title: How Should Medical Schools Respond to Students with Dyslexia?
abstract: We examine the dilemmas faced by a medical student with dyslexia who wonders whether he should "out" himself to faculty to receive the accommodations entitled by federal law. We first discuss scientific evidence on dyslexia's prevalence, unexpected nature, and neurobiology. We then examine the experiences of medical students who have revealed their dyslexia to illustrate the point that, far too often, attending physicians who know little about dyslexia can misperceive the motives or behavior of students with dyslexia. Because ignorance and misperception of dyslexia can result in bias against students with dyslexia, we strongly recommend a mandatory course for faculty that provides a basic scientific and clinical overview of dyslexia to facilitate greater understanding of dyslexia and support for students with dyslexia.
authors: Resident in anesthesiology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
authors: Frederick
authors: F
authors: Romberg
authors: Charles and Helen Schwab Professor in Dyslexia and Learning Development at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, and a physician-scientist (specializing in child neurology), and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
authors: Bennett A
authors: BA
authors: Shaywitz
authors: Audrey G. Ratner Professor in Learning Development at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, and a physician-scientist (specializing in developmental behavioral pediatrics), and the author of Overcoming Dyslexia (Knopf, 2003), and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
authors: Sally E
authors: SE
authors: Shaywitz
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D003657:Decision Making; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004501:Education, Medical; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009014:Morals; D009042:Motivation; D010820:Physicians; D015995:Prevalence; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012944:Social Support; D013337:Students, Medical