Dyslexia's Strengths, Talents & Gifts

Very often, parents hear only what is negative about their children who struggle to read. At parent/teacher conferences, educators may quickly broach the topic of reading difficulties for a particular child, enumerating a list of challenges that must be addressed. Much less frequently, the discussion will mention the strengths of these children who are struggling readers, especially when these readers have dyslexia.

Did you know that many children and adults with dyslexia have specific strengths and talents? Yes, they do, and we hope to enumerate those here in our blog this week. We also hope that teachers and parents will take a long look at this list and begin recognizing these gifts and special abilities of some of the challenged readers they know and care about in their classrooms and families. If they do, those who struggle to read will improve self-esteem and realize in themselves that they have much more to offer our world than others might think.

The Strengths, Talents and Gifts of Dyslexia

Children and adults with DYSLEXIA are often:

-Creative
-Intuitive
-Persistent
-Empathetic
-Dramatic
-Artistic

In addition, persons with DYSLEXIA frequently possess these strengths:

-Have the ability to see the "big picture" with projects, ideas, etc.
-Possess strong, problem-solving skills
-Have excellent, critical thinking and reasoning skills
-Can think in fully-interactive, 3-dimensional environments
-Demonstrate lateral thinking
-Conceive objects from every possible angle
-Are capable of short periods of high focus
-Are acutely aware of surroundings
-Often inclined to think "outside the box"
-Can see patterns, connections and similarities that others cannot

Do any of these strengths look familiar as you think about your child or student with dyslexia? If not, please take another look. If you see several items that apply to a child you know, help him to channel that strength or further develop those talents. If you do, you will help him move in the direction of improving his self-esteem AND his chances of becoming a reader less challenged.

Sources & Resources:

10 Little-known Advantages of Dyslexia by Marianne Sunderland
This article from the Abundant Life blog lists some of the special talents and abilities of those with dyslexia. Also, a list of careers or vocations that work well for persons with dyslexia is provided.
http://www.mariannesunderland.com/2012/08/10-little-known-advantages-of-dyslexica/

strengths of dyslexia by Aidan Fitzpatrick
Basic list of strengths for persons with dyslexia
http://sourceforge.net/p/dyslexicgift/home/Home/

For more information on customizable reading tools for dyslexia, better focus & attention, please visit:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of:
Brennan Innovators, LLC at www.focusandread.com