Yes, many people with dyslexia experience difficulties with memory, particularly working memory (holding and manipulating information like phone numbers or multi-step instructions) and verbal recall (remembering spoken or written words), which impacts reading, writing, and organization, though not all dyslexics have memory problems, and they often have strengths in other areas like visual thinking.
Working Memory: Dyslexia often affects the ability to hold and manipulate information in the mind, making it harder to follow multi-step instructions or remember details while reading. Attention and Focus: Many children with dyslexia struggle to maintain focus, especially during tasks that involve reading or writing.
Developmental and intellectual disabilities like ADHD, autism, Down syndrome, Rett syndrome, and developmental language disorder commonly cause memory problems. Though some of these conditions may affect long-term and visual memory, they most often disrupt working memory.
Challenges and strengths of dyslexia
Dyslexia can affect short term memory, so your partner may forget a conversation, a task they have promised to do, or important dates. They may also struggle to remember the names of people they have met or how to get to places they have visited before.
Metaphorically, it can be like trying to look clearly through a window that fights back. Instead of being transparent, what one can see and process become opaque, blurred, and in essence unclear. Subsequently, this confused and 'fogged' state of mind can have a massive impact upon a dyslexic individual.
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”.
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.
Three dimensional thinking and making connections
Many people with dyslexia demonstrate better skills at manipulating 3D objects in their mind. Many of the world's top architects and fashion designers have dyslexia.
Oftentimes, parents fear that a dyslexia diagnosis indicates their child is less intelligent than their peers. Nevertheless, dyslexia is not exclusive to any particular level of intelligence; it can affect individuals with average, above-average, and highly gifted intellect.
The 2-7-30 Rule for memory is a spaced repetition technique that boosts retention by reviewing new information at specific intervals: 2 days, 7 days, and 30 days after the initial learning, leveraging the brain's forgetting curve to solidify knowledge into long-term memory with minimal effort, making it great for studying languages, skills, or complex topics.
Working memory is the capacity to store information in an individual's temporary memory in order to perform a task involving multiple sequences and steps of operation. Many people with dyslexia also have working memory difficulties.
Signs working memory is weak can include things like:
Strategies to support working memory
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.
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!
High spatial awareness – People with dyslexia can sometimes be much spatially aware than the average person. Many have the ability to manipulate 3D shapes in their minds. They may find it easier to think in images which works well in careers such as architecture, performing arts and design.
The majority of people think mainly with their brain's left hemisphere, whereas dyslexics think predominantly with their right hemisphere. This leads to a different kind of thinking and learning style that we call conceptual thinking.
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.
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.
Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world didn't let his dyslexia hold him back.
Actress Jennifer Aniston has publicly shared that she was diagnosed with dyslexia in her 20s, a diagnosis that explained lifelong struggles with reading, writing, and retaining information, leading her to believe she wasn't smart until discovering the learning disorder. She discovered this during an eye exam, where she realized her eyes jumped words when reading, and the diagnosis helped her understand past difficulties, transforming her self-perception.
Ryan Gosling has accumulated praise for movies like The Notebook, La La Land, and Barbie. However, behind this fame, his life's story was full of bravery. The Hollywood hunk faced dyslexia and Adhd as a kid. School was difficult, and bullying made it worse.
Some of these successful entrepreneurs, such as Richard Branson and Charles Schwab, credit their success to dyslexia as one of the contributing factors that lead to the development of their innovative thinking and their remarkable success.