What is dyslexia?

Over the last year, there has been a lot of talk about dyslexia in the media and in parliament, but there is still a lot of misunderstanding about what dyslexia actually is.

And, it is estimated that about 10% of the population in the UK, and in fact the world, has some degree of dyslexia; that’s 1 in 10 people or globally 780 million people, diagnosed and undiagnosed.*

So, what is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that causes problems mainly with reading, writing and spelling. Unlike a learning disability though, intelligence and vision aren't affected. However, it is a lifelong issue and can cause daily challenges for those who have it.

It is important to remember that dyslexia isn’t the setback that past stigmas, negative social connotations, and previous societal views would have you think though. There are lots of positives to thinking differently, too!

Many dyslexic people show strengths in visual and creative areas, as well as in logic, reasoning and problem solving. However, learning to embrace those differences can be tricky.

What are the signs of dyslexia?

Signs usually become more obvious when a child starts school and begins to focus on learning how to read and write. Someone with dyslexia may:

• Confuse the order of letters in words
• Read and write more slowly
• Be confused by similar looking letters such as “b” and “d”, or “p” and “q”
• Understand verbal information, but struggle with written information
• Have poor spelling
• Struggle with planning and organising

However, this isn’t an exhaustive list and someone with undiagnosed dyslexia may have other symptoms and signs, so a formal diagnosis with a certified assessor is essential.

How dyslexia affects different people varies, especially depending on the severity; and it is also worth knowing that it can often co-occur with other learning difficulties. So, what helps one dyslexic person won’t necessarily work for another. But, there are a whole range of assistive technologies and software on offer to help every individual.