagnosed/un-treated diseases in this country.

I think its technically a 'condition' not a 'disease', but anyway as someone with reaonable English (OK I only barely passed pass English in the Leaving - but my problem was the Literature) I tend to copy and paste longer messages from a program that has no spell checker to one that does and then paste back.

I think the spell checker in Corel Word Perfect is much better that the one in Microsoft Word when it come to suggestions (even though Microsoft have now taken over Corel).

Changing call sign to SIERRA PAPA OSCAR OSCAR FOXTROT.

Winning Hand · 08-05-2001 08:10PM

Originally posted by neuro-praxis:

Marie is going for engineering, and quite frankly, without this help, she wouldn't be making it. However, getting this assistance which she and all dyslexics are fully entitled to, means she is guaranteed to pass all her subjects with flying colours.

First off I better say im not a dyslexic.
Now onto my point, neuro, you say that without the help shes getting she wouldnt make it. What makes you think its going to get easier for her in college. And if she does get help (which I hope she does, im not a nasty person) whats going to happen when she goes out for a job in a field where spelling is everything, in an abbreviated form i.e. lb-ft is completely different to ft-lb.
Incidentally i seem to remember you cant take elec-engineering if you fail a colour blindness test (Can someone verify or dispute this plz?) So what do we do for colour blind people who want to do engineering?

Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will.
I sure could use a vacation from this....
bull****

08-05-2001 08:56PM

There seems to be alot of dyslexic ppl on this board ,Mabey we should have a dyslexic forum !

mrblue · 08-05-2001 09:16PM

Spelling, like table manners, is a code of practice thought up by people with nothing better to do.

These are the same people who invented Dressage (the art of teaching horses to walk sideways).

I'm not dyslexic, but I still can't spell for ****. I rely heavily on the Oxford Concise Dictionary & people's goodwill!

My advise - don't worry about what people think, just worry about important stuff like exams, algebra etc.

Ever hear the one about the dyslexic agnostic insomniac?

He layed awake all night & wondered if there really was a Dog.*

Dyslexia and the internet

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