Have you asked yourself what is dyslexia? Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. Those with dyslexia have trouble reading accurately and fluently. They may also have trouble with reading comprehension, spelling and writing.
Dyslexia is a disorder that can make lots of routine tasks much more difficult. It’s important to know that while dyslexia impacts learning, it’s not a problem of intelligence.
It’s a condition that some people are born with, the same way some people are born with blue eyes or brown hair. People sometimes believe dyslexia is a visual issue. They think of it as reversing letters or writing backwards. But dyslexia is not a problem with vision or with seeing letters in the wrong direction.
People with dyslexia with this issue are just as smart as their peers. Many people have struggled with dyslexia and gone on to have successful careers. That includes a long list of actors, entrepreneurs and elected officials.
These people include Jim Carrey, Jay Leno, Henry Ford, Steven Spielberg, John Lennon, Thomas Edison, and even Albert Einstein! If you think you may be dyslexic, check for these common signs.
Spelling difficulty
Let’s face it, a lot of people aren’t too good at spelling. For dyslexics, however, spelling is a particularly difficult challenge due to the problems they have with remembering how things are ordered.
The same might be true when it comes to remembering things like telephone numbers because dyslexia hampers the brain’s ability to put things in the proper order and keep them there.
Reading
A key sign of dyslexia is trouble decoding words. This is the ability to match letters to sounds and then use that skill to read words accurately and fluently.
Dyslexics often have trouble reading, and will often find that their reading is very slow compared to others. The thought of reading a book can stand out as a challenge for someone who is dyslexic.
Pronunciation
At times dyslexia can even cause problems with speech. This is more likely to be a problem if someone is using a particularly long word and not so much for everyday conversation.
Left and right
This sounds so simple, but again dyslexia causes difficulty when someone tries to remember how something is ordered or arranged.
It is not uncommon for dyslexics to have difficulty remembering which side is left and which side is right. It can be an embarrassing problem to deal with, but in no way does it indicate that someone is less intelligent than other people.
Disorganisation
Dyslexia doesn’t just affect learning. It can impact everyday skills and activities as well. These include social interaction, memory and dealing with stress.
The ability to create difficulty remembering how things are ordered can extend into all aspects of life, including keeping personal belongings or an organised work space or even remembering what time to pick the kids up at soccer practice.
Anything you can think of that requires order can present a special challenge for someone with dyslexia.
Following instructions
What might be considered a simple act of following a recipe or a set of instructions to assemble a child’s toy could be a difficult challenge for someone with dyslexia.
Repeats
Dyslexia causes problems for people who are asked to repeat something that someone else told them.
This is another simple way to test for dyslexia since it can cause the order of spoken words to become jumbled and difficult to repeat in the proper order when someone with dyslexia tries to recall them.
Missed appointment
People with dyslexia are a lot more likely to experience some confusion when dealing with specific dates and times. Because of this, they may be more likely to miss appointments or show up on the wrong day.
Forms
The relatively simple and often mundane task of filling out a form such as a job application or insurance form at the doctor’s office could present a difficult and confusing challenge for someone who has dyslexia.
