The Most Common Learning Disability Affects 10% of the Population…Do You Know What It Is? It is Dyslexia. Think about it…1 in every 10 people have a mild to a severe case of Dyslexia. Just to be clear, it is a learning disability that has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence. In fact, it can be just the opposite, a lot of dyslexics have above average IQ scores.
What it does mean, is these folks must learn differently in order to be successful. They must work harder to be successful. Dyslexics do not outgrow their dyslexia. They learn to compensate for it. Many of them are great puzzle solvers and they can see the “big picture” way easier than others. Dyslexics can often time have great imaginations, conceptualization skills, as well as better than average deductive and abstract thinking techniques. Because of this, they make great “detectives” because they look past the obvious.
Once we figured out our son was dyslexic, it definitely opened up our eyes into why things were just different for him. He kicked our butts in most puzzle-solving activities. If it was a visual puzzle, he would always get it before the rest of the family. Imagine a 4th grader and the thrill he had when he would see the answer before his 40+-year-old parents. Because reading was a struggle, it was exciting to find other ways he could excel and show the world he was really good at lots of things just not reading.
There are, of course, some pitfalls to being dyslexic. In case you haven’t figured this out before, you will if a family member goes thru a relearning process for reading. The English language is really a dumb language. There are many words that are just too much alike. Think spelling and sound. Here are some examples:
- Their/there
- Wear/were/where
- Accept/except
- Plane/plain
- Sense/Since
- Sight/Site
- To/Too/Two
- Quiet/Quite
- Feel/Fill
Again, until you have someone close that struggles with this disability, you truly don’t realize how crazy parts of the English language are. But you will.
They can struggle enough with the English language so adding a foreign language on top can really be an issue. Our son learned a few words in Spanish from friends (we live in Texas after all). But it became clear learning another language would not be a fulfilling endeavour for him. Worse, in Texas, 2 years of a foreign language is a requirement as part of the common core curriculum to graduate from high school. Thankfully, he attended a large high school that had several options in this category. One of them was American Sign Language and it worked out great for him.
Standardized written tests can also be an issue for dyslexics. Because they often “skip” words when they are reading, sentences will have completely different meanings to them than is written. Thus, they will struggle to answer the questions correctly. One of the things we did with our son, was get him extra time to take these tests and require him to read the question at least two times before answering to ensure he read the same thing multiple times. As he went thru his tutoring and relearning process, it got easier for him but he will never be a well-standardized test taker.
The main takeaway for this article is that no matter what, dyslexics can be successful. They are not stupid or dumb. They just learn differently than others. With help, they will find their way. Just make sure they get the help, no matter their age.
Many, once they have a diagnosis and help, will find a path that works for them to be successful. They may choose careers that are not heavy on reading but instead are very hands-on. Our son graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fire Science and Criminal Justice from the University of North Texas – Dallas. He has decided to be a fireman/paramedic for his career. He has found his niche and loves what he does. Hands-on helping people is his calling. With lots of hard work on his part, dyslexia does not define who he is. It is just part of what makes him special.
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