Responsibility: The Ethical Discourse of Labelling Dyslexia for Educational Psychologists

Authors: Latham P*

DOI: 10.23880/pprij-16000414

Volume 9, Issue 2

Abstract

Aim: To critically analyse the dyslexia label through an ethical lens adopting a focus on decreasing the risk of harm to service users. Rationale: The labelling rhetoric for Dyslexia has emerged as contentious for Educational Psychology practice, and the ethical responsibility of an educational psychologist is paramount to applied practice. Findings: There are no unambiguous criteria to quantify the dyslexia label which compounds the difficulty ascribing aetiology and highlights inequities of provision created from labelling. Limitations: Dyslexia is a socially constructed label with ambiguity surrounding theoretical perspectives therefore, it can be difficult to ascertain a fundamental truth regarding the dyslexia rhetoric (Boyle, 2014). Thus, it is vital EPs reduce the risk of harm as much as possible via transposition into different roles (Kelly, 2019). Conclusions: EPs have a fundamental ethical responsibility to CYP in light of the dyslexia rhetoric.

Keywords: Dyslexia; Responsibility; Ethics; Labelling; Educational Psychologist

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