No, dyslexia is not a form of genius. Dyslexia and intelligence are unrelated; individuals with dyslexia have the same range of intellectual ability as the general population, from average to gifted.
Having dyslexia won't make every dyslexic a genius, but it is good for the self-esteem of all dyslexics to know their minds work in exactly the same way as the minds of great geniuses.
In reality, the two – dyslexia and intelligence – are not related. The misconception that children with dyslexia are not intelligent arises from a few factors: Performance Misinterpretation: Since dyslexia primarily affects reading and writing, children with dyslexia might struggle with academic tasks.
In reality, dyslexia has absolutely no impact on intelligence, and dyslexics are as likely to have ideas as good as anyone else's (indeed, their capabilities to think outside the box may even mean that they have more ideas).
Dyslexic individuals often excel in creative fields like art, design and storytelling. Our brains are wired to think visually, making us great at generating unique ideas and seeing connections where others might not.
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.
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!
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 is not exclusive to any particular level of intelligence; it can affect individuals with average, above-average, and highly gifted intellect.
Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world didn't let his dyslexia hold him back.
These creative processing skills allow dyslexics to see the bigger picture, and visualise new solutions. This skill is really valuable to employees, in fact, 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic. They are deliberately hired because of their excellent critical thinking skills and spatial awareness.
Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence—average, above average and highly gifted. Many gifted people at the top of their fields are dyslexic. While people with dyslexia are slow readers, they often are very fast and creative thinkers.
Dyslexia results from individual differences in the parts of the brain that enable reading. It tends to run in families. Dyslexia appears to be linked to certain genes that affect how the brain processes reading and language.
People with dyslexia are excellent at identifying and remembering complex images. They are able to connect separate components to create complex systems and to identify similarities that others may not see. Dyslexics can also simultaneously process multiple thoughts.
Remember, children with dyslexia may be incredibly artistic, gifted in music or drama, or have an uncanny ability to take things apart and put them back together. They might be brilliant with computers, which use logic-based programs and systems. Or they might be amazing athletes.
The brain of an individual living with dyslexia processes information in a different way than someone who does not have the affliction. This results in difficulty with accurate and automatic word recognition, spelling, and decoding or breaking down words—which is what makes learning so difficult.
What these strengths mean
Did you know that 25-40% of CEOs are dyslexic? Neither did I until I started working with them. Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, and Richard Branson are a few you might know of who were and are. And countless non-famous women CEOs you've never heard of (but that's a story for another time), as well.
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.
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.
Challenges and strengths of dyslexia
A study from Cass Business School in London found that 35% of entrepreneurs in the US and 20% of entrepreneurs in the UK showed signs of dyslexia compared with just 5–10% of the overall population. And a survey of 69,000 self-made millionaires indicated that 40% of them showed signs of dyslexia.
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.