While dyslexia has been identified as a significant barrier to learning to read, write and spell for more than a century there are surprisingly large gaps in public awareness of the problem, even amongst teachers and other educational professionals.

There are no figures available on the number of adults with dyslexia in Ireland. We do know that 25 per cent of adults have significant literacy difficulties and a further 20 per cent have lesser problems, so within that segment of the population it would be no surprise to find a great number whose literacy problems are dyslexic in origin.

This Saturday, the Dyslexia Association of Ireland will host a European conference, "Dyslexia - Exploring Learning Differences", at University College Dublin. Parents, teachers, psychologists and interested members of the public are all welcome to attend.

The conference will bring together people with a wealth of experience of the subject, including Scottish psychologist Dr Gavin Reid, who has done groundbreaking research on the incidence of dyslexia in young offenders. He will discuss causal, while a Dr Steve Chinn of Mark College, Somerset, will speak on mathematics and dyslexia. Dr Chinn's work should be of particular interest as the l998 Study of Remedial Education in Irish Primary Schools identified the need for more provision in the area of remedial maths.

Practical advice for teachers will be offered by Mike Johnson of Manchester Metropolitan University, who will talk about a multi-sensory teaching system for reading which has been put into practice by Mary Devlin, a school principal from Monaghan. National school teacher Mairead Shiel will make a presentation on classroom strategies to help the student with dyslexia.

Parental support for children with dyslexia will be the subject of a talk by Wyn McCormack, author of Lost for Words. A guidance counsellor, she acquired her knowledge and experience the hard way, helping her dyslexic twin sons to steer a successful course through the educational system. Parents will also find the personal stories of Deirdre McGuinness and her son Philip most encouraging. Deirdre recalls struggling to find the most appropriate schools and courses for Philip, now a confident post-graduate business student.

Much recent media attention has focused on alternative therapies for dealing with dyslexia. Martin McPhillips has completed research at Queen's University Belfast into the theory that retained infantile reflexes can hinder learning. His contribution on "primary movement therapy" will reveal his findings.

Jane Kirk has recently co-authored Dyslexia in Adults: A practical Guide f or Working and Learning, with Dr Gavin Reid, and she will speak on this topic. Alan Sayles, remedial teacher and educational consultant to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland will provide the final contribution of the day with an overview of dyslexia in Ireland.

The taskforce on dyslexia, set up by the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Michael Woods last September, is due to issue its report shortly. This report will surely generate debate and a demand for information and practical advice. The programme presented at the conference should provide a starting point, at the very least, for anyone wishing to make him or herself familiar with the area.

The lack of adequate pre-service training for teachers at both primary and secondary level has long been a concern of the Dyslexia Association. In a survey of its members, published last year, the association revealed that two-thirds of the respondents thought that teachers whom their children had encountered at school were not sufficiently aware of the needs of students with dyslexia.

Less than one-third of respondents believed that remedial teachers were trained to teach such students.

A survey carried out by a National school teacher in l999 found that only 7.5 per cent of his respondents, all teachers of children in second class in his county, had, in his judgement, a good understanding of dyslexia. It also appeared from this survey that few teachers, young or old, get their understanding of dyslexia in teacher-training colleges. It is all the more important, therefore, that teachers have access to conferences such as this, and it is gratifying that the Department of Education and Science is prepared to support the efforts of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland in hosting this event.

Admission to the conference and lunch is £30 for members of the Dyslexia Association and £40 for non-members. Full-time students pay £20. Pre-booking is advisable if lunch is required.

Details are available from the Dyslexia Association of Ireland, Suffolk Street, Dublin 2. Telephone: 01-6790276. Fax: 01-6790273. Email: acld@iol.ie

Anne Hughes is the administrator of the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities.