dyslexia / SLD to rephrase as potential learning ability PLA - DR KONDEKAR

Dyslexia: Disability or Missed Ability?

For decades, dyslexia has been labelled as a “permanent learning disability.”

That label has shaped expectations, schooling, self-esteem—and often limited children more than the condition itself.

But current neuroscience, educational psychology, and real-world outcomes tell a more nuanced story:

👉 Dyslexia is better understood as a different learning architecture, not a deficit of intelligence or potential.

1. What Dyslexia Is Not

First, let’s clear the fog.

Dyslexia is not:

Low intelligence

Laziness or poor motivation

Global learning failure

An inability to think, reason, or understand

Most dyslexic individuals have average to superior intelligence.

The difficulty is specific, not general.

2. The Core Issue: Mode Mismatch, Not Brain Failure

Dyslexia reflects a mismatch between the child’s brain processing style and the way schools teach.

Traditional education heavily depends on:

Speedy decoding of written symbols

Linear, left-to-right language processing

Timed reading and writing tasks

But many dyslexic brains are wired for:

Visual–spatial thinking

Big-picture processing

Pattern recognition

3D imagination

Creative problem-solving

So the problem isn’t learning capacity—

it’s the route through which learning is expected to happen.

3. Why It Gets Labelled “Permanent Disability”

Dyslexia earns the “permanent” tag because:

Phonological decoding difficulty may persist

Reading speed may never match peers

Spelling may remain effortful

But permanence of a trait does not equal permanence of a limitation.

Example:

A left-handed person remains left-handed for life

But struggles disappear once tools and methods adapt

Dyslexia is similar.

4. Where the “Missed Ability” Lies

When we stop obsessing over what dyslexic learners can’t do fast, we begin to notice what they often do exceptionally well:

Common strengths include:

Conceptual understanding

Mechanical and spatial reasoning

Storytelling and oral expression

Innovation and unconventional thinking

Emotional intelligence and empathy

History is full of high achievers who struggled with reading early—but excelled once their strengths were recognised.

The tragedy is not dyslexia.

👉 The tragedy is that these abilities are rarely nurtured in school.

5. The Damage of the “Disability” Label

Labelling dyslexia as a permanent disability often leads to:

Reduced academic expectations

Over-dependence on concessions

Loss of confidence and identity

Children internalising “I am weak at learning”

Instead of asking “How does this child learn best?”

we ask “How much support does this child need?”

That shift matters.

6. Intervention Changes the Trajectory

Early, targeted intervention can:

Strengthen phonological awareness

Improve decoding strategies

Reduce cognitive load during reading

Allow strengths to surface

With the right teaching, dyslexia becomes:

A manageable challenge in reading

Not a life-defining academic ceiling

Many adults with dyslexia read slowly—but think deeply.

That’s not failure. That’s trade-off.

7. A Better Definition

Instead of calling dyslexia a permanent learning disability, a more accurate description would be:

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental learning difference where traditional literacy pathways are inefficient, but alternative cognitive strengths are often pronounced.

That framing:

Removes stigma

Preserves responsibility to teach reading

Protects the child’s sense of competence

8. The Way Forward (Especially for Parents & Educators)

We need to:

Teach reading systematically, not incidentally

Stop equating speed with intelligence

Value oral, visual, and conceptual learning

Identify strengths as actively as weaknesses

Shift from “compensation only” to development + empowerment

Conclusion

Dyslexia is not a life sentence to poor learning.

It is a different neurological pathway that becomes a disability only when education refuses to adapt.

When recognised early and taught wisely:

The difficulty remains specific

The ability becomes visible

And many children once labelled “disabled” finally get the chance to be seen as what they truly are:

👉 capable learners with a different kind of mind

Dyslexia: From “Learning Disability” to Potential Learning Ability

1. Why the Term Learning Disability Is Misleading

The term learning disability assumes:

A deficit in learning capacity

A permanent limitation

A global academic weakness

In dyslexia, none of these are true.

Dyslexia represents a specific inefficiency in language decoding, not an inability to learn. Calling it a disability hides the potential learning ability embedded within this neurodevelopmental profile.

👉 A more accurate concept is: Potential Learning Ability (PLA) with a specific decoding constraint.

2. What Is “Potential Learning Ability” in Dyslexia?

Potential Learning Ability means:

The brain can learn complex concepts

Intelligence is intact or often superior

Learning occurs through non-linear, non-verbal, spatial, conceptual routes

Difficulty lies in translation of language symbols, not in understanding

In dyslexia:

Understanding > Expression

Thinking > Writing

Concept > Code

This gap creates the illusion of poor learning—when actually learning is happening silently.

3. Origin of Morbidities in Dyslexia

(Disorganization, Discoordination, Inattention, Emotional Dysregulation)

These are often wrongly considered “comorbid disorders”. In reality, many are secondary adaptations to a mismatched learning environment.

4. Disorganization – Where Does It Come From?

Neurological Origin:

Dyslexia involves inefficient temporal sequencing

Difficulty in left-hemisphere language networks

Weak automaticity in step-by-step processing

Functional Outcome:

Trouble sequencing tasks

Poor time management

Messy notebooks

Difficulty planning written output

🧠 The brain is thinking in clusters and images, while school demands linear order.

