Hi Kim, yes students with reading difficulties truly were overlooked because we knew so little about dyslexia and the likes, back then.

I taught a girl in year five. I knew she was smart, but it was difficult to read/break open anything she wrote. I felt such a failure, because I had no idea how to help her.

Today she is an engineer, all thanks to her efforts. Somewhere along the line she must have taken some control of her reading. By the time students get into high school, getting the requisite help just isn't much of an option. Nor is it cool.