**2. Study background**

Inclusive education is an ideology that places primary focus on removing barriers to school participation [6]. However, the way it is adapted and integrated varies between countries, communities, and schools [7]. The overarching aim of inclusive education is to combat discrimination, as well as prevent student dropout, by ensuring that all students have access to meaningful, high-quality education in their local schools [8]. This means that schools must provide sufficient support and remove barriers, for all students to thrive. The emphasis on removing barriers is firmly rooted in the social model of disability, an ideology that maintains that people's limitations stem from hindrances in society, not by their impairment or difference [9]. In light of this perspective, the objective of providing inclusive support at schools is to limit the barriers that hinder participation and learning, instead of placing emphasis on children's lack of physical or cognitive ability. Thus, instead of placing students with special education needs in specially designed programs or schools, the aim is to provide sufficient support in order for all children to have equal access to education in their local schools [10].

Icelandic law is rooted in the ideology mentioned above. The Act on Elementary Schools, from 2008, emphasises that students have the right to equal treatment and that their educational needs must be met, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. Furthermore, the act places emphasis on supportive services instead of special needs education [1]. The emphasis on inclusiveness is also stressed in the National

#### *The Interplay between Dyslexia, Anxiety, and Educational Attainment among Young Adults… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.113750*

Curriculum for Elementary Schools as it underscores the obligation of schools to effectively educate all children [11]. Accordingly, every child has the right to receive a suitable education within the Icelandic elementary school system.

However, inclusive education can be a challenge. International research shows that at times, schools have failed to provide support that conforms to the policy of inclusive education. For example, a study by Nishan [12] revealed that teachers experience a lack of resources and solutions. Moreover, Torombe [13] found that there are too many students in classrooms and that there is a lack of knowledge about the different student needs. Research suggests that many teachers feel they lack the knowledge and competency to teach within the inclusive school parameters and consider it the role of other professionals to attend to students with diverse learning needs [14]. Similarly, Hardin and Hardin [15] maintain that even though most teachers teach students with differing special needs each day, there are always those who believe they lack the capacity to satisfactorily meet those needs. In Iceland, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture [16] did an assessment on inclusive education and found that following the implementation of the Act on Elementary Schools in 2008, schools suffered from insufficient funds and resources. Furthermore, in a comparative analysis of inclusive schools in Iceland and Canada, Köpfer and Óskarsdóttir [17] found that in both countries there still exists an emphasis on the "special needs" of children, which impacts the support that is provided. Thus, instead of removing barriers in the school environment, educational practises are still in some ways focused on the student's ability instead of finding ways to provide access to quality education for all students.

Dyssegaard et al. [18] attest that the success of inclusive education for a student with diverse needs rests on the resources in the schools, teacher access to continued professional development, and the availability of professionals with knowledge of diverse teaching methods that suit students with diverse learning needs. Teachers play a key role in student learning, as they support students' individual needs and cater to their developmental needs, as well as recognize and address learning difficulties and respond with appropriate solutions. These responsibilities can be challenging for teachers and therefore there is a need for adequate professional support to enable teachers to meet the diverse needs of students [19].

Dyslexia is an example of a learning disability that can produce academic inequality if schools fail to provide sufficient support. Dyslexia is not considered related to people's IQ [20], but generally results in people having difficulty identifying words accurately and deficiencies in spelling skills [21, 22]. A review of international literature on how dyslexia may impact emotional well-being shows that dyslexia can have a range of both direct and indirect consequences. Direct consequences appear in poor academic capabilities and work performance. These difficulties are often accompanied by stigma, and those with dyslexia often feel humiliated, which can lead to negative self-evaluation. A negative self-evaluation can then have various consequences, such as low self-confidence, problems in social relations, low motivation, behavioural problems, and mental distress [23].

It is possible that negative self-esteem, and its consequences, could be prevented by diagnosing dyslexia at a young age, so that appropriate support can be provided. A significant discovery from Australian research was that teachers approached children in need of support differently when learning difficulties were explicitly identified, for example with a dyslexia diagnosis. Students with formally labelled learning difficulties tended to receive more effective support from their teachers compared to those with learning difficulties that were not formally identified. For teachers, a labelled learning difficulty provides a sense of clarity when selecting appropriate strategies to

address students' specific needs [4]. It is important that children and young people with dyslexia receive sufficient support that meets their individual needs, since dropout from education is highest among those with learning difficulties of some kind [24, 25]. Those who drop out of school can face reduced quality of life, various psychosocial difficulties, and are at risk of having to rely on welfare services to support themselves [26]. Furthermore, an Icelandic study found that 33% of people with a disability or rehabilitation pension, under the age of 30, had been diagnosed with dyslexia. These results indicate that the lack of educational support for young dyslexic people can affect their health and lead to drop out from the labour market and education [25, 27].
