Have You Heard About The Dyslexia Advantage?
Have you heard about the Dyslexia Advantage?
How dyslexia aware are you?
It’s estimated that 10% of the population are dyslexic. Maybe your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia or the child of a friend has. Or maybe you suspect that your child has dyslexia, but you’re worried about investigating further because of the perceived disadvantages of being labelled dyslexic.
So, what is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects the skills required for fluent and accurate word reading and spelling. There are no set criteria by which someone is diagnosed, as it can manifest in many ways and across a range of intellectual abilities. Diagnosis is usually made by an Educational Psychologist or a Specialist Assessor.
You may have heard of the difficulties linked to dyslexia, including difficulties with aspects of spelling, reading, organisation, calculations, co-ordination and language development.
But are you aware of the advantages of dyslexia?
Many people presume that having dyslexia is one big disadvantage. It’s easy to understand why. When diagnosed with dyslexia, children are often presented with a list of things that they can't do or that they will struggle with. These difficulties are portrayed in such a way that suggests the child will struggle academically and will not achieve much as a result. This leads to frustration and upset for the child and their parents.
In my experience, as a specialist teacher and SENCo for over 10 years, I have seen that whilst children with dyslexia may have a learning difficulty in a specific area, they can also have specific strengths and skill sets. These skill sets are often in areas that are not traditionally tested and so can be overlooked.
Research suggests that the brains of people with dyslexia, process information in a different way to those without dyslexia. As a result, having dyslexia can in fact provide a great set of advantages, but they not always acknowledged.
Here are some of the advantages that dyslexia can bring:
Enhanced creativity
Excellent problem-solving skills
Ability to see perspectives that others cannot always see
Great social & communication skills
Through my role, supporting parents and children with dyslexia, I am very keen to ensure that dyslexia is viewed as an advantage, not a disadvantage. If a child has a very clear understanding of their strengths, they can look to excel in the areas where they are stronger. An awareness of these areas can also help them overcome the potential barriers posed by dyslexia. There are many strategies available to support children with dyslexia that parents and school can successfully implement.