Despite it being a common learning difference, there are many myths and misconceptions about dyslexia, especially for dyslexic adults.
Myths can include one’s ability to ‘recover’ from dyslexia to linking intelligence with dyslexia. These myths are perpetuated by misinformation and a hyper-focus on applying knowledge about dyslexic children in education to dyslexic adults. With myths and misinformation lurking about, it is hard to know how best to support someone and champion their dyslexic strengths.
Although there are still some unknowns about dyslexia, there is also much that is known, which means we can now bust these myths and misconceptions.
Myth #1: People with dyslexia ‘just need to try harder’
Research shows that the dyslexic brain works differently from those who are not dyslexic. Therefore, output/performance and effort do not interlink for dyslexic people- especially when we are working in standardised ways. Using someone’s output or performance to measure how hard they have tried or how much effort they have put in is unsound and harmful.
Research also reveals that the brain areas required for reading and writing are often 'under-activated' whilst other areas of the brain are 'over-activated' among people with dyslexia. Firstly, for example, a person with dyslexia could put significant effort and time into writing an assessment or producing a written piece that has more spelling mistakes than their colleagues. Secondly, a neurotypical person may take longer to create a coherent genogram than a dyslexic person. Finally, a dyslexic person might read the same child protection conference report as their colleague, but it took hours longer.
This does not mean we have tried any less than our peers. It could be argued that we (dyslexic people) put in more effort and work harder to achieve the same as our peers through ‘traditional’ approaches to learning and practice.
What does make a significant difference to performance, and which also enables lasting gains in dyslexic people are the types of instructions we are given and the support we receive to execute the instructions. Multi-sensory approaches are effective methods for communicating information to dyslexic social workers. If we learn something using more than one of our senses, the information or skill is more likely to stick. Using a multi-sensory approach also ensures that all M.I.N.D strengths and trade-offs are catered for, supporting all dyslexic learning styles.
A multi-sensory approach to supporting a dyslexic person will include clear written and visual instructions (diagram or example) reinforced by verbal instruction, observing the task being completed and practising the task will help dyslexic learn and practice.
Myth #2: 'Smart' people cannot be dyslexic or have a learning disability.
As stated above, effort and intelligence are not linked for dyslexic people, neither is their intelligence linked to their dyslexia.
In simple terms: dyslexia and intelligence are NOT connected.
Dyslexic people can and do have gaps between their knowledge and their academic or written performance - which could lead to this misconception.
We may work to a lower standard than expected on a task that is designed for neurotypical brains. But this isn’t because dyslexic people are any more or less smart than neurotypical people. We have the same ability to be intelligent or good at something. It is instead because our brains work and process information differently so cannot easily conform to a neurotypical standardised way of working. .
This means that dyslexic people may do better in certain areas than neurotypical people, and vice versa. “[Dyslexic people] might present as orally articulate [or] have other strength areas. Sometimes they shine in spatial-visual, reasoning, or math [skills]” (O’Rourke, 2018).
Due to the dyslexic M.I.N.D trade offs, we might not be able to deduce meaning from written information as quickly as our neurotypical peers, but we are often more intuitive and out-of-the-box thinkers than our neurotypical counterparts. And a neurotypical peer might be better at recalling information following a training session, however, this does not mean they are more intelligent. We ALL have skills and strengths in different areas.
Little attention has been afforded to understanding the experience of dyslexic adults who have had to navigate employment/recruitment, workplace participation, and workplace system and structures in the past. So, in changing this narrative, here is some advice from my own experiences as a dyslexic social worker.
Enable colleagues to express their learning or experience in different ways. I once created a poster about distress tolerance skills following a training workshop. This enabled me to engage with the learning materials post-training, and reproduce them in my own words and in a way I could access during practice. This not only benefitted my practice and the children and families I was working with, but my colleague and the children and families they were working with.
Myth #3: Dyslexia is a disorder of vision
More often than not, when I tell people I am dyslexic they ask me if I see words as blurred or if words appeared doubled when I was reading. It perplexed me for so long, I wondered if I was misdiagnosed as this was not my experience. I instead find it hard to sound words from what I am reading and instead of reading a sentence, I read words (causing me to re-read so much!). This disconnect made me feel alienated and different, which added a layer of stigma around dyslexia- the consequences of myths and stereotypes.
If we are to collectively meet the needs of dyslexic colleagues and students - as well as the dyslexic children and parent/carer(s) we work with - we need to understand the linguistic nature of dyslexia.
The consensus, based on a large body of research (e.g., Rayner et al., 2001; Lyon et al., 2003; Vellutino, Fletcher, Snowling, & Scanlon, 2004; Sally Shaywitz, 2020), is that dyslexia is a language-based condition affecting the brain’s ability to process the sound units of language (like phonemes).
Prominent dyslexia researcher Sally Shaywitz (2020) explicitly tells us "in contrast to a popular myth, [people] with dyslexia are not unusually prone to seeing letters or words backwards and that the deficit responsible … resides in the language system… the problem is a linguistic one, not a visual one”. Problems with processing make it difficult to automatically and accurately link sounds to their corresponding letters, and this results in reading delays.
Myth #4: Dyslexia is a disadvantage for life
When I read forums about dyslexia, I often see people giving fantastic advice to peers, parents and employers. People championing dyslexia, changing the harmful popular narrative, providing advice and tips, and seeking to improve our knowledge and understanding about it. However, I also see a less optimistic side, where people ask how dyslexia can be cured or how and tell stories about how it is a disadvantage for life.
Tharwarth (2020, p.51) tells us that the prevalence of “misconceptions has caused undue stress to ... adults with dyslexia. Many have social and emotional issues that stem from school [and work] experiences. They are frustrated with their perceived lack of ability. Some become depressed and have issues with low self-esteem” (Wadlington, Elliot, & Kirylo, 2008).
Dyslexia is for life, true, but it does not have to be a life-long disadvantage. Firstly, by challenging the stigma and normalised negative narratives associated with dyslexia you can help change the out-of-date focus on deficits. By informing yourself of different learning needs, in particular their strengths, you can create a safe working and learning environment. You can help people create new ways of working which enable them to be their best.
Try normalising and using multi-sensory methods to train and manage your employees, everyone (neurotypical or neurodivergent) will benefit, and it will reduce the barriers for dyslexic people. Challenge the ‘typical’ way of working.
What myths or misconceptions have you heard about dyslexia? And how do you challenge these?
Thank you for reading!
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