Dyslexia strengths

The Cost of Ignoring Dyslexia

The Societal Costs of Dyslexia

The following is a guest post written by a high school senior with dyslexia. In spite of taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses throughout high school, she felt that a high school diploma was not worth the remaining few months of struggle. She was prepared to drop out of school 2 months before graduation thinking that since she had a job as a waitress, she did not need a diploma or college education. After working with her to organize her workload and advocate for herself with teachers, she decided to stay in school and graduate with honors. As a class assignment, she researched the societal costs and benefits of dyslexia as part of a business plan to create an EdTech company to help dyslexic learners.

The Cost of Not Responding

1 in 5 people, that’s 20% of the population, is believed to have dyslexia (Kropp, 2020).
The school dropout rate for students with dyslexia is 35%, twice the national average. (Al-Lamki, 2012)
85% of young people in jail have learning disabilities and between 48-60% of the prison population in Texas alone has dyslexia (Dyslexia Untied, n.d.)
It costs on average $214,620 per year to incarcerate a youth (Justice Policy Institute, 2020).
The rate of suicide among students with learning disabilities is 3 times higher than ‘typical’ students. (Daniel, et. al, 2006)
89% of suicide notes exhibit dyslexic spelling patterns (McBride and Siegel, 1997).
Only 3% of the population believe dyslexia is a positive trait and 73% of workers hide dyslexia from their employer (Made by Dyslexia, n.d.; Conlan, 2021).

The Bright Side for Business

35% of self-made millionaires in the United States and 20% in the UK have dyslexia. Entrepreneurs in the US are 3 times more likely and in the UK are 2 times more likely to have dyslexia than the average citizen. (Conlan, 2021).
Dynamic reasoning, interconnected reasoning, and spatial knowledge and visualization are strengths of the dyslexic brain (Eide & Eide, 2011)
In the 4^th Industrial Revolution, the skills of dyslexics are more in demand than reading, writing, and data entry, while their enhanced creative reasoning, problem solving and social skills will help employees with dyslexia bridge the skills gaps in a way that linear thinkers cannot (Conlan, 2021).
98% say teachers need more training in how to identify and support students with dyslexia (Made by Dyslexia, n.d.; Conlan, 2021).
Dyslexia was only recognized as a disability in California on August 24, 2017 [CA Education Code Section 56335] (California Legislative Information Code Section, 2017).
States like California estimate that economic losses due to dyslexia will cost the state $12 billion dollars this year and $1 trillion over the working lifetime of today’s students. By contrast, an investment of $880 million in early screening, teacher training, and intervention will give an 800% return on investment as the life impacts mentioned above are avoided (Kropp, 2020).

References

Al-Lamki, L. (2012). Dyslexia: Its impact on the individual, parents and society. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, (12)3, pp. 269-72. doi:10.12816/0003139
Dyslexia Untied. (n.d.). Why we should all care about dyslexia. https://dyslexia-untied.com/why-we-should-all-care-about-dyslexia-the-societal-impacts-of-dyslexia/
Eide, B., & Eide, F. (2011). The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain. New York: Hudson Street Press.
California Legislative Information Code Section. (2017). ARTICLE 2.5. Eligibility criteria for special education and related services on the basis of language and speech disorder or specific learning disabilities [56333 – 56338]. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&sectionNum=56335#:~:text=56335.,services%20to%20pupils%20with%20dyslexia.
Conlan, R. (2021, Jan. 11). The secret upside of dyslexia: Not a disability but a superpower. https://youtu.be/AMrUxxmMz8g
Justice Policy Institute (2020). Policy brief 2020 Sticker shock: The Cost of youth incarceration. http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/12928
Kropp, M. (2020). The $1T impact of ignoring dyslexia. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/1t-impact-ignoring-dyslexia-matthew-kropp/
McBride, H.E., & Siegel, L.S. (1997). Learning disabilities and adolescent suicide. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(6):652-659. doi: 10.1177/002221949703000609.
Daniel, S. S., Walsh, A. K., Goldston, D. B., Arnold, E. M., Reboussin, B. A., & Wood, F. B. (2006). Suicidality, school dropout and reading problems among adolescents. Journal of Learning Disabilities, (39)6: pp 507-514.

Signs of Dyslexia

What does Dyslexia look like in the classroom?

