When you consider the vast advancements that have been made in science and technology, and the multiple methods for accessing information, it is fair to say that schools and institutes of learning insist on using, as Dean Bragonier puts it, “the most archaic form of educational media.”
If dyslexia is considered a different way of thinking rather than a disadvantage; if the different patterns of strengths and challenges are kept in mind; if as much importance is placed on those strengths as their difficulties; then early intervention and continued support would be made a priority.
Imagine a world where the thinking skills that dyslexics excel at are used to prepare them to contribute to their communities and the world. What would be the possibilities?
You may be wondering what those skills are. Here are they:
- Visualizing
- 75% of dyslexics are above average.
- Imagining
- 84% are above average.
- Communicating
- 71% are above average.
- Reasoning
- 84% are above average.
- Connecting
- 80% are above average.
- Exploring
- 84% are above average.
After many years of struggle, usually, with very little significant support, many dyslexics gravitate to career paths that cater to their preferred way of thinking.
In my previous article, I cited some data from Dr. Gershen Kaufman. Here’s some more:
- 35% of all entrepreneurs are dyslexic.
- 40% of self-made millionaires are dyslexic.
- Over 50% of NASA engineers are dyslexic.
In his autobiography, Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Lab and the One Laptop per Child Association, called dyslexia the MIT disease because of how common it is among students on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
If you’re not already familiar with the world of dyslexia, it’s time to educate yourself about it and encourage every teacher and educator to do the same. After all, if one in five children are dyslexic, there is at least one child in every class who can be identified with dyslexia.
What are you willing to do to support the movement to reshape the teaching industry in the area of dyslexia?
What an informative blog, thank you for getting this out. I’m sharing with some friends who are teachers.
You’re welcome, Martha. It is my deepest desire to eradicate the ignorance and incorrect perception of dyslexia.
Florence, these stats are stupefying! 50% of NASA astronauts???? Thanks for another great and thought-provoking piece.
You’re welcome, Kebba. My mind was blown also when I read the research.
Very interesting statistics. I did not know this.
Yes, Virginia. Some of them are quite startling.
I would like to see the educational curriculums expanded to include kids with a variety of learning styles. And kids who struggle with reading and spelling ought to get extra help. If they need to tell their stories to a scribe, why not? It would be a reasonable accommodation. It is the story or the essay that is the important thing, not the physical act of writing the story or the essay. Kids ought to be encouraged and supported so that they can feel success. It’s with feeling success that kids can grow and can find their talents. Some kids might have so much trouble with reading that they need to hear the books read to them in a different format. That would make the books accessible to them. And then, with the stories and information unlocked, they can understand the material and can have the opportunity to feel success. And they, too can grow and find their talents.
Hey Alice,
I agree with you. After working in the public school system for 25+ years, I have come to accept that these changes will never happen without strong, consistent parental advocacy and involvement. If the goal is to teach the students concepts and the love of learning, then the method of output should match the students’ strengths. The current system, in too many schools, rewards those whose learning and thinking styles match that of the teaching preference.
Do you have a number for the percent of the population that are dyslexic?
Hey Doug,
Based on their research and remediation work, Dr. Sally Shaywitz and her husband, of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity put the prevalence at 20% in the United States. It may be different in other countries.