What are the most common indicators of dyslexia?
The problem is, dyslexia is not the same for everyone. 60-75% of dyslexics have phonological processing problems, that is, difficulties translating the written word into sounds. But not everybody with dyslexia struggles with reading!
There are also many different forms of dyslexia. These are all related, but share one thing: society defines them by what a person cannot do.
Below are the most common signs of dyslexia. They are broken down into “positives” and “negatives”.
Positives
Often, above-average intelligence.
Written output does not match intelligence.
Visual learner / visual thinker.
Excellent entrepreneurial talents. A disposition to ‘go it alone’.
High spatial and mathematical intelligence, occasionally contrasting with a difficulty with numbers.
High logical intelligence. Good logic skills.
High literary ability.
Excellent artistic ability.
Creative/ imaginative ability.
Non-linear thinking.
A ‘good eye’, for instance in photography.
High emotional intelligence.
Focus, motivation and tenacity.
High levels of curiosity.
Excellent problem-representation abilities.
Good problem-solving skills.
3D visual-spatial skills.
Holistic thinking/ ‘big picture’ and conceptual thinking. Ability to see connections between concepts (even when individual facts are tricky).
Structural thinker.
Good team-working skills.
Communication skills.
Good mechanical skills.
Excellent teaching abilities; often due to understanding concepts in-depth.
Often, language acquisition comes early.
Negatives
Unwillingness to deal with paperwork.
Slow reading speed. Unwillingness to read. Reading-related stress. Exhaustion upon reading.
Difficulties with administration forms.
Frustration. Feelings of being an ‘intelligent’ person trapped inside an unresponsive brain.
Difficulties with organisation/ timekeeping.
Problems keeping the right dates for appointments.
Confusion over directionality: left and right; map and direction following; often a dyslexic will lose his/ her way; difficulties giving accurate directions.
Writing and/ numeric problems: letters become inverted, transposed, omitted or included incorrectly, or written-over; words are mis-spelt even when copied; words become ‘split’ or two words become merged into one; spacing between words and letters is often uneven; messy handwriting. “Consistent inconsistencies”.
Confusion over timetables.
Problems memorising apparently disconnected facts.
Clumsiness.
Sequencing problems.
Either or both – difficulties reading/copying numbers; difficulties with arithmetic.
Low self-esteem.
Executive Function difficulties.
And how can we work with this?