Can you spot the 1 in 5 students (or adults) with dyslexia? Maybe. Some signs of dyslexia are more well-known than others.

10 Typical Signs of Dyslexia

Do not seem to grasp that words come apart into individual sounds
Difficulty learning and remembering the letters and sounds of the alphabet
Seems unable to recognize letters in their own names
Trouble rhyming, recognizing rhyming patterns (bat, cat, rat) or learning nursery rhymes
Repeats or omits short words like and, but, or
Mispronouncing familiar words, perceived as using ‘baby talk’ or has a speech delay
Reading father as “dad” or seeing an adult dog in an illustration and saying “puppy”
Family history of reading or spelling problems
Disappears when it is time to read, rarely reads for pleasure
Becomes tired and frustrated or gets headaches when reading

Although we typically think of reading and spelling challenges as characteristic of dyslexia, it affects other areas of life, as well.

15 Less Familiar Signs of Dyslexia

Has difficulty with directionality; confuses left and right
Lacks a sense of urgency compared to peers
Slower to respond in conversation than peers, seems to need additional time to process
Has difficulty taking notes and copying accurately and quickly from the board
Messy handwriting
Has low self-esteem and negative self-talk, often in spite of high achievement
Poor short term and long term memory, particularly for single-mode input (auditory, visual)
Uses vague language like “stuff” or “things” and avoids saying words that might be mispronounced
Pauses, hesitates, or uses “um” when speaking and gestures to skip over words when reading
Seems to need extra time to process and retrieve facts and information due to a disorganized mental filing cabinet
Confuses words with similar sounds such as volcano/tornado or patients/patience
Needs additional time to finish tests but demonstrates understanding with extra time
Grades do not reflect understanding or ability
Difficulty remembering math facts and names of people or places
Disorganized supplies, belongings, and backpack

15 Less Celebrated Characteristics of Dyslexia

Insatiable curiosity, always asking why
Great imagination, conceptualization, reasoning, visualization, and problem solving skills
Enjoys puzzles, building models and finding unique solutions
Able to get the gist of things or see the big picture that others do not see
Quick to understand new concepts, especially when learning is accomplished through meaning not rote memorization
Surprising maturity in speaking with older children or adults
Creative, divergent thinker, and high level conceptualizer with original thoughts and insights
Excellent visual-spatial skills and spatial reasoning in careers as inventors, interior designers, architects, and engineers
Excels in visual arts, photography, and performance arts
Interested in more conceptual studies such as philosophy, social studies, or neuroscience
Excellent writing when the focus is on content and not writing skills
Exceptional empathy, warmth, and compassion
Highly articulate when expressing feelings or ideas they are passionate about
Resiliency
Social and moral compass

Do you recognize the students with dyslexia hiding behind these personalities?

The Pot Stirrer who creates drama to focus your attention on someone else?
The Bully who lacks confidence and self-worth and picks on others instead?
The Class Clown who distracts others and makes them laugh to hide from being labeled as dumb?
The Silent Child who is shy, withdrawn, rarely participates and hides in plain sight?
The Smart Aleck who is sarcastic, argumentative, and confrontational to focus attention on behavior and not academic skills?
The Social Butterfly who talks with anyone and everyone but avoids answering questions or reading aloud?
The Lazy/Unmotivated One who appears to not care or not try but is paddling harder than anyone under the surface?
The Rocket Scientist who studies physics and engineering for fun, but struggles to comprehend content presented in a written format?

15 Simple Strategies to Implement TODAY

Turn on closed captioning for every video!
Use consistent, easy to read sans-serif fonts (like Arial, Calibri, or Open-Sans)
Unclutter documents and classroom webpages
All extra time on tests and assignments without drawing attention to students
Minimize visual distractions in the classroom and on websites (try Mercury Reader Chrome extension)
Provide a calm, quiet and welcoming space in the classroom to work
Allow older students to record lectures or provide links to archived videos from class
Provide copies of notes or slides in advance
Provide response options such as video or audio rather than writing.
Encourage using dictation software and Immersive Reader on Microsoft products
Provide links to audio books as an alternative to reading
Encourage typing or using a tablet instead of writing
Address and respond to negative self-talk
Acknowledge effort and celebrate hard work even if there are mistakes
Use the word ‘dyslexia’!

