The Benefits of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty commonly associated with reading, writing and spelling. Although these particular tasks are challenging for a child with dyslexia, what many parents may lose sight of is that their child is very often gifted in other areas.

Dyslexic children excel in many activities, and despite not always being high achievers in certain areas such as reading or spelling, the way in which they approach their work can often give them a great advantage.

Characteristics of dyslexia

Children with dyslexia are often more determined to succeed and can be more hardworking than most children their age. In fact dyslexia can in itself be a motivating factor in a child's attitude towards work and because they may find other areas of life more of a struggle, they have greater patience and perseverance with tasks.

Creative thinking

A dyslexic child often excels in lessons which encourage creativity and the use of imagination such as drama, art, and music. This freedom of expression enables unique and personal responses to activities. As a result of this, an adult with dyslexia may lean towards careers which involve art and design, problem solving, or holistic roles.

Those with dyslexia often have an innate ability to visualise 3-D images from 2-D plans and  rearrange them mentally in order to create unique ideas. Architecture and design roles which require them to build and construct are ideal and help unleash their creative potential.

Dyslexic children often retain and decipher information in a different way to other children. They can think laterally and see a link between sometimes unconnected ideas which means that they can understand and ‘see' what others may not. This provides them with excellent problem-solving capabilities and they may excel where others struggle.

Famous dyslexics

Many well-known figures have dyslexia. It has not been a barrier to their success. It is believed that Albert Einstein was dyslexic, as well as actors Orlando Bloom and Whoopi Goldberg, boxer Mohammad Ali, Virgin boss Richard Branson, artist Leonardo da Vinci, musician John Lennon and politician Winston Churchill... to name but a few! The success and achievements of these individuals shows that with motivation and support, dyslexia need not be a stumbling block.

• Pablo Picasso - Many critics believe that Picasso's Cubism paintings are a result of his dyslexia: ‘he saw things out of order, backwards or upside down and this is portrayed in his cube paintings'
• Keira Knightley - ‘My desire to act was my driving force. I got really good help from some amazing teachers and my mother and father worked tirelessly with me, so by the time I was 11 I had kind of overcome the dyslexia and now it's not really a problem. I don't notice it anymore.'
• Muhammad Ali - ‘I have been able to overcome my learning difficulties through my own persistence...I had enough belief and self esteem to carry me to greatness in other ways.'
• Tom Cruise - ‘I had to train myself to focus my attention I became very visual and learned how to create mental images in order to comprehend what I read.'

Supporting Dyslexia

Every person has their own unique learning style. Understanding how dyslexic children learn best is vital to creating a positive and constructive learning experience for them both in school and at home.

• Using creative materials such as clay or paint will help your child visualise what they are trying to learn. Encourage your child to paint the alphabet or words on a big piece of paper and later on when having a bath, recap what they have learnt by drawing on the wall or on them with bath crayons. The hands-on approach will make word-play fun and consolidate learning.
• Use colours to organise things such as books, folders and notebooks so they correspond with each other making it easier for your child to access their work.
• When testing your child leave three or four lines in between the questions making it easier for your child to visualise the words.
• Help your child learn words by playing the ‘hot or cold' game. Hide the words around the room and ask your child to find them. As they get near the hiding place say ‘hot' if they move away from the spot say ‘cold'. When they find the word ask them to read it out loud to you and explain what it means. This will help them remember different words and associate them with the game.
• Read your child a bedtime story but with a twist. Choose their favourite story book but tell them they can only read one specific word each time it appears. The fact that they are concentrating on reading their assigned word will help them remember it. The next night give them two words to remember and so on. You could even make a word bank with them that they can refer to when they are doing writing at home and they could take this into school with them.
• Play ‘hide and seek' with your child and their favourite object. Simply hide the object, for example a toy, and leave short notes around the house giving them clues as to where it is hidden. This will encourage them to read in order to find the item.

The British Dyslexia Association has some great tips on how to help your dyslexic child with their homework. Visit bdadyslexia.org for more advice.