Dyslexia - The Gift of Superpowers.

Samantha Comiskey
Apr 27, 2023
2 min read

Updated: May 7

If you have a child that has just been diagnosed with dyslexia, you are not alone as an estimated 1 in 10 people in Australia have dyslexia. In fact dyslexia, is a gift. A gift that gives a person the ability to think differently to those who do not have dyslexia.

A Neurological Disorder

Not just a matter of letters. Dyslexia can present in many ways from early childhood through to later adulthood. Dyslexia makes recognizing letters/words and sounds more difficult, than compared to a child that does not have dyslexia. A child that presents with dyslexia may have difficulty reading and spelling but also comprehension of what they have just read. Dyslexia often runs in families, however there is little evidence as to the specific genes that contribute to the learning difficulties in general.

Symptoms

Pre-school aged:

delayed speech
difficulty pronouncing some words
learning the alphabet
writing their name

Primary school aged:

have lots of errors when reading
read slowly and without expression
avoid reading — especially aloud
struggle to understand what they’ve read
have school anxiety
show signs of low-self esteem

High school aged children may have:

many of the same problems as primary aged children
a reduced vocabulary

Sometimes in some cases of low self-esteem, anxiety and stress a child may develop encopresis, which impacts a child's colon causing constipation, abdominal pain and regular leakage of stool or liquid on their underwear.

Many people with dyslexia are very creative, or gifted in areas such as the arts, computing or sports.

The Hard Worker

A child with dyslexia in the classroom works twice as hard as the average student, as their mind bends and twists the concept of sounds and language together to form words. An exhausting process for our young minds to grasp, but little do they know at this stage that the resilience that comes from these early years of growth will set up them up to be more determined. This strength and resilience will stay with them throughout their entire lives.

Support

Getting early intervention support will be the most beneficial tactic when it comes to the learning progress of a child that has been diagnosed with dyslexia. It is also noted that throughout the schooling process, as the child ages they may start to acknowledge that they are not doing as well as their peers and this can in turn, affect their self-esteem. Taking a holistic approach to the supports for a child with dyslexia can provide some advantages in the long term.