Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain

by Maryanne Wolf

Children with any form of dyslexia are not “dumb” or “stubborn”; nor are they “not working to potential”—the three most frequent descriptions they endure. However, they will be mistakenly described in these ways many times by many people, including themselves. It is vital for parents and teachers to work to ensure that all children with any form of reading problem receive immediate, intensive intervention, and that no child or adult equates reading problems with low intelligence. A comprehensive support system should be in place from the first indication of difficulty until the child becomes an independent, fluent reader, or the frustrations of reading failure can lead to a cycle of learning failure, dropping out, and delinquency. Most important, the considerable potential of these children will be lost to themselves and to society.