I remember reading an article some time ago, that contained a sentence along the lines of the following: ‘The problem with not being dyslexic is….’.
At the time, being a specialist teacher and consultant dealing with daily questions from students, teachers and parents about how to solve problems related to dyslexia, this immediately grabbed my attention in a refreshing way.
We read much about the difficulties with dyslexia, but not as much on the potential positives of dyslexia. There are, it can be argued, considerable benefits of being dyslexic and there are many references to occupational fields that people with dyslexia often excel in; engineering, science, arts and entrepreneurship, for example. Some researchers explain that impairments in one area can lead to strengths, and in some cases outstanding strengths, in others. This can drive progress in many fields.
Why do many of those with dyslexia shine in certain skills and why is it important to be aware of this? Knowing your student’s strengths as well as weaknesses helps with the tailoring of the learning approach. It is also crucial for the students themselves to understand what their strengths are and how they can work them to their advantage in life.
I’ve been pondering this subject - I emphasize pondering as there is not always solid scientific evidence for everything we ponder, and, furthermore, I’m not a scientist. However, many researchers talk about some key strengths that are often associated with having dyslexia and I’m going to touch on three areas, which seem very intertwined: holistic thinking (seeing the bigger picture), problem solving and creativity.
The ‘big picture’
The article I referred to earlier went on to say that the problem with not being dyslexic is that there is the danger of getting bogged down in the detail and not seeing the bigger picture.
What’s the problem with focussing on detail? There isn’t a problem, we need to be able to do that, but, initially, being able to have a vision of the overall aim of a project or piece of work is key to its coherence and success. So, being able to take in information and situations easily using a ‘wide-angled lens’ is a definite plus, and it seems some research suggests that this can be easier to do for many of those with dyslexia.
It is maybe no coincidence, therefore, that many successful entrepreneurs are dyslexic – they use that vision.
Problem solving
Many people with dyslexia excel at non-verbal and spatial reasoning tasks. Some researchers say, people with dyslexia have an enhanced visual memory and an increased ability to manipulate 3D images in the mind’s-eye. It could be argued that this enables people to see connections and gaps more easily. Science and engineering require these skills and often people with dyslexia are drawn to these fields.
I remember a specialist teacher colleague of mine using an apt analogy once to explain how the ‘dyslexic brain’ works - she said, “If you’re stuck in a traffic jam, what do you do? Find another route”. In other words, if there’s a barrier, those with the ability find another way through by using these skills and creativity.
Creativity
Creativity is such a broad term, but I will talk about it in relation to a specific person I had the privilege to meet about ten years ago, and who passed away in 2017; the award-winning British furniture designer, Mark Wilkinson. Described by some as the ‘Mozart of kitchen cabinet makers.’ Mark was a creative genius with a non-verbal reasoning IQ in the top 2 percent of the population, and he was also severely dyslexic.
Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, he recounted to me how aware he was, from a very young age, that he learned in a different way to other kids at school and was not able to access the content of many lessons; he explained subjects were not taught in a way that worked for him. He remembers being made to feel stupid, but knew he wasn’t and spent much of his time in class looking out the window “day dreaming”.
However, what teachers may have termed ‘day-dreaming’ was, to him, time spent putting his mind to creative challenges; from an early age, he said, he was creating shapes and designs in his minds-eye.
The advantages or disadvantages of being dyslexic or not dyslexic really depend on the task being performed. Mark discovered his talents lay in envisaging and creating new designs for furniture, he would not have excelled in being a proof-reader, for example.
This brings us back to the point that it is so important to know where your students’ talents lie, dyslexic or not, creative genius or not, in order to be able to nurture strengths and support them in following a path that works for them.
Hannah MacLellan worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
