People with dyslexia have difficulties processing written information. This can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.
In the medical community, there are many different definitions of dyslexia. However, most experts agree that people with dyslexia have a difficulty making a connection between written words and letters, and the sounds that they represent.
Dyslexia is often defined as a learning disability, however, the condition has no effect on intelligence.
How common is dyslexia?
It is estimated that between 5-10% of people in the UK are affected by dyslexia.
Studies carried out seem to suggest that the condition is more common in boys. However, some experts have argued that these figures may be misleading as girls may be better at hiding their dyslexia by relying on their verbal skills, while boys are more likely to be spotted at an early age as they tend to be more disruptive in school.
Rates of dyslexia are the same among all ethnic groups, but language does play a factor. For example, countries that have languages where there is a clear connection between how a word is written, and how it sounds, such as Spanish or Italian, report lower rates of dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a different way of thinking
Some experts have argued that it is incorrect to classify dyslexia as a problem with thinking, emphasising that it is just a different way of thinking. People with dyslexia only experience difficulties because they are forced to adapt to a non-dyslexic world.
For example, most educational methods and many areas of work tend to emphasise the skills that people with dyslexia have trouble with, such as reading, writing, remembering lists and sequences, organising and planning.
However, the skills that people with dyslexia tend to be better at, such as creative thinking, visual awareness, problem solving and verbal communication, tend to only be emphasised in certain areas, such as the arts, the media and a number of scientific disciplines including physics, mathematics and computer programming.
Brain imaging studies have shown that people with dyslexia use different parts of their brain and make more use of the right hemisphere of the brain, which is involved in the more creative aspects of thought.
People with dyslexia often have:
- Good verbal skills.
- Good social skills.
- The ability to think laterally and solve problems by making unexpected connections (it is often reported that people with dyslexia can solve complex problems without being aware of how they came to the solution).
- The ability to understand the "big picture".
- Good visual reasoning and awareness skills. While most people are only able to think in "2D", people with dyslexia can think in "3D".
