Survey highlights need for increased dyslexia education

WASHINGTON — Whereas members of the AAPOS community recognize that dyslexia is a learning disorder and not a visual disorder, there is a need for increased dyslexia education during training, according to a poster presented at the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meeting.

Irma Muminovic, MD, and colleagues at Byers Eye Institute, California, reported on a 27-question survey sent to 1,668 AAPOS members aimed at assessing member understanding of dyslexia. Of 186 respondents, 49% reported feeling competent to identify patients at risk for dyslexia, 65% reported knowing where to refer patients with dyslexia, and 73% recognized that dyslexia can be diagnosed at a young age.

However, only 5% of the respondents reported receiving specific training or education regarding dyslexia during residency, 16% during fellowship and 47% while in practice, Muminovic told Healio.com/OSN.

“Our results demonstrate that the AAPOS community recognizes that dyslexia is a learning disorder and not a visual disorder. However, our results also show that there is an opportunity for increased awareness, particularly in respect to comorbidities and social impacts related to dyslexia,” she said. “We believe that this [study] highlights the need for increased dyslexia education during training.” – by Patricia Nale, ELS

Reference:

Muminovic I, et al. Dyslexia: What we know. Presented at: American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meeting; March 18-22, 2018; Washington.

Disclosure: Muminovic reports no relevant financial disclosures.