Dyslexia and Other Specific Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition in which the brain develops differently to typical populations, creating specific challenges with reading, writing and focusing.

In spite of the many challenges dyslexia brings, there is building evidence that dyslexics have significant advantages in the areas of visualization-- the ability to imagine and mentally manipulate objects and concepts-- creativity, holistic thinking, communication and peripheral vision (both visually and conceptually). Wow!


Dyslexia is diagnosed following the DSM criteria, when achievement on individually administered standardized tests is substantially below that expected for age, schooling, and level of intelligence.


Thus, a person who is dyslexic but gifted in other areas of intelligence will likely not get diagnosed. This is more common than you might think. Imagine struggling without knowledge of your condition!

Recently diagnosed with Dyslexia? Learn more about your NeuroType in our course from the Newly Diagnosed series. Click the image:


Facts and figures of Dyslexia

There are a lot of interesting facts and statistics about dyslexia. Some of them are:

  • 15% of people worldwide have been diagnosed with dyslexia[i, ii]. This is equal to over 30 million adults in the USA, over 2 million in Australia, around 6 million in the UK, and about 36 million in Nigeria [iii]. It is surprising that with so many people being dyslexic, only a small fraction know or suspect they have dyslexia.

  • About 80% of people who are identified with a special learning disability have dyslexia [iv, v].

  • 52% of dyslexics experience regular discrimination in job selection[vi]

  • 45% of dyslexics are unemployed, and 35-47% dropped out of high school due to academic challenges [vii, viii, ix].

  • Above 25% of self-made billionaires are dyslexic [x].

What clinicians look for…

According to DSM, 5th Edition[xi], the diagnosis of a specific learning disorder (of dyslexia) includes the following meeting the following criteria:

1. Persistent difficulties in reading, writing, arithmetic, or mathematical reasoning skills during formal years of schooling.

2. Current academic skills must be well below the average range of scores in culturally and linguistically appropriate tests of reading, writing, or mathematics.

3. Learning difficulties begin during the school-age years.

4. The individual's difficulties must significantly interfere with academic achievement, occupational performance, or activities of daily living.

The DSM, explained

Here is a thorough and easy-to-understand explanation of the characteristics of dyslexic individuals as stated by the DSM:

A. Persistent Difficulty Reading, Writing, Speaking and Reasoning

People with dyslexia usually experience challenges with reading, writing, and doing schoolwork. Some of these challenges are: Poorly written characters, slower and more effortful reading, confusing words in speech, feeling as if letters 'move' on the page, incorrect mathematical reasoning, and forgetting mathematical facts.


B. Poor Academic Work

Dyslexic students are different because while they may grasp visual facts and images quickly, it tends take them much longer to learn facts and written materials. Because of their challenges with reading and writing (and often also spelling!), their academic work may suffer.


C. Early Show of Characteristics

You can start noticing symptoms of dyslexia—like difficulty in reading and writing—from the early schooling years. But dyslexia in itself may not completely manifest in some individuals until young adulthood where they are expected to do and achieve more in their academics and other spheres of life.


D. Dyslexic Difficulties affect Study, Work, and Daily Activities

To get a diagnosis, you must have what clinicians like to call "significant problems". If you have acquired some good coping skills over time, you may convince yourself you are "fine" and do not need to get a diagnosis. However, think about those days when you feel overwhelmed or pressured to be your best... and you just can't! The challenges of dyslexia affect every part of your life. So, if you find it hard to manage study and work (due to reading and writing issues), or difficulty with day-to-day activities, it may be worth your time to get diagnosed.


More often than not, when people don't understand why things are, they tend to be skeptical and suspicious of them. The same goes for dyslexia. If you don't have or aren't actively pursuing a diagnosis, hardly anyone will take you seriously when you complain that numbers dance in your book.


Just like the movie, Taare Zameen Par ( transl. Stars on Earth) everyone labeled Ishan as lazy and stubborn until they realised he was dyslexic. This is one benefit of getting a diagnosis: It helps others understand your experience, you can access services, and develop greater kindness for the things you find challenging.


Article written by Jane Okoji (19 Aug, 2020; UPDATED JUL 8, 2021)

Sources:

[i] Handler, SM; Fierson, WM; Section on, Ophthalmology; Council on Children with, Disabilities; American Academy of, Ophthalmology; American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and, Strabismus; American Association of Certified, Orthoptists (March 2011). "Learning disabilities, dyslexia, and vision". Pediatrics. 127 (3): e818–56. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3670

[ii] The Reading Well. (n.d.). Dyslexia Statistics and Myth Busting Facts. Retrieved from https://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-statistics.html

[iii] Mefor, C. (2018, August 31). Wall Africa. Retrieved from Nigeria: 20% of Nigerians Have Dyslexia - Tikolo: https://allafrica.com/stories/201809010016.html

[iv] Shaywitz, S.E. (1998). Current Concepts: Dyslexia. New England Journal of Medicine. 338 (5).

[v] Gabel, L. A., Voss, K., Johnson, E., Lindström, E. R., Truong, D. T., Murray, E. M., ... & Gruen, J. R. (2021). Identifying Dyslexia: Link between Maze Learning and Dyslexia Susceptibility Gene, DCDC2, in Young Children. Developmental Neuroscience, 43(2), 1-18.

[vi] Galluzzo, M. (2019). We Need to Talk About Dyslexia at Work. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190702-we-need-to-talk-about-dyslexia-at-work

[vii] Al-Lamki, L. (2012). Dyslexia: Its impact on the individual, parents and society. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 12(3), 269.

[viii] UK Parliament (2012). Work and Pensions Committee - Universal Credit implementation: meeting the needs of vulnerable claimants. Committee Publications.

[ix] Aston, P., Crawford, J., Hicks J., and Ross, H. (April 2019) The human cost of dyslexia: The emotional and psychological impact of poorly supported dyslexia. Report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dyslexia and other SpLDs: British Dyslexia Association.

[x] Hopkins, C. (2016, July 12). What you need to know about dyslexia in the workplace. Retrieved from HRM: https://www.hrmonline.com.au/section/featured/dyslexia-in-the-workplace/

[xi] American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association.