Yes, dyslexics often experience higher levels of anxiety, including social anxiety, because literacy struggles can lead to self-consciousness, fear of judgment, and embarrassment in social or academic settings, making them more prone to avoiding situations where they might "fail" or be ridiculed. This can manifest as fear of speaking up, hesitant communication, or withdrawing from peers, impacting social skills and emotional well-being.
Social Anxiety
Impact: Dyslexia can lead to self-consciousness in social or academic settings, especially when tasks involve literacy-related skills. Result: Fear of judgment or embarrassment may contribute to social anxiety and avoidance of certain activities.
Being dyslexic means that you think and process information on the right side of your brain, instead of the left side, where neurotypical people think.
Social Problems
In addition to internal frustration, a child with any learning difference—including dyslexia and related conditions—may have problems with social relationships.
Some examples of positive coping strategies are:
Behavior, Health, and Personality:
Easily stressed and overwhelmed in certain situations. Low self-esteem. Self-conscious when speaking in a group. May have difficulty getting thoughts out – pause frequently, speak in halting phrases, or leave sentences incomplete.
There is a common misconception that dyslexia only affects the ability to read and write. In reality, dyslexia can affect memory, organisation, time-keeping, concentration, multi-tasking and communication. All impact on everyday life.
Longitudinal data confirm that dyslexia is positively associated with stress and depressive symptoms in children, and the higher the DCCC scores, the more severe their symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression were. The emotional symptoms can persist among dyslexic children.
Dyslexia does not worsen over time. However, the demands of adult life—more complex reading, multitasking, or workplace expectations—can make its effects more noticeable. With continued support, individuals often learn to manage their challenges and build on their strengths.
What these strengths mean
Famous actors like Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom all have dyslexia. Pablo Picasso's teachers described him as “having difficulty differentiating the orientation of letters”.
Some common dyslexia symptoms in teens and adults include:
Establish a routine
Dyslexic learners may find it difficult to maintain concentration for long periods of time and may get tired quickly, so it's a good idea to create a routine which emphasises 'a little and often' rather than trying to squeeze too much work into a longer session.
General signs to look for are:
Understanding and supporting individuals with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Dyspraxia is essential for fostering an inclusive and effective learning environment. These disorders can also coincide with other conditions such as ADHD and Autism, requiring a comprehensive approach.
According to UMHS, the following conditions can present similar symptoms and difficulties to dyslexia:
Researchers find that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drug atomoxetine could benefit children with dyslexia. Reading scores significantly improved in children with dyslexia only or ADHD and dyslexia who received atomoxetine compared with those who received placebo.
5 things not to say to your child about dyslexia
The big news from a recent Hollywood Reporter article on actress Jennifer Aniston is her revelation that she struggled with dyslexia as a young person. She didn't receive a diagnosis, and the comfort and understanding that it can bring, until her early 20s.
Both mothers and fathers can pass dyslexia on to their children if either parent has it. There is roughly a 50% – 60% chance of a child developing dyslexia if one of their parents has it.
But if a child has a low IQ and additional problem with dyslexia, that just is going to mean that they're going to have even more difficulty learning to read. But knowing that, most people with dyslexia are, at least, average or above-average IQ. So, it is not related to intelligence at all.
The Many Strengths of Dyslexics
Dyslexia is often thought of as a problem with letter or number reversals (like mixing up b and d, or p and q) or transpositions (12 for 21). Known as motoric dyslexia, this is actually among the least severe and most uncommon of the different types of dyslexia.
Research by the University of Strathclyde has found that people with dyslexia are much better at being curious and exploring new ideas and more likely to be found in careers where this is an advantage, such as art, media, architecture, creativity, engineering and inventing things!