👉 Disorganization is not laziness—it is a by-product of non-linear cognition forced into linear systems.

5. Discoordination – The Hidden Motor Component

Many children with dyslexia show subtle motor planning issues.

Neurological Basis:

Overlap between:

Language processing networks

Cerebellar timing and coordination circuits

Inefficient integration of:

Vision

Proprioception

Motor output

Manifestations:

Poor handwriting reveals more thinking than motor skill

Difficulty copying from the board

Clumsiness in fine motor tasks

Slow written output despite clear oral ideas

👉 The mind moves faster than the body can express.

6. Attention Difficulties – A Secondary Phenomenon

Attention issues in dyslexia often arise due to:

Cognitive overload during reading

Continuous failure experiences

Excessive effort for basic tasks

The brain enters a protective disengagement state.

This looks like:

Inattention

Daydreaming

Avoidance of reading/writing

Labelled wrongly as ADHD

👉 Attention improves when the learning mode matches the brain’s strength.

7. Emotional and Behavioural Morbidity – Learned, Not Inherent

Repeated mismatch leads to:

Anxiety

Low self-esteem

Oppositional behaviour

“I can’t do it” mindset

These are acquired morbidities, not core features of dyslexia.

The child is not emotionally weak—

the environment has been neurologically unfair.

8. Why These Morbidities Reduce When Ability Is Recognised

When dyslexia is reframed as Potential Learning Ability:

Pressure to perform linearly reduces

Strength-based teaching increases

Oral and conceptual routes are allowed

Confidence returns

As a result:

Organization improves

Coordination improves

Attention stabilises

Emotional regulation strengthens

9. A Better Clinical–Educational Framework

Instead of:

Learning Disability (Permanent)

Use:

Potential Learning Ability with Specific Language-Decoding Inefficiency

This reframing:

Preserves the need for structured literacy intervention

Avoids lifelong disability identity

Encourages expectation, not sympathy

Protects self-worth

10. Final Thought

Dyslexia is not a broken learning system.

It is a differently organised learning brain.

The real disability occurs when:

Teaching is rigid

Evaluation is narrow

Ability is judged only through reading speed

When education adapts, dyslexia transforms from a label of limitation into a profile of untapped learning potential.

---------------

Dyslexia: Potential Learning Ability, Not a Label to Be Glorified

A Necessary Caution:

Do not glorify disability in the name of being “special.”

Support systems were created to bridge a gap, not to freeze a child at that gap.

1. The Problem with Glorifying “Disability” and “Specialness”

In recent years, a well-intended but harmful trend has emerged:

Disability certificates become identity labels

Concessions become permanent crutches

“Special child” becomes a fixed social role

This leads to:

Lowered academic expectations

Dependency instead of development

Celebration of limitation rather than progress

👉 Support should be a ladder, not a sofa.

2. Certification: A Tool, Not a Trophy

Certification exists for:

Temporary academic protection

Access to remediation

Reducing unfair evaluation pressure

It is not meant to:

Replace skill development

Become a lifelong excuse

Define the child’s potential

When certification becomes the final goal, growth quietly stops.

3. Concessions Are Step-In Supports, Not Permanent Destinations

Extra time, scribes, reduced load—these are:

Step-in supports, not endpoints

Meant to operate while the brain is developing new pathways

If concessions remain static while the child grows:

Neural plasticity is underused

Adaptive learning is delayed

Ability remains hidden

👉 The aim is to outgrow concessions, not collect them.

4. Why Calling Them “Special” Can Be Limiting

While kindness matters, excessive emotional cushioning:

Softens resilience

Reduces challenge tolerance

Creates fear of effort

Children don’t grow by being protected from struggle—

they grow by being guided through it.

Dyslexia does not make a child “special.”

It makes a child different in learning route.

5. Disability Should Be Treated as a Developmental Phase

Dyslexia-related difficulties should be seen as:

A phase of neurological inefficiency

A temporary mismatch

A training period, not a verdict

With intervention:

Reading improves

Organization improves

Coordination improves

Confidence returns

At that point, continuing to highlight disability harms identity formation.

6. Development Over Dependency: The Ethical Goal

The ethical objective of clinicians and educators is:

To reduce disability impact over time

To increase independence

To transfer control back to the child

If a system benefits from keeping a child labelled,

it is not a child-centric system.

7. Integrating This with “Potential Learning Ability”

When dyslexia is framed as Potential Learning Ability:

Certification becomes temporary scaffolding

Concessions become developmental tools

Teaching becomes ability-oriented

The child is trained to climb higher

Support should help the child rise above the label—not live inside it.

8. Message for Parents

Seek certification only when needed

Use concessions with parallel skill building

Review the need periodically

Celebrate progress, not labels

Expect growth, not permanence

9. Message for Schools

Stop branding children as “special cases”

Measure progress beyond exam scores

Reduce concessions as skills improve

Replace sympathy with strategy

10. Final Thought

Dyslexia does not need glorification.

It needs understanding, structured teaching, and time.

Calling a child “special” may feel kind—but believing the child can grow is kinder.

👉 Disability is a stepping stone in development, not a destination in life

Dr Kondekar Santosh Mumbai