Yes, dyslexia significantly affects anxiety, with studies showing much higher rates of anxiety disorders in individuals with dyslexia due to chronic frustration, low self-esteem, fear of failure, and academic/social stress from the learning difficulties. While not a direct cause, the lifelong challenges of dyslexia create a fertile ground for anxiety, often mediated by increased homework stress and feelings of inadequacy, requiring support for both the learning disability and mental health.
Research has reported that almost 60% of dyslexic children meet the criteria for at least one mental disorder (Margari et al., 2013). High proportions of anxiety and depression problems among dyslexic children have been demonstrated in many studies (Francis et al., 2019; Gabriely et al., 2020; Hendren et al., 2018).
Some examples of positive coping strategies are:
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.
Tiredness. Dyslexic people have to work harder than others, and often work extra hours, to overcome daily challenges. When they are tired their dyslexic 'symptoms' can be more pronounced as they don't have the energy to employ their usual coping strategies.
Absolutely, stress and anxiety can temporarily worsen the symptoms of dyslexia. For example, someone might struggle to process written instructions or retrieve words under pressure. This doesn't mean the dyslexia itself is worsening—instead, stress can exacerbate the challenges it already presents.
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”.
What these strengths mean
Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world didn't let his dyslexia hold him back.
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.
Read to Students
While dyslexic students may struggle to read independently, they benefit greatly from someone reading to them. While they may be reading below grade level on their own, their listening comprehension is usually equal to or above that of their peers.
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.
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!
The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e., in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed.
Medication cannot treat dyslexia. The most effective treatment is intensive education intervention that helps the child improve phonemic awareness (the ability to pair letters to sounds and turn sounds into words) and develop reading and writing skills.
Your brain has trouble processing what you read, especially breaking words into sounds or relating letters to sounds when reading. That slowdown in processing can affect everything that follows. That includes: Slowed reading because you have trouble processing and understanding words.
Albert Einstein was dyslexic. Like many of the world's 7.5 million children with learning disabilities he was thought to be unintelligent by his teachers. Fortunately, his parents placed him in a special school where he was taught in accordance with his disability.
Singer and songwriter Robbie Williams is known for being open about the challenges he's faced – as seen in the 2024 film based on his life, Better Man – and he's no different when talking about his dyscalculia and dyslexia.
For people with dyslexia, wiring in the left-brain hemisphere makes processing written language difficult. While dyslexia is usually a condition people are born with, it can sometimes result from a traumatic brain injury, stroke, or dementia.
Do you:
He suggests that because people with dyslexia don't tend to memorise information in traditional ways, their brains may be 'wired' to be more flexible and imaginative in all kinds of situations.
Kids with dyslexia have many gifts, including:
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.
Sir Richard Branson, head of Virgin, who made his first million by the age of 18 after founding a record label, is a classic example of the successful dyslexic. Branson, a billionaire, admits he did not understand the difference between net and gross profit until it was explained to him three years ago.