Read this article published on the Sciences Humaines website and in its monthly magazine.

The field of learning disorders is currently in full swing, and the « dys » galaxy is on the move. Where do we stand? Where are we heading? What are the risks?

What do we mean by « dys »? These three letters, well known to psychologists, school doctors, speech therapists, etc., designate under the same spectrum a vast array of cognitive disorders disrupting learning. The list is long: dyslexia (reading difficulties), dysphasia (speaking difficulties), dyscalculia (calculation problems), dysgraphia (writing difficulties), dyspraxia (poor coordination of gestural activity)…

• Why such success?

The problem is that international classifications(ICD-10, DSM-IV) do not use the same diagnostic criteria – identification procedures vary from one healthcare center to another – different healthcare professionals do not use the same terminology – prevalence rates are uncertain – and there is a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of rehabilitation and aids. Children’s success at school has become a social imperative. Much has been written about school failure. Children in difficulty – and their parents – quickly feel devalued and made to feel guilty by a uniform and demanding education system. Caught up in the turmoil of school and social fears, many children in difficulty are labelled – rightly or wrongly – dys… something.

In France, the proliferation of websites, popularized books and associations devoted to dyslexia bears witness to their widespread popularity. There’s no denying that dys’s are a hit because, in a way, they reassure: the medicalization of difficulties at school clears the way for teachers – but leaves them powerless – relieves families of their guilt – but leads them from one remedial practice to another – and reassures certain health professionals – but leaves others sceptical…

Since the 2005 law on disability, the popularity of dyslexia has grown considerably. Now included in the spectrum of disabilities, designated children can benefit from material, educational and financial compensation, via the maisons départementales des personnes handicapées (MDPH). As a result of this system, many parents go to the referral centers to have a diagnosis duly « authenticated ». But after assessment, the results are mixed: while some children do indeed present a real, specific and lasting handicap, many others in fact encounter much more general, complex and multifactorial difficulties.

• What do the specialists think?

A number of researchers, including neuropediatricians and psychologists such as Claire Meljac and Léonard Vannetzel, denounce the prevailing hubbub, arbitrary practices and general vagueness. The most critical call for a global overhaul of the system. Indeed, current considerations fail to take into account the complexity of the mental operations involved in learning, the snowball effect, the importance of the environment in pedagogy, the role of children’s emotions, curiosity and motivation…

Added to these considerations is the problem of terminology: when a child is labelled with the prefix « dys », he or she risks being stigmatized and confined to a category, thus denying any possibility of development…

That’s why many professionals are concerned about the direction this field is taking, with the recent emergence of the hybrid concept of « multidys ». A Francophone consensus on this issue could be salutary, provided it is multidisciplinary. One thing is certain: it seems more necessary than ever to question the clinical validity of the concepts involved.

• To find out more…

Sylvain Dionnet, « Évaluer n’est pas classer. Us et dérives de la pensée psy », proceedings of the « Psychopathologie et handicap chez l’enfant et l’adolescent » symposium to be held in Lyon on November 3, 4 and 5, Dunod, in press.

Dominique Guilbaud-Witaszek, « Les enfants avec un diagnostic de dyslexie sont-ils dyslexiques? », proceedings of the « Psychopathologie et handicap chez l’enfant et l’adolescent » symposium, op. cit .

Léonard Vannetzel, Louis-Adrien Eynard and Claire Meljac, « Dyscalculie : une rencontre difficile », A.N.A.E., n° 102, June 2009.

Robert Voyazopoulos, Léonard Vannetzel and Louis-Adrien Eynard (coord.), L’Examen psychologique de l’enfant et l’utilisation des mesures, Dunod, 2011.