Validate the specific challenges that result from dyslexia and celebrate the hard work people with dyslexia invest every day.

Types of Dyslexia

Aren’t All Dyslexics Alike?

No, people with dyslexia are as unique as every other person. However, understanding their dyslexia leads to empowerment. For older students and adults, knowing their dyslexia type enables them to develop coping skills and target solutions to specific challenges. It also guides teachers, tutors, and parents in focusing remediation efforts.

There is no official list of dyslexia types. Although there are as many as 7 types of dyslexia described in various sources, the most common are:

Phonological dyslexia
Surface dyslexia
Rapid Automatic Naming Dyslexia
Double Deficit Dyslexia
Stealth Dyslexia

Let’s look at each in more detail.

Phonological, Dysphonetic, or Auditory Dyslexia

Phonological dyslexia is related to the ‘phonemes’ or individual units of sound in spoken language. These individuals have difficulty manipulating the sounds in words, including breaking down words or taking a string of sounds and blending into a single word. ‘Dys’ is a prefix meaning difficulty with, therefore phonological dyslexia is also often called dysphonetic dyslexia or auditory dyslexia. Dr. Corrine Roth Smith, expert in learning disabilities research and Emeritus Professor at Syracuse University, lists ways that phonological weaknesses are displayed.

Auditory dyslexics have difficulty mentally processing rapid auditory input, which can translate to missing letters when spelling.
They exhibit difficulty manipulating the sounds in syllables or words and playing auditory processing games such as elision (say “cat”, now say “cat” without the /k/, correct answer would be “at”.) Separating the individual sounds in words, like /k/ /a/ /t/ for “cat” or blending the individual sounds into a word are challenging.
Distinguishing between short vowel sounds for reading and spelling is difficult.
Difficulty rapidly retrieving and retaining appropriate sounds when presented with letters, sometimes omitting beginning sounds on words. This challenge would be highlighted in the third type of dyslexia listed below, Rapid Automatic Naming Dyslexia.
Failure to recognize and manipulate words by changing the initial consonant sounds (fat, cat, hat), then later the middle vowel sounds (cap, cup), and the final consonants (gum, gut, gulp) would indicate later difficulty with decoding.
Often auditory dyslexics guess at unfamiliar words rather than using phonological word-attack skills such as syllable division patterns and the effect of syllable type on vowel sounds. While these dyslexic readers have weak or non-existent word analysis tools, visual dyslexics, discussed below, utilize word attack tools such as syllable types to sound out and blend multi-syllabic words.
Like many dyslexics who use context clues when reading, substitutions may preserve meaning, but not be phonetically similar words, like saying “daughter” instead of “girl” when reading about a family.
Longer, unknown words are difficult to analyze and sound out due to phonological deficits, although irregular words may not be an issue as they are for the visual dyslexics discussed below.
When spelling is incorrect, even the writer may have difficulty deciphering because the word does not follow regular phonetic patterns.

Surface Dyslexia

Surface dyslexia refers to challenges with words that are pronounced differently than they are spelled, often called irregular words or “red words” indicating caution. Examples would be ‘was’ or ‘yacht’. Surface dyslexia is also called dyseidetic dyslexia, referring to difficulty (‘dys’) with eidetic memory, or photographic memory.

Eidetic memory allows most readers to recognize the shape and pattern of a word after a few exposures without using a mnemonic, cuing device. Although surface dyslexia is also referred to as visual dyslexia, it is not an issue with the eyes or ability to see. Instead, it is an issue with inability to form a picture of irregular words, not the ability of the eyes to see the letters and words.

Surface/Visual/Dyseidetic Dyslexics

Surface/Visual/dyseidetic dyslexics also find a number of other tasks troublesome which rely upon visual processing. Dr. Smith noted other areas in which visual processing impedes fluency and comprehension.

Do not readily recognize sight words and therefore attempt to decode these non-phonetic, irregular spellings without immediately recognizing the so-called ‘red words’. Non-dyslexic readers form a picture, or gestalt, after a few key encounters with a word, which includes the shape and other visual characteristics.
May have the most difficulty with small non-phonetic words, such as ‘push’, ‘walk’, ‘where’, or ‘what’. Even though they have likely seen the word before, they fail to make a visual, photographic memory and instead attempt to sound out the word on each encounter.
Frequently confuse the letters b, d, p, and q, and words like ‘saw’ and ‘was’ impeding accuracy.
May also leave out letters when both reading and spelling, visually brushing right over letters and omitting their sounds.
Frequently lose their place when tracking from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.

Like many dyslexics who use context clues when reading, visual dyslexics may substitute words with similar meanings and some phonetic similarities, such as cat for kitten.

In contrast to phonological dyslexics, visual dyslexics are often able to attack long, multi-syllabic words using phonics rules and patterns.

Unlike phonological dyslexics’ spelling, visual dyslexics spell phonetically, such as ‘lite’ for ‘light’.

Rapid Automatic Naming Dyslexia

Rapid automatic naming, or recognition of letters, is a requirement for reading quickly and fluently with automaticity. The more time the brain needs to determine not only which letters it sees, but also to then attach sounds to those letters or letter combinations, the slower the reading process. Just as knowing math facts affects the speed of mathematics computation, rapid number naming difficulty slows the entire process. Rapid Automatic Naming for both letters and numbers is a subtest on the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), which gives insight into processing speed.

Double Deficit Dyslexia

Double deficit dyslexia means simply that an individual experiences more than one type of dyslexia. For those with phonological dyslexia, often rapid automatic naming dyslexia is also a problem. Similarly, many students who have phonological/dysphonetic dyslexia also have difficulty with irregular words, and therefore also have surface/dyseidetic/ visual dyslexia.

While other types of dyslexia appear online, these four are considered the most common. Some authors mention right-to-left dyslexia, but other researchers feel this distinction does not merit its own category.

Stealth Dyslexia

Stealth dyslexia is a term coined by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, authors of The Dyslexic Advantage. Dr. Fumiko Hoeft, one of the world’s foremost dyslexia researchers at the University of California San Francisco, has published numerous articles and videos on stealth dyslexia. People with stealth dyslexia are frequently overlooked in dyslexia diagnosis, because their reading comprehension is above average. However, they struggle with phonics and decoding, often underperforming in the classroom and rarely receiving the help they need.

Comparison of Challenges for Auditory and Visual Dyslexia

Challenge	Phonological (Dysphonological/Auditory) Dyslexia	Surface (Dyseidetic/Visual) Dyslexia
Irregular Spellings	Form a mental image of irregular words, enabling recognition of the word after a few exposures. Picture the word as a whole and do not use phonological attack skills.	Fail to utilize eidetic (photographic) memory to form a ‘gestalt’ or image of a word. Attempt to sound out irregular words using phonological attack skills which impedes fluency.
New, single or multi-syllabic words	Unable to efficiently use phonological letter-sound correspondence, order of phonemes, and syllable division patterns to sound out and blend new words.	Apply phonological word-attack knowledge, syllable division patterns, and phonological patterns to attack even longer new vocabulary.
Non-word reading and spelling	Unable to apply phonological rules to reading on nonsense words.	Able to use word-attack skills to sound out non-sense words, provided that all letters are visually captured and not glossed over in print
Sight vocabulary	Limited sight vocabulary due to lack of phonological knowledge to acquire larger vocabulary.	Limited sight vocabulary due to non-formation of eidetic memory or gestalt (image of word)
Letter omissions	May omit letters when spelling due to poor auditory memory for sounds at the beginning of a word. Sometimes omits short consonant sounds (/p/, /b/, /t/) due to glossing over short auditory sounds.	May omit letters or words when reading due to visually glossing over letters in print. Or may omit letters or sounds when reading if using context clues.
Word games	Difficulty manipulating sounds in words for rhyming practice, elision (dropping sounds from a word), separating the individual phonemes in words, or blending phonemes into words	Less difficulty with word games using auditory input.
Phonological Memory	Difficulty recalling the sounds that letters or letter combinations represent for reading and spelling.	Uses knowledge of letter-sound correspondence to sound out and blend single and multi-syllabic words.
b/d/p/q confusion	Confusion of letter sounds rather than letter graphemes or representations.	Confuses letters that look similar or can be rotated. Confusion of words that can be reversed (‘was’ and ‘saw’).
Rate of Retrieval	Unable to rapidly retrieve letter-sound or sound-letter correspondence which may lead to forgetting the beginning of the word.	May also have slow rate of letter retrieval due to visual retrieval processing. Irregular sight words must be sounded out slowly (often incorrectly) each time encountered.
Unfamiliar words	Guessing, potentially using context clues, but not phonetic clues. May or may not preserve meaning depending upon the situation.	May also substitute based upon context, but more likely to be phonetic substitutions that preserve meaning.
Spelling level	Below reading level, often bizarre, due to reliance on sight, not phonetic clues. Extra or omitted sounds and syllables.	Likely to use phonetic clues, but not sight (or gestalt) of words, although spelling may still be incorrect. (lite for light)
Spelling patterns	Generally, most often correct on high frequency known words	Generally, most often correct for regular, phonetic words, not irregular sight words.

