What is Dyslexia?
The word Dyslexic is based on two Greek words, 'Dys' meaning 'difficulty' and 'lexic' meaning 'with words'. Dyslexia is not a disease it is a condition that you are born with, a difference in the way the brain works. A difference that will be present throughout your life. Dyslexia mainly affects reading and language skills and the effects can range from mild to very severe. The sooner dyslexia is spotted, the sooner suitable learning and coping strategies can be employed to minimise the effects of the condition, take the Dyslexia test now!
People with dyslexia are not stupid or dumb their brain just works differently. In fact did you know that recent research shows that Dyslexics Make Great Entrepreneurs.
The study found that 35% of entrepreneurs in America and 20% in Britain have dyslexia! People with dyslexia often develop special skills, for example, persistence, creativity and the ability to 'think outside of the box'.
Henry Ford was dyslexic, as is Richard Branson who is an extremely successful entrepreneur. They are just two of the many successful and famous people with dyslexia. Visit our famous dyslexics page to read about others.
Dyslexia Symptoms
Research shows that the classic indicators of dyslexia are:-Working Memory or Short-Term Memory
People with dyslexia tend to have poor working memory, making some tasks like taking messages or mental arithmetic very difficult.
Phonological Processing Skills
People with dyslexia tend to have poor phonological processing abilities; this is the process of breaking words down into their component sounds and then understanding their meaning.
There are other possible differences including poor development of automatic skills, slower processing skills and problems connected with visual processing.
Other indicators
- Slow hesitant reading
- Difficulty in understanding written material
- Frequent re-reading, losing the place when reading
- Poor spelling
- Difficulty with organisation or time management, often mixing up dates and times
- Difficulty sequencing thoughts clearly
See the British Dyslexia Association for more information.
A person with dyslexia can display some or all of these issues to varying degrees. It is vital to discover in which areas you have difficulties in order to get the most appropriate help. The SPOT Your Potential test will give you this information and more. Information on which to build your future, take the online Dyslexia test and...
