Dyslexia is a reading and learning disability, yet it has not deterred some affected individuals from spectacular achievements. This group includes film director Steven Spielberg, actor Tom Cruise, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and investor Charles Schwab.
If you spend time talking to children with dyslexia, the reasons may be apparent. The language part of their brains is not operating efficiently. To compensate, they may develop other parts more than typical, such as the visuo-spatial. Parents often mention these children’s talents in drawing and creating 3D structures. Some of them want to be architects or engineers when they grow up.
Others may have spatial-temporal talents. Spatial-temporal thinkers not only create mental imagery but also use them dynamically, reorienting their perspectives to “view” an object in their mind’s eye from many angles. Inventors often have this strength. Some can navigate mentally within their imagined structures to resolve a problem or enhance their creations.
Children with dyslexia often use vivid imagery and metaphors. A 5th grader with dyslexia described her difficulty with words in this way: “In my head, there’s a little guy going through aisles and aisles of filing cabinets with words stored inside. The cabinets have no labels, so he’s running around opening and closing drawers, trying to find the word I need to say.”
Individuals with dyslexia often seem highly creative and think outside the box. A 4th grader described how he felt trapped by his language difficulty. Instead of feeling locked inside, he said that he was outside the building, frantically looking for a door to get in.
Success requires more than talent. One has to have the tenacity to fight through challenges and setbacks. People who have struggled through their reading and learning difficulties in their early years may have developed the resilience needed to succeed later.
Gifted individuals with a reading disability are called “twice-exceptional.” Now that Dysolve® AI can correct their disability, their exceptional strengths may stand out even more.
