Dyslexia: the good, the bad and the befuddling

I’ve written a few blogs on dyslexia in the last few years. In my efforts to focus on the positives – of which there are many – I worry at times that I might have underplayed some of the challenges. Because there are sadly many.

Dyslexia, as with every neurodiversity, manifests itself differently within every individual when it comes to the good, the bad and (certainly for us) the befuddling. As ever, I can only speak from my own circumstances and much of my reflections,I will readily admit, come with the benefit of hindsight.

People with dyslexia experience challenges on a daily basis that many others won’t give a second thought to. We may have poor spelling and/or grammar. Reading can be a slow and arduous task and we may frequently mix things up in the wrong order or miss them out all together.

Some of us struggle with memory recall (especially remembering facts unaided by a story). We can forget obvious words under times of stress and even jumble up what can seem like the most obvious of sentences. I can’t tell you the times I secretly look up the spelling – or if I’m honest the meaning – of commonly used words.

Many of us struggle with deciphering large reams of text. I’m not sure of the technical reasons why, but information ‘chunked up’ is less intimidating and far more accessible for me to read. If it’s in a few short bullets, and ideally with some colour, even better.

I’d like to say that the difference between ‘left aligned’ and ‘justified’ text is the matter of a few hours of reading. However, if I’m brutally honest, it can be the difference between me reading something or giving up on it entirely.
I still believe strongly that there are huge benefits that come with dyslexia which can and should be celebrated: storytelling, creativity and big picture thinking to name but a few.

Just don’t be fooled into believing the strengths can counter out the daily challenges most dyslexics face, many of which are suffered in silence.

If I could ask for anything, it would be for others to be patient, understanding and kind. Forgive our mistakes and humour our formatting requests, even if they seem unnecessary or silly. They may make the world of difference.
Finally, let’s embrace our differences without judgement or inconvenience, and focus on getting the best out of each other. That way we can bring together the true diversity of thought and skills that are needed to tackle today’s unprecedented challenges.

Be brave. Be bold. Be different.

And celebrate neurodiversity this, and every, week.