“People used to think dyslexia was a clear-cut syndrome with signs and syndromes like a medical disease, but it is actually much more like blood pressure - it can range from very low to very high,” explains professor Margaret Snowling, president of St John’s College, Oxford, and one of the world’s leading dyslexia researchers.

Speaking on the Tes Podagogy podcast (listen below), she addresses numerous other myths around the condition and explains that education is still missing opportunities to support students at an earlier stage.

“Children are not getting intervention early enough,” she argues. “It is really important to work on these problems as soon as they arise, not least because of the impact on self-esteem and academic self-concept.”

Dyslexia myths

In a wide-ranging interview, she talks about the best ways schools can identify and then support children with dyslexia and she addresses common misconceptions

“If you take ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder], these children have difficulties in organisation, working memory and planning,” she explains. “Many people think that is a feature of dyslexia, but it is not, it is just that many children with dyslexia also have symptoms of ADHD.”

Other topics covered include the phonics screening test, the role of preschools and nurseries and her latest research project.

You can listen on the player above, or type ‘Tes Podagogy’ into your podcast platform.