FAQ

Q: What is dyslexia?

A: Dyslexia is a language based learning disability. Although dyslexics prefer to call it a learning difference. Children with dyslexia have difficulty with reading, spelling and with learning foreign languages.

Q: What causes dyslexia?

A: Dyslexia is caused by a different wiring in the brain. This different wiring makes it harder for a dyslexic person to decode words when reading, but at the same time, it permits people with dyslexia to think more creatively and laterally.

Q: What are the effects of dyslexia?

A: Dyslexia affects each person differently. Not every person has the same severity of dyslexia. The core difficulty is with dyslexia is the difficulty of processing and manipulating sounds. Some individuals with dyslexia manage to learn early reading and spelling tasks, especially with excellent instruction, but later experience their most challenging problems when more complex language skills are required.

Q: Does dyslexia make you any more or less intelligent?

A: It is important to note, that dyslexia does not affect the intelligence of a person. It actually is said, that a most dyslexics have average or even above average IQ’s and in addition they also tend to be more creative and better logical thinkers. (Barnes, 2014)

Q: Is there a cure for dyslexia?

A: There is no cure for dyslexia because dyslexia is not considered as an illness. However dyslexia is classified as a learning disorder because a lot of students have a harder time in school because of it. I personally call it a learning difference instead of a learning disorder because I think it sounds more encouraging and positive than labelling it as an disorder.

Q: Does dyslexia ever go away?

A: The answer is no. Not really. Dyslexia affects people throughout their lives; from childhood until adulthood. But its impacts usually change throughout the years. For me dyslexia was very frustrating to deal with as a elementary school student but the older I got, the more I got used to it. Today I would even say that I like being dyslexic because it makes me think in different ways from other people which I definitely consider as a gift. (Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan, 2022)

Q: How common are language-based learning disabilities?

A:According to the European Dyslexia Association, 5-10% of the population has dyslexia, but the number can even be as high as 17%. This definitely makes dyslexia the most common learning difference. (Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan, 2022)

Q: Is dyslexia more frequently for certain people?

A: I t is a common rumor, that only English speakers can have dyslexia. This is simply not true.Dyslexia is found all over the world. However, as I already mentioned previously, having dyslexia is a lot more likely for a person if some family members have it, since it gets passed on genetically. In my family for instance, my mom, grandma, aunt and I all have it.

Q: Is it possible for dyslexics to learn how to read?

A:Yes learning to read is definitely possible for dyslexic children, despite people often believing the opposite. In elementary school. My teacher classified me as stupid and said that I would never be able to read, because I was struggling to keep up with the other students my age. Nowadays I can read and write very well. I managed to earn a scholarship to attend a prestigious boarding school in America and ended up becoming a student on the honours list. Now that I am back in Austria I am also receiving nearly perfect grades which proves that being dyslexic definetly won’t stop you from doing well at school. My advice would be to work hard and believe in yourself because nobody can take that away from you!

However it is important to note, that if dyslexic children have dyslexia support at a young age, they will have significantly fewer problems in learning to read than children who don’t get discovered by their parents or teachers.

Q: Are boys or girls more likely to have dyslexia?

A: It used to be thought that boys are more likely to experience dyslexia than girls. However current research by Anne Arnett, Bruce Pennington and Richard Oldon for the journal “Explaining the Sex Difference in Dyslexia” indicates, that dyslexia occurs in equal proportions for both males and females. As one possible explanation for why people believe boys have dyslexia more than girls do, is because boys may be more likely to act out when experiencing difficulty in school and be more noticeable for teachers and parents, while girls may try to hide their difficulties from others and try to fit in with the rest and tend to be diagnosed on lower scales. Therefore, the journal suggests, that more boys would be recognized and diagnosed with dyslexia, which would falsely inflate the statistics. (Arnett, 2017)

Reference list:

Barnes, Peter (2014) “Dyslexia & Intelligence: Is There a Connection?” Dyslexia & Intelligence: Is There a Connection?, https://blog.learnfasthq.com/dyslexia-intelligence-is-there-a-connection. 

“Frequently Asked Questions.” Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan, 2022, http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/answers/faq.

Arnett, Anne B., et al. “Explaining the Sex Difference in Dyslexia.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 58, no. 6, 2017, pp. 719–727., https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12691.