Guest Post by Doug Sprei and Jules Johnson, LearningAlly.org
For many people with dyslexia, writing and spelling are some of the most challenging activities in daily life. And yet in the midst of this difficulty, a world of creative thinking is awakened. Some of the most acclaimed authors, business leaders, scientists, and innovators are dyslexic. The next time you switch on a light bulb or reach for a favorite book, consider the following reasons that dyslexia is something to be celebrated.
Millions of people have dyslexia – and their different brains add to the extraordinary diversity of humanity.
Studies by leading researchers such as Dr. Sally Shaywitz of Yale University indicate that as many as one in five individuals have dyslexia. Their findings also prove that dyslexia is decidedly not an indicator of intelligence. People with dyslexia who struggle to read, spell, and write are often bright and innovative thinkers who excel in many disciplines. The list of celebrities in this category includes film director Steven Spielberg, financial magnate Charles Schwab, entrepreneur Richard Branson, activist Erin Brockovich, lawyer David Boies . . . the roster is panoramic.
So what’s going on? “Our education system looks at dyslexia as a deficit rather than as a difference,” says Dr. Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University. Wolf and other prominent educators embrace the term cerebral diversity to help people understand that there really is no one standard brain organization. “For its own survival, the human species needs differences,” she says. “And the brain of an individual with dyslexia has certain unique features that help our society advance.”
Terrible spellers can be great writers – and thinkers.
Agatha Christie once recounted that “Writing and spelling were always terribly difficult for me. I was an extraordinarily bad speller and have remained so until this day.” From an internationally acclaimed author, that may be a shocking admission, but Christie was far from alone in struggling with dyslexia. A list of her peers includes poet Philip Schulz and playwright Wendy Wasserstein (both Pulitzer Prize winners), children’s book author Rick Riordan, and novelist John Irving, to name just a few.
As a young student with dyslexia, writer and filmmaker Sprague Theobald struggled against authority figures saying that he was stupid and would never accomplish anything. “Mostly, my job now is to not acknowledge the damaging voices from my past school years,” he says. “If you are a stickler for spelling and don’t understand why a person may have spelling issues, let me give you a spelling test of Greek words with a police siren blaring in your right ear and a fire siren blaring in your left ear. That’s about how confusing and challenging spelling can be for those of us who are blessed with dyslexia.”
We might still be writing by candlelight if not for dyslexia.
A six year-old student was once sent home from school with a note from his teacher pinned to his shirt. It read, “This boy is too stupid to learn.” Decades later, he recalled, “My teachers said I’m addled, my father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided I must be a dunce.” The boy, Thomas Edison, went on to invent the first commercially practical incandescent light. His example is illuminating for children with learning disabilities who feel crushed when labels are pinned on them – and can even provide “light bulb moments” for parents anxious to buoy their spirits.
Assistive technology is a “ramp” for dyslexic writers and readers.
People with dyslexia often have no problem verbalizing great ideas, but can be frustrated when they have to put those ideas in writing. They can also sometimes be dysgraphic, which makes the physical act of writing with a pencil and paper extremely difficult. And of course reading brings on a huge host of challenges.
Fortunately there are a variety of tech tools that can help them translate their ideas into writing. “When it comes to editing their writing, dyslexics can use advanced spelling and grammar checkers,” says assistive technology specialist Jamie Martin. “For reading and research, human-narrated audiobooks from Learning Ally can be downloaded and accessed on computers, tablets, and smartphones. Word prediction and dictation software can go a long way in removing the barrier of poor spelling for dyslexics; and any kind of electronic writing can be the saving grace for people with dysgraphia.”
Dyslexia informs our past and future. Scientific acumen, creativity, and engineering ingenuity are only some of the gifts of the dyslexic brain. In young people, those gifts are not recognized and exalted often enough.
“I’m as much of a grammar and spelling nerd as anyone out there,” says educational therapist Diana Kennedy. “On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to go head to head in a contest of science, art, or invention against Leonardo DaVinci, or of business acumen against Charles Schwab, or of movie-making against Steven Spielberg. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be proud of your prodigious spelling and grasp of complex grammar, but when it comes to dyslexia, it’s important to keep our pride in perspective.”
Doug Sprei is national communications director and Jules Johnson is social media community leader at Learning Ally – a national nonprofit serving students with learning and visual disabilities. The organization provides resources for parents; training and technology for teachers and schools; and 80,000 human-narrated audio textbooks for K-12 through higher education. For more information, visit http://LearningAlly.org.
