- Researchers from the University of Cambridge suggest that dyslexia should be defined as a strength rather than a disability.
- The neurological condition is associated with “increased abilities” in areas such as discovery, invention, and creativity.
- Researchers say these skills are important for helping humans adapt to changing environments.
Dyslexia is commonly described as a brain disorder or learning difficulty. But new research shows that dyslexia is actually an important tool that has helped humanity adapt.
“The deficit-focused approach to dyslexia is not telling the whole story,” said Dr Helen Taylor of the University of Cambridge, who led the study.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a neurological condition caused by the brain being wired in a different way, says the International Dyslexia Association, a charity based in the United States.
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service describes dyslexia as “a general learning difficulty that primarily causes problems with reading, writing and spelling”.
Dyslexia is believed to affect a large proportion of the population – up to 20%. It has clear genetic links and can be inherited from either parent.
What does the new dyslexia research say?
In the journal Frontiers in Psychology, researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK argue that dyslexia should not be framed as a disorder.
They find that people with dyslexia actually have “increased abilities” in certain areas, including discovery, invention, and creativity.
“We urgently need to develop this kind of thinking to allow humanity to continue to adapt and address major challenges,” said lead author, Taylor.
my all time favorite band @Pearl Jam recorded a song about #dyslexia, @Eddie Vedder Let me explain the reason why I do my research:
“The kid in that song… has a hard time learning. Good, creative people just f-king perish.” @Eddie Vedder
— Dr. Helen Taylor (@DrHelenTaylorCC) 4 July 2022
What were the findings?
The researchers concluded that people with dyslexia are experts at exploration and curiosity. This ‘exploratory bias’, as they describe it, plays a “critical role” in human existence by helping us to adapt to changing environments.
Inventiveness and big-picture, long-term thinking are among the skills and strengths associated with these exploratory behaviors.
Researchers link dyslexia to human evolution over hundreds of thousands of years, where humans – and our brains – have to adapt to constant change, rather than a fixed environment.
Read also: Dyslexia may help humans adapt to climate change. This way
What does other dyslexia research say?
A growing movement and body of research supports redefining dyslexia as a strength rather than a weakness.
The Value of Dyslexia, a report by professional services firm EY and Made by Dyslexia, a charity that is redefining dyslexia, argues that dyslexic strengths can help employers navigate the changing world of work.
The authors state that dyslexic people may show ‘strong’, ‘very strong’ and ‘extraordinary’ performance in a range of “cognitive abilities, systems skills, complex problem-solving skills, content skills, process skills and technical skills”.
These are some of the key skills identified as increasing in demand by the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2020.
There is evidence of links between dyslexia and creativity, entrepreneurship and achievement in sports, highlighted in the journal Psychology Today by neurodivergent academic Robert Chapman.
In the US, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has conducted research on science skills in people with dyslexia.
Professional astrophysicists with and without dyslexia were tested for their ability to spot a particular feature in black holes.
“Scientists with dyslexia … were better able to pick out black holes from noise, which was useful throughout their careers,” said dyslexic astrophysicist Matthew H. Schnepps in an article for Scientific American magazine.
Which famous people have dyslexia?
British dyslexia charity Helen Arkell hosts famous dyslexics from past and present, including physicist Albert Einstein, artists Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso, film directors Steven Spielberg and John Lennon.
Three US presidents were also considered dyslexic – John F. Kennedy, George Washington and George W. Bush.
Actors Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson are among the many highly successful people suffering from dyslexia in the following film by the Made by Dyslexia charity.
Victoria Masterson, Senior Writer, Creative Content
The article was originally published in the World Economic Forum.
Read also: Stay away from the deficit-focused approach of dyslexia. People with it have ‘advanced abilities’
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