From Ignored Yale Comments to “Duh-Ah-Guh” Confusion
Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity and author of Overcoming Dyslexia, has long been a towering figure in the science of reading. Her brain imaging research helped popularize the idea that dyslexia stems from a phonological awareness deficit (PAD) — a theory that shaped policy, pedagogy, and public perception for decades.
I respect her trailblazing. As a non-educator turned tutor in Sabah, I’ve drawn on neuroscience like hers to teach over 80 children labeled “dyslexic” since 2004. But since launching my outreach in 2010, I’ve been waving a red flag: PAD isn’t the root cause of reading failure for many multilingual children. The real culprit? Flawed phonics instruction — especially the kind that teaches “dog” as “duh-ah-guh.”
PAD: A Theory Past Its Prime?
PAD dominated dyslexia discourse for over 35 years. But around 2017, cracks began to show. Studies, testimonials, and classroom recoveries pointed to a different reality: many children fail to read not because of brain deficits, but because they’re taught extraneous sounds that confuse rather than clarify.
I’ve seen this firsthand. Children fluent in Malay or Mandarin Pinyin disengage from English reading not because they lack phonological awareness, but because they’re taught distorted sounds. Once I introduce pure phonemes from day one, they begin to read — often within weeks.
A Timeline of Unanswered Critiques
Despite my public challenges to PAD, Dr. Shaywitz has remained silent. She never blocked me, unlike some Science of Reading (SoR) peers, but the silence? Deafening. Here’s a thread of our “dialogue” — mostly my critiques, her echoes in print:
📌 January 2011: Calling Out PAD in Dyslexia Orgs
I commented on her Yale article challenging PAD. No response. Years later, the post — and my comment — vanished.
“This is highly irresponsible of her… That theory lasted for > 35 years until it was debunked in or around 2017.”
📌 June 20, 2020: Dissecting the NYT “Duh-Ah-Guh” Debacle
Her quote in the New York Times broke “dog” into “duh,” “aah,” and “guh.” I called it out as phonics fog.
“Does Sally Shaywitz know what she is talking about?... Despite her writing about dyslexia and brain imaging for about 20 years the dyslexic population has not decreased.”
📌 June 16, 2023: Phonics Fog and Extraneous Sounds
I linked her “duhahguh” example to disengagement. Kids taught wrong sounds shut down — and get mislabeled as dyslexic.
“We need to ask: Why are many smart children unable to read in English but able to read in many other languages?”
📌 September 21, 2023: Overcoming Dyslexia – Science or Sales Pitch?
I questioned her book’s claim that 20% of children are dyslexic.
“This is how she and the Dyslexia Association con the world… when in fact they are instructional casualties.” 🔗 Born to Read: What Science Now Confirms
📌 October 13, 2025: Phonics Fog Revisited
I revisited her NYT quote in light of persistent resistance to change.
“It’s incredibly difficult to convince educators… when leading scientists like Sally Shaywitz illustrate the very problem.” 🔗 Nailing the Phonics Fog – Part 2
What’s Next?
Dr. Shaywitz, your work demystified dyslexia for millions. But PAD’s fall demands a new chapter. Why inflate dyslexia to 20% when so many children are simply victims of poor instruction? Why not test my hypothesis: Teach pure sounds from day one, and no child disengages.
Yale has the scans. Sabah has the stories. Let’s decode this together.
📩 luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment