Dr Gavin Reid Ph.D., M.A., M.App.Sci., M.Ed., B.Ed., AMBDA, Assoc. F. B.P.S., Reg. Psych.

www.drgavinreid.com

Dr Gavin Reid is an international consultant and psychologist with consultancies in Canada, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia. He was visiting professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, in the Department of Education and Counseling Psychology and Special Education in 2007 and 2010.

He is chair of the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) Accreditation Board and an ambassador for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre in the UK. He is also a consultant for All Special Kids (ASK) in Geneva, Switzerland, The Child Learning Enrichment Medical Centre (CLEMC) in Dubai, the Centre for Child Evaluation and Teaching (CCET) in Kuwait, the Institute of Child Education and Psychology Europe (ICEPE) and the Canadian Academy of Therapeutic Tutors (CATT).

Dr Reid is a fully registered psychologist with the College of Psychologists in BC, Canada, and with the Health and Care Professionals in the UK. He was formerly senior lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies (formerly Department of Special Education), Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh from 1991–2007.

He is also co-founder and director of the Red Rose School for children with specific learning difficulties in St. Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire, UK, and is a visiting educational psychologist to learning centres and schools in Switzerland, the UK, the Middle East, Asia, Egypt and Canada. Dr Reid wrote the first university Master's course in dyslexia in the UK in 1992.

Dr Reid is an educational psychologist, university lecturer, researcher and author. He has written 30 books on learning, motivation and learning disabilities, and lectured to thousands of professionals and parents in over 80 countries. His books have been published in Polish, Italian, French, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese and Slovak.

Many of his books are used as course texts in courses throughout the UK and in many other countries. These include: Dyslexia: A Practitioner's Handbook, fourth edition (Wiley, 2009), Dyslexia: A Complete Guide for Parents, second edition (Wiley, 2008), Dyslexia and Inclusion, second edition (2014), Motivating Learners in the Classroom: Ideas and Strategies (2007) and Learning Styles and Inclusion (2005). He is the co-author with Shannon Green of 100+ Ideas for Supporting Pupils with Dyslexia, Dyslexia: A Teaching Assistant's Handbook and Effective Learning: Ideas into Action (2009).

He is the co-author of a computer-aided diagnostic assessment and profiling system (Special Needs Assessment Profile—SNAP), which has received three national award commendations and was winner of the Special Needs Category at the NASEN/TES book awards in Birmingham, UK in March 2006.

He is an experienced teacher with over 10 years' experience in the classroom and has held external examiner appointments at 18 universities worldwide for Ph.D. and Master's courses.

He has been a consultant to parent groups and charitable bodies in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He has appeared in television and radio documentaries and news editorials on educational matters in the UK, Poland, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Dubai, France and New Zealand.

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Gavin Reid uses his experiences as a teacher, educational psychologist, researcher, university lecturer and, most importantly, as a parent in the preparation of his books.

1. Reid, G., Elbeheri, G. and Everatt, J. (2015) Assessing Children with Specific Learning Difficulties: A Teacher's Practical Guide. David Fulton/Routledge, London.
2. Reid, G. (2013) Dyslexia and Inclusion (2nd edition). Routledge, London.
3. Reid, G., Elbeheri, G., Everatt, J. and Wearmouth, J. (eds) (2009) The Routledge Companion on Dyslexia. Routledge, London.
4. Green, S. and Reid, G. (2009) Effective Learning: Ideas into Action. Continuum, London.
5. Reid, G. (2009) Dyslexia (3rd edition). Bloomsbury, London, also published in French and Polish.
6. Reid, G. (2009) Dyslexia: A Practitioner's Handbook (4th edition). Wiley, London.
7. Reid, G. and Green, S. (2009) 100+ Ideas for Supporting Students with Dyslexia. Bloomsbury, London, also published in French and Polish.
8. Came, F. and Reid, G. (2008) Common Assessment Framework. Learning Works International, Marlborough.
9. Reid, G. (2008). Dyslexia: A Complete Guide for Parents (2nd edition). Wiley, Chichester, reprinted; also translated into French and Italian.
10. Reid, G. and Green, S. (2008) Dyslexia: A Guide for Teaching Assistants. Continuum, London.
11. Reid, G., Fawcett, A., Manis, F. and Siegel, L. (eds) (2008) The Sage Dyslexia Handbook. Sage, London.
12. Reid, G. (2007) Motivating Learners in the Classroom: Ideas and Strategies. Sage, London.
13. Reid, G. (2005) Learning Styles and Inclusion. Sage, London. Also published in Polish.
14. Reid, G. and Fawcett, A. (eds) (2004) Dyslexia in Context, Theory and Practice. Whurr, London.
15. Reid, G. (2004) Dyslexia: A Complete Guide for Parents. Wiley, Chichester, reprinted 2004, 2005 (three times), 2006 (twice); also translated into Italian.
16. Peer, L. and Reid, G. (2003) Introduction to Dyslexia. David Fulton, London.
17. Reid, G. (2003) Dyslexia: A Practitioner's Handbook (3rd edition). Wiley, Chichester, reprinted 2004, 2005 (twice), 2006, 2007.
18. Weedon, C. and Reid, G. (2003) Special Needs Assessment Profile (SNAP). Hodder & Stoughton, London (version 2, published 2006, version 3 2009).
19. Peer, L. and Reid, G (eds) (2001) Dyslexia: Successful Inclusion in the Secondary School. David Fulton, London.
20. Reid, G. and Wearmouth, J. (eds) (2002) Dyslexia and Literacy: Research and Practice. Wiley, Chichester.
21. Peer, L. and Reid, G. (eds) (2000) Multilingualism, Literacy and Dyslexia: A Challenge for Educators. David Fulton, London.
22. Reid, G. and Kirk, J. (2000) Dyslexia in Adults: Education and Employment. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, reprinted 2006.

By Sir Jackie Stewart

Gavin Reid has asked me to update the foreword for the latest edition of his Dyslexia: A Practitioner's Handbook. I wrote the foreword for Gavin's fourth edition of his Handbook in 2009 and, looking back on it, I find very little that I feel needs changing from my original foreword. However, I would like to say that Gavin Reid continues to be a real leader in the world of the dyslexia movement on a global basis.

I hope you will still find my original foreword of some interest.

Gavin has been a great contributor to the entire dyslexia movement and he is now spreading his wings beyond Scotland, the country of his birth, to be involved in the Middle and Far East and North America, and has lectured in many other countries around the world on the subject.

I, for my part, am a dyslexic, who was only identified as such at the age of 41, when both my sons were struggling at school in Switzerland. Although it would have seemed that the school had no great knowledge of anything to do with learning disabilities at the time, they at least recognised that both my sons simply couldn't keep up with the other class members in most of the subjects. They also had the sense to suggest that my sons be assessed, and recommended a specialist in London who could undertake that.

This event had an immense impact on my life because on that very day, during the assessment of my son Mark, the professor involved asked if I personally had ever experienced learning difficulties, which of course I had, having failed almost every exam that my school was able to invent. I walked out of his consulting room with great relief, realising for the first time that I was not ‘stupid, dumb or thick', but that I was a dyslexic.

I now commit an enormous amount of my life to the dyslexic movement, not just in Scotland (where I am President of Dyslexia Scotland) and in the rest of the UK (where I am a Vice-President of the British Dyslexia Association), but worldwide, trying to enhance the dyslexic movement, working with governments, ministers for education, university chancellors and deans of teacher-training colleges.

It is very apparent that even with the help that is currently being provided to support those children who are suffering with learning difficulties, unless we immediately integrate with the teacher-training colleges (who need to restructure their curriculum) to ensure that every single new teacher that qualifies into the profession has, at the very least, the skills for the early recognition of children with learning disabilities, and knows how to progress them on to more developed specialists in the field, we are not going to fully deal with, or resolve, the problem.

The educational authorities in a great many countries have a lot to answer for, because to a large extent around the world, a great many educators have simply ignored a child or young person who cannot accomplish the simple skills that others find so easy. They cannot read, write or count correctly, they get blamed for being lazy, for not paying attention, and therefore are identified not only by their teachers, but also by their peers, as being ‘dumb, stupid and thick', just as I was.

The pain, removal of self-esteem, frustration and humiliation that this brings to a young person can be devastating and can tarnish their lives forever. The problem moves from classroom to playground and they suffer intensely, to a point where they may turn to the abuse of alcohol and drugs to escape from the reality of their inadequacies.

A very large percentage of the existing established teacher body, because they have not been educated on the subject, allow those children to be left on the scrapheap of the educational system. They therefore leave school with little education, which considerably reduces their opportunity to secure a decent job or even gain employment. They are therefore robbed of the chance to reach their true potential, which, in my opinion, is totally unacceptable and indeed a sin.

A great many dyslexics are truly creative people and those who are able to succeed in life turn out to be hugely successful in many cases. For any government or educational authority to ignore those suffering from dyslexia, which amounts to at least 10% to 15% of the population of any country, is an unacceptable position.

The loss to a nation of many of them, who end up unemployed or turn to crime and end up in prison, is well documented. Well in excess of 65% of the prison population in most countries is dyslexic, which is simply unacceptable in the world in which we live. It would seem that most governments are still unaware of those statistics and that is why the work that Gavin Reid is doing around the world is so important. Gavin has a wealth of experience, with considerable knowledge, and has a proven track record in this field of dyslexia.

This book will benefit a multitude of people who are capable of assisting the young, and the mature, to overcome the hurdle that dyslexia provides. Those who can be led and informed into providing support for dyslexics will themselves be stimulated and fulfilled, through providing a lifeline to those who in many instances have been left as debris in school classrooms around the world. This is not a territorial problem, it is a universal problem.

Few people can communicate as successfully as Gavin Reid on this subject; he reaches out, not just to those who suffer the pains, frustrations and inadequacies that dyslexia provides, but just as importantly, he opens the eyes of the parents to allow them to give better understanding, consideration and support to the children that they have borne. With more knowledge those same parents are able to make greater demands on the schools, the teachers and authorities, who should be responsible for each and every one of the students who pass through their hands.

With many congratulations to Gavin Reid not only for the creation of this book, but also for spreading the news.

I have been involved in the field of dyslexia for close to 30 years now and for me it has been a ‘mission' with a ‘vision'! As one of the 11+ ‘casualties' at a time when there was little opportunity for those who did not fit the mould or make the grade, I have a great deal of empathy for those who have been formally diagnosed as dyslexic. I appreciate the sense of feeling different, having to expend more effort for sometimes basic tasks and of course being in awe of those who meet with success rather easily. As in the case of many with dyslexia this adversity generated a steely determination to achieve and to help those who may have experienced, and still may experience, some degree of disadvantage in educational settings.

One of the benefits of this seemingly uphill struggle is that dyslexics are almost forced to do it their way! They develop a working formula for dealing with their challenges. It is based on the individual and uses individualised strategies. It is important that schools and educators appreciate this and allow and encourage all those with dyslexia to think and work outside the box. That is not to say they can do it totally alone. In most cases they can't! They need the support and understanding of their families, teachers, schools, colleges and universities, and the community at large, including the workplace. Sir Jackie Stewart comments on this need for support and understanding in the foreword to this book. This is so important.

This support can take many forms but if it is accompanied by understanding and empathy then the battle is all but won. Support, empathy, appropriate teaching methods, acknowledging the learning differences and the right type of resources used at the right time will make a difference—of this you can be assured!

My role now is quite different from when I first started out. As a teacher I gained important first-hand experience of how literacy difficulties can impact on the educational and occupational choices of young people. I also learned that those who experience difficulties also share some significant strengths, and the key is to identify those strengths to help equip them to use these to overcome their challenges. You will note that the final chapter of this book is called ‘Positive Dyslexia', and profiling this aspect has been one of my enduring missions since 1993 when I wrote the chapter ‘The Other Side of Dyslexia' as part of the Moray House course texts on dyslexia. It is encouraging that the educational community is also coming round to that view. But I know Sir Jackie endorses the view that there is still much work to be done. I, as a parent, author, seminar presenter and ‘learner', sincerely hope this this book will go some way towards helping with that aim.

This fifth edition of Dyslexia: A Practitioner's Handbook focuses on the child, the young person and the adult with dyslexia, but it also focuses on the school system, the school management, the curriculum, government policy, differentiation, learning styles, teaching approaches and learning strategies. The most effective method of dealing with dyslexia is dependent on good practice in learning and best practice in teaching. That is the focus of this book.

It is heartening to witness the general acceptance of dyslexia among teachers, administrators and governments. As the twenty-first century has progressed we have seen a number of countries actively seeking out expertise in dyslexia, through legislation and working parties, and thus paving the way for changes in school systems to accommodate the needs of students such as those with dyslexia. But as Sir Jackie Stewart indicates in the foreword to this book, there is still much to be done. This was the case in 2009 and it is still the case today in 2015!

One of these areas is in teacher education. There are still a number of unresolved issues, particularly in pre-service training, but there has been significant progress in professional development for teachers with the development of specialised training courses in dyslexia. This is extremely encouraging as it is readily acknowledged by those working in this field that every teacher in every classroom should have at least an awareness of dyslexia, and every school should have at least one teacher who has been on a higher-level training course in dyslexia.

There are now dyslexia courses being run at universities and colleges in many countries and these courses, with a mix of theory and practice, can provide teachers with the understanding of what dyslexia is and the practical knowledge to tackle it in the classroom situation. More than that, however, courses should help teachers to understand children with dyslexia, their needs, their challenges and their abilities.

When I wrote the first edition of this book in 1994, there were few courses available and even fewer at university level. It is encouraging to witness how the field has developed since then, but what has provided most satisfaction has been the efforts by schools and education authorities to request and endorse professional development and support the training of teachers in dyslexia. This has been at a number of levels—short courses, courses for teaching assistants and lengthier postgraduate university courses. It is these levels of training that will ensure that children with dyslexia are understood and their needs met.

It is important also to consider parents—they have much to offer; their experiences, their insights and their support can be invaluable to schools. It is perhaps this collaboration that is the key to eventual success. Research findings can inform, but the real impact can come with effective communication between home and school. The sharing of concerns and the exchange of ideas can prove invaluable.

I sincerely hope this book can facilitate this in some way and that the information and the reflection provided will help to reduce anxieties, raise hopes and foster collaboration, and that the success they deserve will come about for all those children, young people and adults who have encountered the challenges that being dyslexic can bring.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge those who have shared their experiences of dyslexia with me and helped in this way to contribute to the book, as well as the large number of teachers, psychologists, administrators and parents I have spoken with over the years. I would also like to thank Sir Jackie Stewart for writing the foreword to this book and for the dedication, conviction and ongoing support he has shown to the field of dyslexia in every way. This has helped a great many parents and teachers to be more equipped and better able to meet the challenges of dyslexia at school and at home.