The Advantages of Dyslexia

Dyslexics often struggle to comprehend, spell and comprehend words. Research has revealed the brain's connectivity is different between typical and dyslexic children, which provides a neurological reason to explain why dyslexics struggle with their reading. Dyslexics do not just use various brain regions when they read or work in language. However, also functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed that dyslexics exhibit underactivity in specific areas of the brain and excessive activity in other. Incredibly, this diversity of brains is found to be a very resistant gene that is found at 10% in the world population. 

Recent years have seen scientists have been examining the evolution that the dyslexic brain has and have carried out a range of studies that have revealed the areas of focus in which people with dyslexia are most likely succeed. Being aware of these strengths as well as neurodiverse capabilities can help parents and educators discover untapped talents and maximize the benefits that dyslexia offers. Here's a list of five strengths commonly observed in people with dyslexia: Increased self-confidence and self-understanding, enhanced communication skills, and improved cognition With creative arts.

1. Wonderfully Imaginative

Although there is no solid evidence to suggest that people with dyslexia are more inventive than others There are many top-quality authors, musicians and actors, as well as artists and entrepreneurs who would suggest some correlation. UK research suggests that 35 percent of US entrepreneurs and 20 percent of UK entrepreneurs are dyslexic. In the Everatt's (1999) research also revealed that dyslexic individuals displayed signs of increased creative thinking, and more creative problem-solving skills.

As a child The focus is usually on the visual. However, dyslexics make great usage of the imagination in a method of processing and interpreting information. This triggers brain regions the brain that people are not likely to use. It is reported by the Yale Centre for Dyslexia as well as Creativity states that high levels of creativity in individuals and children with dyslexia. This is simply a result of the commitment and time that people with dyslexia spend investigating new ways of Academic Learning. These people seek new and inventive ways to resolve and overcome challenges. Andrew Pike, the Director of International Communications at the Prime Minister's (UK) Office and Cabinet Office Communications says"that "dyslexia is hugely beneficial -- thinking differently and finding unconventional ways to problem solve comes naturally. This is important for decision making and has allowed me to deliver an impact to my role".

A few well-known creative dyslexics include Leonardo Da Vinci, Agatha Christie, John Lennon, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, Keira Knightly, Whoopi goldberg, businessman Richard Branson, supermodel Jerry Hall and celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver. If these names show something, it's that dyslexia doesn't limit one's creative potential. According to Dr. Soren Petersen, design researcher, says the following "many of the super creative designers I have worked with seemed to have one thing in common; they suffered from dyslexia".

2. Strong Visual Memory

A study carried out by the Enhanced Memory Research Institute ... for Children with Development Dyslexia(2013) evaluated the performance of an 11-year-old group of dyslexic children against children who were not dyslexic in terms of how well they remembered line drawings after 10 minutes and 24 hours after having been presented with the images. The results were evident, the dyslexic children were capable of recalling whether they'd seen a drawing prior to seeing it, and performing at higher rate than children who were not dyslexic.

Another study in Harvard University compared the abilities of college students who have and without dyslexia in memorizing blurry-looking images that resemble xrays. In the same study, dyslexic students had an advantage over non-dyslexic students. This was especially beneficial to those working in fields like medicine or science.

The difference in memory for visual images could be due to more brain connections towards the visual cortex as well as the parahippocampal area in children who are dyslexic. These brain regions are linked to memory as well as recall of visual information which is transmitted from the retina, as well as images of the natural environment (i.e. images of the environment) and non-dyslexic children were more connected to the areas of the brain that deal with language which includes those in the Visual Word Form Area. This is why dyslexic children often retain more images and not words.

3. Excellent Puzzle-Solving Skills

Most of the time dyslexics aren't sequential thinkers who move chronologically from one thought to the next. Rather, they excel in a multi-faceted thinking environment in which ideas are linked via a variety of pathways. When they see things in a more holistic way they are able to quickly spot missing pieces to solve the larger puzzles. The Dr. Matthew Schneps, Harvard's Director of the Laboratory for Visual Learning, says"that "it's as if people with dyslexia tend to use a wide-angle lens to take in the world, while others tend to use a telephoto, each is best at revealing different kinds of detail".

The Winner (2000) research further strengthens the idea of this trait, concluding that dyslexics are adept at identification of difficult figures. The dyslexic researcher Christopher Tonkin described his unusual ability to detect "things out of place" in interpreting huge volumes of visual data. The ability to solve puzzles is linked to the ability of dyslexics to recognize and remember intricate images. In one study an experiment was conducted on professionals astrophysicists who had and without dyslexia to test their ability to detect the simulated graphical signature within the spectrum of a black-hole. The results indicated that dyslexic scientists were more adept at separating the black holes in the background noise, which proved to be a benefit in their career.

4. Brilliant Visual Spatial Reasoning

Researchers from The University of East London found that dyslexics possess better capabilities in manipulating 3D objects, as well as remembering virtual environments, as compared to those who are not dyslexics. Although this research isn't conclusive in the current research, with research as recent as concluding that there's "little evidence to support spatial advantages" However, it is clear that dyslexics are more likely to be successful in fields like engineering, graphic and industrial design and architecture and construction.

It is imperative to conduct more research to investigate this supposed dyslexia benefit. Research that supports this feature are littered with contradictory evidence that suggests there aren't any differences between people who are dyslexic and those who are not. A study which suggests that dyslexic children possess a unique strength in spatial thinking is Mirela Duranovic's study of 40 children with dyslexia aged 9-11 and 40 non-dyslexic children who were age-matched. Both groups took part in an Paper Folding Test, which involved looking at a representation that showed how the piece paper is folded and then where holes are punched into it, then determining which illustration accurately depicted how the paper would appear after being unfolded. The test results revealed that children with dyslexia outperformed ones who were not, and were in completing challenging and complicated mental rotating tasks.

5. Excellent at connecting with others

Dyslexics are able to perceive, understand and react (emotionally and in a practical way) to the way people feel. This is due to the fact that they are naturally visual-spatial learners , and are not able to rely entirely on auditions and text to get information. This is why they are prone to develop extraordinary ability to see and feel which include the ability to read facial expressions and body language.

Researchers from MIT have also discovered that people with dyslexia tend to spread their attention more widely than other people, which can increase their perception that they are socially aware. The researchers discovered that people who have dyslexia could not only recognize letters flashed at the same time in the middle and on the peripheral areas for spacings that were more distant and also discern the phrases spoken in voices distributed within an area. The ability to concentrate on the larger picture allows people to look beyond their immediate worries and social interactions, and observe those around them who may require help or help.

Summary

The majority of people think that dyslexia is the inability of spelling and read, leaving out the important advantages the "re-wiring of the brain" could also bring. As it is evident, dyslexics have numerous abilities which can be used in the workforce. They comprise a large portion of the world's successful doctors, scientists, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals. Here at the Junior Learning we aim to help children with dyslexia reach their maximum potential by giving them many opportunities to utilize their imagination, visualize and investigate concepts with multi-sensory approaches to communicate and interact with other people through games, and apply new knowledge to solve problems creatively.

Here's a diagram that can illustrate the thinking process and general abilities that people with dyslexia typically have: