We all have a basic knowledge of the difficulties those with dyslexia go through, but have you ever considered the positives?
Generally, those with Dyslexia are extremely intuitive and can easily pick up on others emotions and energy. Word processing and comprehension can be difficult, but if you remove those things and simply focus on the person in front of you and a few key words and phrases, an understanding of the bigger picture takes over.
My brain may not work how it’s supposed to, but my creativity flows like a river! If you suffer with dyslexia, you are likely to have a beautifully, creative, imagination. This makes us thrive in careers where visual-spatial/kinaesthetic talents can be realized, such as engineers, trades, artisans, designers, musicians, etc. We’re out-of-the-box thinkers.
One task may not be enough to keep our minds occupied, multi-tasking can drive our focus and keep our thoughts fresh. Focusing too much on one task can cause us to zone out, over-think and become frustrated, this happens to most people, but for us it’s on a much higher, intense, level. Alternatively, a list of tasks may suit us better, this way we can mix things up a bit.
Many of us will be ‘over achievers’. There are two ways to deal with a challenge, give up and quit, or do it better than you ever expected. Dyslexic children struggle, we have to study longer and harder than others, are often told we can’t do particular tasks, adults are permanently trying to ‘manage our expectations’ about the future, and all these things create a resilience. We don’t like to just participate, we want to win and be or do the best!
We learn through hands on experience, demonstrations, experimentation and observation. You don’t need to sit down and tell us everything you want doing, just show us. Remember, we have epic imaginations, once you show us what to do, we know what’s expected and how to achieve it.
We may also be perfectionists and slightly overreact when a small mistake is made (never once have I done this). We are totally aware mistakes happen, however most of us know we have to triple check everything, so if after triple checking there is still an error we haven’t picked up on, it can be very frustrating.
Dyslexia does not have to negatively impact you, the work you do or the things you want to try. Just like personality traits, there are pros and cons to having, coping, dealing and making the most of it.