References:

Eide, B. & Eide, F. (2015). What is stealth dyslexia? Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/community-events/blogs/the-inside-track/2015/03/04/stealth-dyslexia-how-some-dyslexic-students-escape-detection
Everyday Health, Inc. (2019). What are the different types of dyslexia? Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/dyslexia/types/
Understood.org. (2019). Different types of dyslexia. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/different-types-of-dyslexia
Edublox Online Tutor. (2017). Dyseidetic versus dysphonetic dyslexia. Retrieved from https://www.edubloxtutor.com/dyseidetic-versus-dysphonetic-dyslexia/

What is Dyslexia?

Definition of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is neurobiological in origin. It is a genetic condition characterized by differences in the brain neurology that accounts for language processing. The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia in this way:

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” (IDA, 2002)
Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002.

Many state education codes, including New Jersey, Ohio and Utah, have adopted this definition. Learn more about how consensus was reached on this definition: Definition Consensus Project.

To quote Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a noted expert in the field of dyslexia:

Dyslexic children and adults struggle to read fluently, spell words correctly and learn a second language, among other challenges. But these difficulties have no connection to their overall intelligence. In fact, dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading in an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader. While people with dyslexia are slow readers, they often, paradoxically, are very fast and creative thinkers with strong reasoning abilities.
(Shaywitz, Overcoming Dyslexia, pp. 13-24)

What is Dyslexia NOT?

Simply put, a dyslexia diagnosis indicates difficulty in reading, spelling, and/or comprehension in otherwise intelligent children and adults. The diagnosis is not the result of vision difficulties, lower IQ, lack of appropriate education, or cultural factors. While there’s no “cure” for dyslexia, its difficulties can be remediated as children and adults develop strategies and compensation mechanisms to deal with their challenges. In fact, many dyslexics are highly creative and successful in their chosen fields.

Dyslexia Diagnosis

The signs of dyslexia are often present in early childhood, however, the signs might not be recognized until students are already behind their peers in reading and spelling. The term ‘stealth dyslexia’ refers to those identified in high school, college, or adulthood. These older adults have flown under the radar of traditional diagnosis and gotten by based upon high reading comprehension and other coping mechanisms. Many school districts are hesitant to intervene with young children, citing a normal bell-curve distribution of reading age and ability level.

Dyslexia Statistics

The prevalence of dyslexia in the research literature ranges from 5-10% of the population, to the more recently accepted numbers of 1 in 5, or 20% of the population. According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, founded by Drs. Sally and Bennett Shaywitz, dyslexia is the most common learning disability, accounting for 80-90% of cases.

Dyslexia Remediation

The Orton-Gillingham Method has proven highly effective at teaching students the background phonological concepts necessary for reading and spelling success. You can read more about the Orton-Gillingham appraoch at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE).

Dyslexia Assets and Advantages

A key finding of recent research is that dyslexia need not be a limiting factor in college and careers. The Dyslexic Advantage, by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, gives considerable hope and encouragement to students and parents alike. As my former Headmaster, Earl Oremus at Marburn Academy, once said, “They’ve found the cure for dyslexia…graduation.”

References:

Eide, B. L. & Eide, F. F. (2011). The dyslexic advantage: Unlocking the hidden potential of the dyslexic brain. New York: Hudson Street Press.
International Dyslexia Association. (2002). Definition of Dyslexia. Retrieved from https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/
Shaywitz, S. E. (2005). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for reading problems at any level. New York: Vintage Books.
Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. (2019). What is dyslexia? Retrieved from http://dyslexia.yale.edu/dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia/