This is a repost of an article written by my mentor, Dr. Richard Selznick, several years ago. Its message remains as relevant today as ever, reminding us to keep our focus on the heart of the matter when helping children learn to read. LINK
The parable of The Blind Men and the Elephant has echoed across centuries as a cautionary tale about partial truths and fragmented perspectives. Each blind man, grasping only one part of the elephant, confidently describes the whole animal—yet each account is incomplete, even misleading.
In education, particularly in the struggle to help children learn to read, we often fall into the same trap. Specialists approach the problem from their own vantage point—sensory issues, auditory processing, neurology, diet, or alternative therapies—each offering a piece of the puzzle but rarely addressing the larger picture.
This repost from my mentor reminds us that when the central issue is reading, the solution must be rooted in direct, research-supported reading instruction. Just as one wouldn’t take swimming lessons to improve at tennis, children need targeted teaching of reading skills—not endless detours into peripheral treatments.
It’s a call to refocus on common sense: to stop dissecting the elephant and instead see the whole child’s need for clear, effective instruction.
"It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
Though all of them were blind,
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind."
The above comes from an ancient Indian parable, "The Blind Men and the Elephant." A group of blind men touch an elephant to learn what an elephant is like.
Each one touches a different part, but only one part, such as the side of the elephant, the tusk, trunk, tail, etc., and then describe what they have found.
Of course, each describes the elephant quite differently from their perspective, from the body part that they had touched.
If a blind man only touched the trunk, the description would be very different from one who touched the tail.
Sometimes I feel like we are doing the same with children. Different professionals identify a certain part of the “elephant,” describing it from their perspective with a recommended treatment from that point of view.
This is illustrated by a mom who came in to discuss her struggling 8-year-old daughter, Winona, who had seen many professionals over a three-year period.
“So, what was recommended?” I ask.
“Since kindergarten we’ve been on this mission to help her,” the mom said. “She just isn’t making progress in reading and the gap is widening."
"First, we saw an Occupational Therapist who felt there were “sensory issues.” She recommended that Winona receive Interactive Metronome therapy.
Then we read about special colored lenses for reading and found a person in NY who specializes in tinted lens treatment, which she recommended for her.
An audiologist then found a central auditory processing disorder and recommended that we go to her office for a year’s computer treatment to address the 'auditory issues.'
The neurologist we saw wants Winona on medication.
Dietary supplements and spinal manipulation were recommended by the chiropractor.
Then there was the “train the brain” program offered at the nearby learning center.”
The mom continued, “I really have no idea what to do and am overwhelmed by all of this. I just want her to learn how to read better. ”
Listen up, gang.
If reading is the primary concern, then Winona’s mother should seek good, research supported reading instruction.
It's really not much more complicated than that.
It’s common sense.
To hit a tennis ball better, you wouldn’t go for swimming lessons.
Why is reading any different? It’s a skill that can be taught directly and practiced.
Don't be like the blind men describing individual parts of the elephant, all the while losing sight of the larger picture.
Dissecting the elephant may not be helpful at all.
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