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Column 565
prescription in the primary legislation. We have covered that, but I give an undertaking to meet the Rights of Way Review Committee if there are other concerns. We have already met the committee, and the amendments that we have tabled are a result of those meetings. I hope that the hon. Member will feel able not to press his amendment.Mr. Fearn : The Minister has given reassurances, and he mentioned the word "safety" twice, so I shall withdraw the amendments in my name.
Mr. Speaker : We do not need the pleasure of a withdrawal. Amendment agreed to.
Amendments made : No. 39 in page 34, line 35, at end insert , and
(b) what arrangements have been made for ensuring that, if the order is confirmed, any appropriate barriers and signs are erected and maintained.
(4A) Before determining to make a rail crossing extinguishment order on the representations of the operator of the railway crossed by the path or way, the council may require him to enter into an agreement with them to defray, or to make such contribution as may be specified in the agreement towards, any expenses which the council may incur in connection with the erection or maintenance of barriers and signs.'.
No. 40, in page 34, line 44, after section', insert
"operator", in relation to a railway, means any person carrying on an undertaking which includes maintaining the permanent way ;'.-- [Mr. McLoughlin.]
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : I beg to move amendment No. 10, in page 34, line 44, leave out from railway' to end of line 46 and insert does not include tramway'.
Mr. Speaker : With this it will be convenient to consider amendment No. 13, in page 36, lin 32, leave out from railway' to end of line 34 and insert does not include tramway'.
Mr. Bennett : Why does the Minister have to apply the proposals for crossings to tramways? My hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Snape) described graphically the problems for the drivers of high- speed trains and the horror that they could experience if they were involved in an accident on a level crossing. We can all understand that there is a balance between the requirements of safety and the problems that they present for the railway on main lines, with trains travelling at considerable speeds. How does he envisage the same problems applying to a tramway, as in most instances at some time or other they will run through a town centre? Why is it necessary to consider the closure of footpath crossings on tramways?
Mr. McLoughlin : I agree with the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) that the provisions in schedule 2 apply mainly, if not wholly, to railways. There are, for the moment, only two tramways in England and Wales operating passenger services--Blackpool and Great Orme-- but in both cases I am told, there are substantial lengths which do not run on the street. The Manchester metro and other new light rail systems will also include sections of segregated tramway. It is possible therefore that a path or way crossing a tramway operated off street could become unsafe.
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For example, a new caravan park might result in increased use by people unfamiliar with the tramway and it might be necessary to stop up or divert the crossing on safety grounds. Although I agree, therefore, that the provisions are basically there for railway crossings, we cannot rule out entirely the need to use them for tramways, and because of the important public safety considerations, this provision must be comprehensive. I hope that I have given the reassurance that the hon. Gentleman requires.9.45 pm
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : The Minister certainly has not. I do not remember which hon. Member gave a long reminiscence in Committee about travelling on the Great Orme tramway.
Mr. Bennett : I am sorry that I failed to credit my hon. Friend. If the Minister had experience of that tramway, he would realise that it was not driven at such great speeds that it was not safe to walk across the track. I can understand that there are circumstances in which it is not safe to be in front of a Blackpool tram, but that is only on the carriageway. It seems odd to say that people can walk to and fro on the carriageway, but if the trams run on a small section that is not on the carriageway, people cannot walk across that. That is totally illogical and inconsistent.
The Minister has asked about new circumstances. I hope that the new Greater Manchester tramway system will be operating by the end of the month. Sections of that line towards Altrincham and Bury use what were railway lines, which have been downgraded for trams. I cannot envisage a situation in which trams will travel so fast along that section of track that the footpath will have to be closed, yet on other parts of the route, the same trams will run along carriageways in which people will be free to walk backwards and forwards across a track without any difficulty.
If the Minister wants to reassure ramblers and others that he is not setting out to close footpaths on a wholesale basis, which is totally unnecessary, it would be far better for him to make one more concession and accept the amendment. I know that he is not keen to have amendments moved in the House of Lords or to delay the progress of the Bill, but I am tempted to push this to a vote.
Amendment negatived.
Amendments made : No. 41, in page 35, line 25, after to', insert--
(a)'.
No. 42, in page 35, line 26, at end insert
, and
(b) what arrangements have been made for ensuring that, if the order is confirmed, any appropriate barriers and signs are erected and maintained.'.
No. 43, in page 35, line 34, at end insert--
( ) A rail crossing diversion order may make provision requiring the operator of the railway to maintain all or part of the footpath or bridleway created by the order.'.
No. 44, in page 35, line 48, at end insert--
(aa
(any expenses which the council may incur in connection with the erection of maintenance of barriers and signs ;'.) No. 45, in page 35, line 52, leave out or'.
No. 71, in page 37, line 2, leave out written'.
No. 72, in page 37, line 4, after railway', insert--
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(aa(the request is in such form and gives such particulars as are prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State'.) No. 73, in page 37, line 40, at end insert--
7A. In section 325 (provisions as to regulations, schemes and orders) in subsection (2)(a), after the word "section", there shall be inserted the words "120(3A) or".'.-- [Mr. McLoughlin.]
Clause 59
Harbours
Amendment made : No. 46, in page 29, line 21, at end insert-- (3) In section 35 of the Coast Protection Act 1949 (which excepts certain operations from the requirement to obtain the Secretary of State's consent under section 34) in subsection (1) there shall be added after paragraph (h)--
"(i
(any operations authorised by an order under section 14 or 16 of the Harbours Act 1964.".'.-- [Mr. McLoughlin.] )
Schedule 3
Amendment of Harbours Act 1964
Mr. Spearing : I beg to move amendment No. 122, in page 38, leave out lines 32 and 33.
Schedule 3 hangs on clause 59 and relates to an entirely different matter. We have shifted from tramways and railways to the much more ancient travel facility--the harbour. There are about 600 of them around our coast and many are relatively small. Most harbours were important to their regions years ago, but the change in shipping techniques has often left them to inshore fishing or perhaps leisure use.
The powers with which I am concerned are contained in schedule 3. The Bill transforms section 14 of the Harbours Act 1964, which enabled the then Minister of Transport to change harbour constitutions. Many of those harbours were entreched in Acts of Parliament of long ago. Some small ports obtained their own Acts of Parliament, many of them unique and highly localised, with a good deal of local loyalty and concern.
There was some contoversy over the passing of section 14 because it allowed the then Minister to change the constitution of those harbour boards by statutory instrument, even when those harbours had been established by an Act of Parliament. The provision was not confined to small harbours. The constitution of the Port of London Authority engaged the House in many debates between 1906 and 1910. Two or three long Second Reading debates took place on the establishment of the Port of London Authority. Its constitution was changed more or less in secret overnight by a statutory instrument. Therefore, in the past, harbour revision orders have not been used just for small ports. Schedule 3 changes those powers. It is legislation by reference to section 14 and it enables the Secretary of State to issue a statutory instrument that closes part of the harbour, reduces the facilities available in a harbour, or disposes of property not required for the purposes of a harbour. As I said in Committee, closure of part of a harbour could mean the closure of as much as 80 or 90 per cent. It could effectively close 100 per cent. of a harbour.
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Indeed, it could do much more, because schedule 3, paragraph 1(4)(c) states :"for the words repealing and amending' there shall be substituted the words excluding or modifying any provision of any Act or of any instrument made under any Act (including this Act) and for repealing'.".
In other words, it gives the Minister the power to modify not just harbour Acts but any Act for any purpose and, in this respect, it is related to a harbour.
I take exception to that provision, because it transgresses the principle that an Act of Parliament should be amended only by another Act of Parliament. If it is contentious, it should be debated as an Act and not smuggled through in a statutory instrument, still less one that has no powers of annulment and is not even subject to an affirmative resolution. Here, we have that in extenso.
Amendment No. 122 seeks to delete the power to dispose of property that is not required for the purpose of the harbour. As the Minister has powers to close virtually all the harbour--there is no limitation on his power in that respect--he also has the power to dispose of property around the harbour. Such places are often of considerable scenic beauty and local amenity, are much prized and of high value. I do not object to the fact that the provision includes the power to change the facilities in a harbour for vessels that are not just sea-going ships, which is the original definition. Subsection (2) says :
"there shall be added the words or in the interests of the recreational use of sea-going ships'"
Although those small harbours can be closed, they can also be changed to function as marinas. As you, Mr. Speaker, know, as you were in the House at the time, marinas can sometimes be controversial. I remember the legislation on the Brighton marina, which surged to and fro through the Chamber like a wave for two or three Sessions, and provoked highly controversial and emotional speeches.
I do not say that the powers will be given to 600 Brighton marinas, but they will be given to about that many small ports and harbours throughout the country. People believe that the rights and usages of such harbours-- usually of high civic value--are entrenched in Acts. If enacted, the Bill will sweep those away and give the Secretary of State enormous powers that I do not believe he should have. Therefore, I hope that he will explain why he wants that power, which I do not believe the House should give him.
Mr. McLoughlin : The hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) dealt partly with the next two groups of amendments, to which I shall come shortly. I do not believe that his argument is as weighty as he might imagine.
As I said in Committee, an order cannot provide for the complete closure of an harbour or enable the authority to get rid of its statutory function. The Minister must be convinced that he ought to give powers to dispose of the land in the interests of the harbour. The Bill changes nothing in principle, and I ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment, which would merely leave the 1964 Act in its present confusing state, which would not benefit anyone.
Mr. Spearing : I accept that my speech strayed on to amendment No. 123, but I do not accept the Minister's explanation. He said that he cannot complete the closure of a harbour, but I never said that he could. I said that the Bill virtually gave him the powers to do so if he so chose.
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We all know that harbours are viable only if certain facilities are available and fully used. I cannot withdraw the amendment, but no doubt the Minister will try to negative it on the voice.Amendment negatived.
Mr. Spearing : I beg to move amendment No. 123, in page 38, leave out lines 41 to 43.
Mr. Speaker : With this it will be convenient to take amendment No. 124, in page 39, line 8, leave out sub-paragraph (3).
Mr. Spearing : I have already partly covered this point, as it related to amendment No. 122. However, the amendment also covers an equally stringent provision contained in paragraph 2(3) of schedule 3 where, in relation to the original legislation--the ports and harbours orders--
"after the words any other enactment' there shall be inserted the words and provisions for excluding or modifying any provision of any Act or of any instrument made under any Act (including this Act)". For the reasons I gave a few moments ago, I cannot believe that it is right. Therefore, I hope that the Minister will give us an explanation for the inclusion of paragraphs 1(4)(c) and 2(3) in schedule 3. I do not believe that he should have those powers.
Mr. Cryer : Why does the word "excluding" replace "repealing" and the word "modifying" replace "amending"? I suppose that the power will no longer enable the Minister to repeal a section of an Act, but he will be able to exclude a section of an Act from an order that he is making. It is not very clear. I think that paragraph 1(4)(c) of schedule 3 means that his powers will be slightly reduced. Will the Minister confirm that, and state why the section is being retained?
Mr. McLoughlin : Section 14(3) of the Harbours Act 1964 provides for inclusion of provisions repealing or amending provisions in local Acts. Paragraph 1(4)(b) widens the power to enable the order to disapply or modify the application of general statutes but not to repeal or amend them. Harbour revision orders, unlike private Bills, cannot be used to modify or disapply provisions in general Acts or subordinate legislation of general application except in special cases such as section 43(3) of the Docks and Harbours Act 1966.
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Paragraph 2 makes similar provision for harbour empowerment orders under section 16 of the 1964 Act. Section 16 did not, however, provide for the repeal of the amending of local Acts that section 14 did. Because it is by nature a harbour empowerments order, it sets up a harbour authority for an area where there was previously no harbour authority and no local legislation relating to harbours.The commonest example of this application of general statutory provisions in private Acts relating to harbours is the disapplication of General Development Orders. Similarly, for the purposes of harbour revision orders it may be preferable to deal with planning authorities about the development as a whole instead of relying on GDOs for part of the planning permission or orders.
The effects of paragraphs 1 and 2 will be to give greater flexibility, especially where part of the proposed development is subject to normal planning permission. I hope that that reassures the hon. Gentleman.
It being Ten o'clock, further consideration of the Bill stood adjourned.
To be further considered tomorrow.
NURSES, MIDWIVES AND HEALTH VISITORS BILL [LORDS] As amended (in the Standing Committee) to be considered tomorrow.
Mr. Bob Cryer (Bradford, South) : On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. As the Government Whip has not moved the 10 o'clock business motion, did he make any change to the information on the Annunciator? As you have seen, Mr. Speaker, there is a petition on the Order Paper and it seems unfair-- [Interruption.] I hope that I shall be able to continue without the interruption of raucous shouts from pinstripe hooligans from the Whips Office. It might be worth trying to encourage Government Whips to ensure that business changes are made clear on the annunciator. That is what the annunciators are for, and it is daft to spend thousands of pounds installing information television sets throughout the Palace of Westminster and then not inform people when business is changed at a moment's notice.
