From Myth to Mastery: Supporting Irish Teachers' Knowledge of Dyslexia w/ Dyslexia Ireland
In 2025, with support from Research Ireland, Paula Lehane (School of Inclusive and Special Education) partnered with Dyslexia Ireland to examine Irish teachers’ knowledge of dyslexia, and their preparedness to teach dyslexic. Surveying 130 primary teachers, she discovered that while Irish educators understand more about dyslexia than their international counterparts, misconceptions persist. For example, 73% of Irish teachers correctly recognised that phonics instruction are crucial for dyslexic learners - significantly more than the 29% of American teachers who understood this. However, over half falsely believed that coloured lenses (55%) and dyslexia-specific fonts (52%) represent research-based approaches. A striking 67% advocated teaching picture cues as compensatory strategies—an approach unsupported by evidence. The findings can be viewed here.
In response to these findings, Dr Lehane and Dyslexia Ireland have worked to create freely available online resources at supportingdyslexicstudents.com. This website contains interactive books and videos debunking myths, explaining key principles of effective instruction, and showing how they work in an authentic context with a 9 year old learner.
Images from online course:
