There are two major threads to recognising dyslexia. One is the big picture official recognition – the proper acknowledgement that this is a real condition, requiring specific accommodation and action at a national level. The DFNZ story page has more information on this. The other is somewhat closer to home – and is about recognising and acknowledging dyslexia on an individual basis, noting how dyslexic signs and patterns relate to you personally.
This page looks at brain research on dyslexia, common definitions that are used for dyslexia, and what specific skills and abilities can be impacted or enhanced by dyslexia.
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DFNZ supports a broad spectrum view of dyslexia. Common themes are that it is an alternative or atypical way of thinking; that it has a proven neurobiological basis; and that it occurs across a range of intellectual abilities.
The definition used by DFNZ is that dyslexia is: “A specific learning difference which is constitutional in origin and which, for a given level of ability, may cause unexpected difficulties in the acquisition of certain literacy and numeracy skills.”
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Constitutional in origin refers to the fact that dyslexia has a substantive neurobiological basis. Brain research, including studies from Yale and Auckland universities, has shown that while it is common to use the ‘verbal’ left side of our brain to understand words, dyslexic people use the ‘pictorial’ right side – making them slower to process and understand language, but stronger in creative areas like problem solving, empathy and lateral thinking.
World dyslexia authority Sally Shaywitz, founder of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity is a pioneer in this area. Her laboratory was one of the first in the world to image the dyslexic brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The data obtained from several thousand children and adults, combined with fMRI data from around the world, revealed a distinctive neural signature for dyslexia, with some parts of the modules for phonological awareness appearing in the right brain, and some visual processing modules located in the left brain.
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Dyslexics tend to be top-down rather than bottom-up thinkers, meaning they learn from getting the big picture or the overall idea or meaning first, and then fill in the specific details. Dr Shaywitz identifies a range of strengths for dyslexics in higher level thinking processes, high learning capacity; exceptional empathy; and noticeable excellence when focused on highly specialised areas from medicine and law through to public policy, architecture and science. Reflecting these strengths, dyslexics are often high level conceptualizers who manifest “out-of-the-box thinking” and are frequently the ones who provide new insights. More on Dr Shaywitz’s research can be found on our 4D Edge site and in her own knol.
In defining dyslexia, we can note that difficulties with literacy and numeracy are a common feature of dyslexia. The most immediate attribute is a problem in decoding words and their meanings, when compared to their ability appropriate skills in other areas. However, this is still only one aspect of a broader spectrum of difficulties. Skills that may be affected can include auditory and information processing, planning and organising, motor skills, short-term memory and concentration. Some of these can make it especially challenging for individuals to follow instructions, turn thoughts into words and finish certain tasks on time. Dyslexia is perhaps best thought of as a continuum of abilities and difficulties, rather than a distinct category, as there are no clear cut-off points.
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Ultimately, dyslexia can be characterised as a learning preference – based on individuals preferring to receive, process and present information in ways that make more sense to the dyslexic-wired brain. These are often oral, visual or multi-sensory rather than via the written word.
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Let’s for a moment put aside the debate over the cause of dyslexia and consider for a moment how dyslexia impacts all dyslexics. In other words – let’s humanise and ground the issue. Maybe then we can discover why almost all dyslexic people, as well as their families, employers and teachers can benefit from the label ‘dyslexia’.
Why is it that a parent can feel incredible relief, and often for the first time since their child started school, be free from a stress and frustration that is pervasive by nature – by discovering a label? Why is it that a manager can suddenly see hope and potential in someone who they had previously ‘given up on’? Why is it that the label is so often the starting point of an upward life spiral?
It is my observation that, in the absence of skillful intervention, when the dyslexic individual moves into the education system they become prone to self doubt and self-esteem issues. The development of self doubt has natural consequences. These consequences are fuelled by environments focused on comparison and arbitrary benchmarks, and where knowledge and understanding about dyslexia is often absent. .
Similarly, by the time they reach the workforce, many dyslexics will have become used to being the one who always takes longer, who gets instructions wrong or makes elementary mistakes – and they may be only too willing to concur with an employer’s diagnosis that they are struggling.
The antidote to this self doubt is certainty. For the dyslexic, the label dyslexia can provide this. When dyslexia is understood as a potential creative gift this also gives hope. With certainty and hope an individual can move forward. This is the essence of the dyslexic journey – and the reason we believe New Zealanders of all ages should be proud of being dyslexic. Many successful New Zealanders are dyslexic, and have incredible stories to share. Click here to read these on our Inspiring New Zealanders webpage.
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