Mr. Speaker : That is not a matter of order. I do not know when the decision was made. It was Conservative Members who had petitions down, and I suppose that they might well have been informed. It is not a matter for me.
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Dyslexics (Diagnosis and Treatment)
Motion made, and Question proposed , That this House do now adjourn.-- [Mr. Boswell.]
10.2 pm
Mr. Bowen Wells (Hertford and Stortford) : I am pleased to have the Adjournment debate and the assistance of my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Amess). The debate is on the subject of the diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia. I shall start by repeating the words of an eight- year-old child to his mother. The child said, "Do you know what I think? I think God has put my brain in upside down." That shows the problem facing many children suffering from dyslexia. The signs and the symptoms of dyslexia are that those suffering from it have difficulty with literacy skills and sometimes some aspects of numeracy. They have a short-term memory weakness, auditory or visual. That means that they cannot take down dictation from the blackboard or orally because, by the time five words have been put on the blackboard, they have forgotten the first words. They have language and sequencing difficulties and left-right confusion and mixed dominance. They have motor problems, are clumsy and suffer from the reversal of letters and words. There is a short attention span and dyslexics lack concentration. They also suffer from disorganisation, erratic performance and hyperactivity.
In infant school, such children may be articulate and appear bright, but they may appear shy and have problems with speech and language. They find it hard to settle down to work ; they may be clumsy and untidy because of the difficulty that they have in dressing. They may not have decided whether they are right or left-handed. Attempts to write, draw and cut may be very immature. They will experience difficulty in forming letters correctly : they may mirror-write, and not be aware that what they are producing is wrong. They may reverse stem letters, and invert "u" and "n", "m" and "w", more than other children in the class.
Such children have difficulty in associating sounds and symbols. If they are mastered, the children may have difficulty in using sound and symbol knowledge. They may have auditory discrimination problems : for example, "f", "v" and "th" sound the same to them. They may have visual memory and discrimination problems. They do not know how to learn, and cannot learn, by the "look and say" method of teaching children to read. They have trouble following instructions ; if they understand them, they often forget them very quickly.
The children have a poor sense of time. They will be late ; they will be disorganised. They have difficulty with sequencing--with days of the week and the alphabet, or with counting. If a child cannot read, his teacher may say, "Do not worry. He is a slow developer ; he will read when he is ready." And so it goes on in that teacher's class, as the seven-year-old becomes an 11-year-old. Such children may well be frustrated ; they may well switch off and daydream. Typically, the signs are the same in the junior school child, but they become more pronounced. Children will have language problems. They may have difficulty in thinking of the name for something. Conversations will be peppered with "watchermacallit", "thingummyjig" and similar expressions, which give the children time to think what they really want to say. They will have trouble with multiplication tables, days of the week, months of the year
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and the alphabet. Again, they will be clumsy and disorganised. They will probably develop behavioural problems. Such a child will either be the class clown, or very withdrawn, shy and dispirited. Eventually, he will probably play truant and absent himself from school Such behaviour is not put right even when the children attend secondary school. Reading and spelling ages will be well below the ability range ; reading ability will be adequate, while spelling problems persist. Typically, such children will not read for pleasure. They may have very slow reading speeds. They may get the gist, but get it very inaccurately. Essay writing and written exam performance are well below the standard of oral contributions. Pupils have difficulty in taking notes, and in memorising materials for exams. They will be disorganised, and have difficulty in planning their time and keeping track of materials as a child of 12, 13 or 14 might be expected to do.The children may have limited vocabularies, and little interest in words. They may interpret language very literally. They will have poor concentration. They will have daydreams, or become fidgety. They will find French, or any foreign language, extremely difficult. Handwriting and presentation may still be poor, and inaccurate copying may present problems.
