NORTH-EAST professor Julian Elliott has been "taken aback" at the storm created by his controversial views on dyslexia.

The Durham University professor of education stirred up a hornets' nest after he questioned whether dyslexia really existed.

Campaigners condemned his comments, insisting that dyslexia - defined by the Concise Oxford Dictionary as "a disorder involving difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters and other symbols" - is a real condition affecting millions of Britons.

Ricky Turner, 22, from Newcastle, who overcame dyslexia to graduate at Northumbria University this summer, said: "If this guy says dyslexia doesn't exist it will mean that people in my situation won't get the help we need."

He added: "I got lots of help through school, and at university I was allowed extra time for exams and reading. It was invaluable," said Mr Turner, who graduated in information and communication management.

Yesterday, Prof Elliott said: "The point I am trying to make is that we should provide support to all children with reading difficulties, which is tailored to the specific needs of that individual rather than separating kids into dyslexic and non-dyslexic groups."

He urged everyone to watch The Dyslexia Myth on Channel 4 on September 8, at 9pm.

"Before you condemn, watch the programme which will feature some of the leading experts in the world," he added.

The row began when yesterday's Times Education Supplement carried an article by Prof Elliott in which he wrote: "Dyslexia persists as a construct largely because it serves an emotional, not a scientific function."

Experts have failed to agree what it is, and being diagnosed as dyslexia makes virtually no difference to the treatment that the individual requires, he wrote.

The British Dyslexia Association said his remarks were "inflammatory".

Professor Susan Tresman, the charity's chief executive, said: "Dyslexia survives as a term because it is a real condition. I know of so many individual cases which completely refute what he is saying."

Dr Madelaine Portwood, an educational psychologist with Durham County Council, said: "All he is saying is perhaps we should look at all of the difficulties facing a child rather than simply attaching a label which is being expanded all the time."