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Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty, which mostly affects reading, writing and spelling.
The effects of dyslexia may be seen in both written and spoken language. Dyslexia varies in severity from person to person and is not related to intelligence, social class or race.

Approximately 10% of the population are dyslexic - 4% severely, and 6% with mild to moderate difficulties. For example, in a workforce of 300, 30 employees could be dyslexic.

Impact on learning

Dyslexia causes difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. Short-term memory, mathematics, concentration, personal organisation and sequencing may also be affected. There can be confusion with letters such as 'b' and 'd' or words such as 'saw' and 'was'. Secondary characteristics can be a lack of confidence, tiredness, low self-esteem, anxiety, anger and frustration.

Strengths

Many dyslexic people are creative and have good practical and problem solving skills. They also can have visual and spatial abilities enabling them to be successful in a wide range of careers. Some examples of the many talented and accomplished individuals who are dyslexic are: Sir Winston Churchill, Steven Spielberg, Agatha Christie, Sir Richard Branson, Albert Einstein and Whoopi Goldberg.