The children may continue to experience left-right confusion and sequencing difficulty. They will tend to fall apart under pressure, particularly as regards spelling. The quality of their work will be very variable, depending on the conditions in which the work is produced and on how the child is feeling : he has good and bad days. The teacher will say that the work that the child produces on a good day just shows how well he can do, and that, if only he would make more effort, he would get there. School reports, typically, will contain remarks such as "Must try harder", "He is lazy", "He is careless", "Oral work good, written work poor", "Must work harder at spelling", "Must read more" and "Exam results disappointing". All those tendencies are typical of dyslexic children throughout their years of schooling, and they can all be corrected. Such children can develop into very worthwhile people, whether they are very intelligent or very unintelligent. They can be helped in their schools.
What are the remedies? Fundamentally, a dyslexic needs very intensive teaching. Dyslexics are infuriating people to teach. The teacher will have to give them extra attention and will have to recognise their difficulties. They will have to be given support, confidence and motivation. Things that they can remember today they will have forgotten entirely within a week. This means intensive teaching.
They cannot learn to spell or read without the use of phonetics or the phonic word method of teaching. Of course, that is not to exclude other methods of teaching to which they will respond, but, fundamentally, it is not possible to achieve reading and spelling recovery unless phonetics and phonics are used. Their short-term memory and their resulting difficulties with dictation or writing down from the blackboard must be understood by the teacher. Unless a child has taken down his prep from the blackboard or, alternatively, has written down what has been dictated, the rest of the lesson will be lost. The teacher must make certain that the dyslexic child has got the material down and is therefore able to do the work. It is therefore necessary that the teacher spends extra time--not much, but some- -with the dyslexic child.
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Of course, dyslexic children must not be humiliated. Many of them are very conscious of the fact that their friends, who seem to be just about as bright, just the same, as they, can read aloud but that they cannot. They get confused, and then they are criticised and humiliated, with the ridicule that that attracts. That leads to a lack of self-confidence and self-esteem. They then turn off completely, and their confidence evaporates. And this happens at the ages of six and seven. They need help and encouragement and patience--indeed, intensive teaching.Why should we be concerned about this? These are problems with which any schoolteacher is familiar and has seen day in and day out. It is true that 10 per cent. of the school population have dyslexia, whether mildly or very seriously, and that 4 per cent. probably need statementing. However, the rest can be taught in the classroom. They can be encouraged and helped to realise their capabilities within the classroom.
What happens when provision is not made? For example, it has been proven that, of those below the age of 18 convicted of criminal offences, 80 per cent. are dyslexic. This is typical of the results of not teaching and helping dyslexics at an earlier age. These people use their abilities in an alternative way--many of them criminally--to attract attention, fulfil their ambitions and boost their self-esteem. So it is important socially, as well as from a humanitarian point of view, that we try to enable children to realise their capabilities.
We can correct the situation. By doing so we would save massively in the re -education of these children and in subsequent social and even political costs. The problem could be addressed quite simply and quite economically in a five-point programme, about which I hope my hon. Friend the Minister will be able to respond positively. First, phonics, or the teaching of reading through the use of phonetics, should be compulsorily included in initial teacher training courses and, indeed, in the one-year postgraduate course. We need to make certain that teachers are capable of diagnosing and teaching dyslexics. Provision must be made in the initial teacher training syllabus and in the syllabus for the post-graduate diploma. Those teachers who are already in post must be enabled to take a recognised qualification in the teaching of dyslexics, such as that promoted by the Royal Society of Arts, which will attract additional salary as recognition of the additional skill. Thus our existing teaching force will be enabled to diagnose and treat dyslexia. In addition, the extra provision in the budget of each school, to which I referred earlier, is needed so that the teachers may spend that necessary little bit of extra time coping with the infuriating dyslexic--the pupil who needs a little extra time. That must be provided for in the school budget. Dyslexia requires a ring-fenced part of the education budget of approximately £2.1 million, which must be separate from the special learning difficulties provision in the education budget. It must be separate from and additional to that budget. Dyslexia must not be confused with the generality of special learning difficulties, although 4 per cent. of dyslexics will need special treatment over and above what I am talking about, under separate statementing procedures.
My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State has been extremely kind and generous in receiving delegations led by me on two occasions in the last six months from the British Dyslexia Association, with which my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon is associated. At our initial
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meeting with my hon. Friend, he said that he had a number of investigations to undertake and that he intended to invite those undertaking investigations into teacher training to look into the matter and to make proposals to him along the lines set out at the meeting. He kindly asked the delegation to return six months later. We went back to see my hon. Friend six months later, in January of this year. Again he gave us enormous encouragement by lending his support to the programmes that we put to him and by his understanding of the problems involved. I very much hope that tonight the Minister will be able to give further encouragement to those members of the teaching profession who have to deal with this difficult problem by saying that he will try to implement the five-point programme that I have put before the House.10.16 pm
Mr. David Amess (Basildon) : I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Wells) on his excellent speech and on raising this important subject.
