Identifying Dyslexia

Dyslexic brains literally think differently to others, and that’s a good thing! After all, some of the world’s greatest changemakers have been Dyslexic thinkers, from Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb to Steve Jobs creating the iPhone. Seeing things differently has helped dyslexics to invent things we can’t live without, imagine what others couldn’t see, and solve problems that others weren’t able to crack!

Dyslexic thinkers have incredible strengths in creativity, problem-solving and communication skills. Sadly, traditional benchmarking in schools means exams can’t always measure the valuable dyslexic thinking skills that dyslexic children have. But knowing they are dyslexic helps them to understand why some things come naturally and others may be trickier.

The most important thing is to help them find what they’re good at – and do lots of it. By focusing on their dyslexic strengths, they can and will go far. Dyslexia is a superpower!

There are seven dyslexic thinking archetypes in children. Most people with dyslexia are a combination of a few of these archetypes, rarely all! These are:

STORYTELLERS

• Love stories and enjoy creating their own. They also often like to explain and make sense of things. They love listening to stories and watching them on TV. As adults they become expert communicators, so they make great journalists, teachers and politicians. On paper they might have a hard time articulating and organising their ideas, but when asked to verbalise what they’re thinking, the richness of their vocabulary and the complexity of their ideas can be mind-blowing! Famous dyslexic storytellers include Roald Dahl and Liz Pichon.

• To help storytellers thrive at home and at school, give them opportunities (and ask their teachers to give them opportunities) to express themselves verbally, in ways other than through traditional text, grammar and writing for instance, through presentations.

MAKERS

• Just love to build with bricks and put together puzzles. Some makers love to cook, craft or make models. Others create fantastic art or paintings, and some prefer using tech and gadgets. They can be especially good at visualising how parts fit together and seeing an object or concept from multiple angles in their minds. As adults, they become brilliant visualisers, who use their dyslexic thinking skills to interact with space, senses, physical ideas and new concepts. They make great architects, designers, gardeners, artists or programmers when they grow up. Famous dyslexic makers include Steve Jobs, Picasso and Jamie Oliver.

• Makers may have a difficult time when it comes to showing their work in certain scenarios. They might also be able to get to a solution quicker than they can express it, because in their minds they can just see it. It’s important to understand this as a parent and ensure their teachers at school understand it too.

ENTERTAINERS

• Love to entertain. Some like to play musical instruments, sing or dance. Some like to act. Others are jokers and like to make people laugh. As adults, they become expert communicators who tell stories and use their intuition and empathy to understand people around them. Entertainers have no problem standing in front of a room of people and often keep everyone laughing, which can make them great actors, musicians, comedians, salespeople, or presenters.

• But remember that they may sometimes do this as way to compensate or distract from areas where they are having a difficult time. As parents, we need to find ways to support them through this. Recognise and remember when they do things to make us laugh or draw attention to themselves that no child wants to fail or get in trouble Make sure they know you love this about them and help them find different avenues to express themselves.

MOVERS

• Tend to be fidgets and always on the go. Some love to do daring things like skateboarding or extreme sports. Some like to keep active with team sports or playing games. Others like dance or gymnastics. As adults, they become expert visualisers. Just like makers, they use their dyslexic thinking skills to interact with space, senses, physical ideas and new concepts. They make great sportspeople, dancers or firefighters. Famous dyslexic movers include Muhammad Ali and former England women’s football captain Alex Scott.

• Movers often have a difficult time sitting still. They might struggle in the classroom but shine on the sports field. Find lots of opportunities for them to express that movement, like a chair that lets them wobble in class, fidget toys or being able to take short breaks from a lesson.

• Have brilliant imaginations and love to daydream. They excel at making up games and imaginary worlds. As adults they use dyslexic thinking skills to come up with new ideas and approaches. They become great scientists, entrepreneurs and photographers. Famous imaginers include Stephen Spielberg and Richard Branson.

• It might initially feel frustrating that your child is always doodling or daydreaming when you are trying to explain something. But often they are still following along and if you ask them to repeat back what you said, they can and will add their own ideas. They need the opportunity to explore and go down different imaginary paths. Support this by recognising that it’s a part of how they learn, and gently rein them back in and encourage them to focus.

QUESTIONERS

• Constantly ask why or why not. Some love to challenge the rules. Others have an answer for everything and love explaining things. Questioners also love to solve problems others can’t and will ask questions no one else has thought of. As adults, they use their dyslexic thinking skills of reasoning and exploring to continue being curious and questioning everything around them. They are skilled at seeing the big picture and making connections – across issues, subjects and data – which others sometimes don’t see. They can have sudden leaps of insight that help them to solve problems in an unconventional way. They become great detectives, spies, journalists and entrepreneurs.

• Famous dyslexic questioners include Erin Brockovich and Bob Ballard who discovered the Titanic. As parents, it’s important we recognise that exploring, questioning and finding new ways to do things is a valuable skill that should be encouraged.

'PEOPLE' PEOPLE

• These are the kids who really understand others. They love helping and looking after people. Some enjoy organising everyone, some are peacemakers, and others are leaders. Some are introverts and some are extroverts. They instinctively understand how others are feeling. As adults they use their dyslexic thinking skill of connecting to excel in empathising, negotiating and expressing themselves orally. They’re also highly self-aware. They make great doctors, teachers, care-workers and leaders.

• Famous dyslexic ‘people’ people include film maker Spike Lee and US president JFK. As kids, they are brilliant at understanding what their friends might be feeling and crossing social groups and thrive from building relationships. Find ways to support them by giving them responsibilities or a role – they want to be helpful.

If you’re a parent of a dyslexic child, the most transformative thing you can do is to help them spot their dyslexic strengths and value their dyslexic thinking skills, instead of allowing them to be defined by their challenges. Four in five successful people with dyslexia attribute their success to their dyslexic thinking. Focusing on things they are naturally good at, instead of what they find tricky, leads dyslexic thinkers into jobs they love and lives that are fulfilling.

Kate Griggs is the founder and CEO of the global charity Made By Dyslexia, host of the Lessons in Dyslexic Thinking podcast and the author of Xtraordinary People (a book for young dyslexic thinkers) and This is Dyslexia (a book for adult dyslexic thinkers).

Visit www.madebydyslexia.org