Councillor Heggie, Livingston South Ward, pushes for better identification of Dyslexia at West Lothian Primary Schools.
Following cross party support of Councillor Heggie’s motion at today’s full Council meeting, West Lothian Council Education department will have to identify further methods in recognising pupils with dyslexia.
Currently, only 1.5% of West Lothian primary school pupils are diagnosed with dyslexia, and this is against an estimated 10% of the population having some form of dyslexia.
Councillor Peter Heggie stated, “I am delighted that all parties supported this important initiative. Whilst I understand that West Lothian Council are not alone in identifying low numbers of those with dyslexia, our Council have set such high standards in Education in recent years, we need to ensure these standards are available to all pupils. This is an area that can be improved upon and I look forward to our Education department finding ways to recognise more children who have dyslexia.”
Peter Heggie added, “Early identification of dyslexia is so important and ensures those who have dyslexia are given the right support to reach the same standards as their peers. Whilst not all who have dyslexia need additional support, I trust any new processes will assist in giving the appropriate levels of assistance for each individual.”