Dyslexia is of great interest and concern to my constituents in Basildon and is of particular interest to me. At the age of five, in a class of 50, my mother was summoned to see the class mistress in the excellent school that I attended, St. Anthony's infants school, Forest Gate. She was told that I had very severe learning difficulties. I had a pronounced stutter. I could not make the sounds "st" and "th".
For three years after that, I had elocution lessons--special tuition--and was then denied my rightful heritage of a cockney accent. I am very grateful, however, that my learning difficulties were identified. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend and to the Basildon dyslexia association, led by one of my constituents, Mrs. Christine Haggerty, and her excellent committee.
For some little while, Essex county council was reluctant, as the Minister knows, to recognise that there was such as thing as dyslexia. That is understandable. In this day and age, when parents might have anxieties about their children's educational progress, it is easy to seize on the subject of dyslexia and say, "But so many children have dyslexia." We all know that children can be somewhat cruel to each other. I know that my hon. Friend is wary of identifying children in so highlighted a way that they might suffer teasing from other children. However, this is a very important subject.
Excellent workshops are held at the weekend in Basildon. I have been to see the wonderful work that is being done there. All sorts of techniques are used. The children are making great progress with reading, spelling and their general development. I hope that we shall have an excellent centre in Basildon. I endorse my hon. Friend's remarks. We both look forward to listening to the Minister's response to our concerns.
10.18 pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science (Mr. Michael Fallon) : I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Wells) on raising dyslexia as an issue for debate this evening. This is not the first time that we have debated the subject. My hon. Friend attended the debate that was initiated by my right hon. Friend the Member for
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Worcester (Mr. Walker) some time ago. My hon. Friend has pursued his interest in this subject with great vigour. I recall meeting him and his associates at the Department, when we had more than one positive and helpful discussion of the subject.Dyslexia is a very wide and important topic. It is capable of supporting continued debate without retreading old ground. This evening, the subject of debate is more particularly the diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia, upon which I intend to concentrate. Everything that my hon. Friend said spoke volumes about the need to catch the problems much earlier than we have. Study after study has shown how important it is to identify dyslexia as soon as possible in a child's development. If we do that, those in the medical, caring and teaching professions can then start to take the appropriate steps leading to early remediation of the difficulty, where that is possible.
It is often not appreciated that there are early signs, even in very young children, which suggest that a child might subsequently develop specific learning difficulties. The signs and the children may be difficult to identify with certainty, even by the trained eye. That is because the signals being given are often mixed or very close in nature to the signs which might, equally, indicate different sorts of difficulties or developmental delays.
The main point is that, if a child is giving some cause for concern, the behaviour and performance should be examined more closely and the child should be monitored very carefully over the succeeding period to try to discover the exact causes. As my hon. Friend knows, dyslexia is not just about getting words jumbled up. It is much more complicated.
Even before a child starts school, a doctor or health visitor might see a child with a very bumpy developmental profile. That should sound an initial warning. The doctor may know if other family members have any history of serious problems with literacy. The child may show signs of clumsiness, or poor co-ordination in gross or fine motor movements, distractibility or poor concentration. There may be a delay in the development of speech and language, or by and large normal development coupled with a difficulty in, say, drawing shapes. Anything requiring sequential ability--for example giving the days of the week in order or repeating patterns or instructions- -may give the vital first indication of specific learning difficulties. Sometimes, specific difficulties unrelated to sensory impairment may become apparent at nursery school. In such cases, the teacher who spots them may be able to seek advice from the educational psychologist or the pre-school specialist teachers. If those difficulties are marked or show signs of developing, careful monitoring of the child will be needed. That means that we must involve the parents at an early stage. They know more about the child than anyone.
By the time the child has got to school, and in the first few years there, the signs of dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties become more easily distinguishable from those exhibited by children with other difficulties or developmental delays. The child with dyslexia is often set apart by the skills shown and by demonstrable intelligence in other areas. The child in his early school days might
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