| Weaknesses and Strengths | | | | People with dyslexia regardless of their age tend to |
| Dyslexia, like most learning difficulties, has a set of | | | | think in pictures. as a result they have a very powerful |
| characteristics that are shared amongst the majority | | | | sense of spatial and visual awareness. I think it's fair to |
| of its sufferers. As dyslexia is a learning difficulty, most | | | | say that people who do not have dyslexia do not |
| of the attention is on the characteristics that are | | | | commonly think in pictures but instead see links in a |
| negative- such as confusing the letters "b" and "d" | | | | more abstract way- such as through words and |
| because they are similar in shape. Yet, some of these | | | | letters. A person who can think in a more visual way |
| common characteristics are positive. It is those qualities | | | | obviously will being enormously beneficial in certain |
| that I want to examine in this article. I believe that it is | | | | situations. Just think about the careers in which it is |
| very sensible to highlight the strengths of any person | | | | absolutely essential to have a highly developed sense |
| with dyslexia. This is not to lesson or belittle any | | | | of spatial awareness. architecture and engineering are |
| struggles or frustrations that a person with dyslexia | | | | just too examples. Being able to think visually in such a |
| has but, by highlighting strengths, it sends a powerful | | | | natural way also holds many advantages in a person's |
| and positive message which is very important for | | | | personal life. Someone with dyslexia does not need to |
| anybody with a learning difficulty. | | | | be an architect to be very practical and incredibly |
| Creative Problem Solvers | | | | handy around the house. While more abstract thinkers |
| The first strength of a person with dyslexia is that they | | | | are having to pay contractors to come in and |
| are very good ideas people and that they think about | | | | complete any domestic renovations it is more likely |
| things in very novel ways. The brain of a person with | | | | that a dyslexic sufferer will take on these projects |
| dyslexia is slightly different to the brain of a person | | | | themselves and be very successful in them and in the |
| who does not have dyslexia. The dyslexic brain | | | | process save themselves lots of money. |
| processes information in a different way. This can be | | | | Good Communicators |
| a very positive process because by thinking in a | | | | A final quality that children or adults with dyslexia have |
| different way the outcome may well be very | | | | in common, and it is a terrific characteristic, is that they |
| innovative in comparison to the thoughts of their peers. | | | | tend to be great verbal communicators. This probably |
| such innovation in their thinking naturally leads the | | | | derives from their frustrations with reading and writing |
| dyslexic person to be great problem solver. Dyslexics | | | | and so as coping mechanism their spoken skills have |
| struggle with letters and words and they are forced to | | | | needed to compensate. It is almost a survival |
| exist in a world that is very print rich. Consciously or | | | | technique. For a person with dyslexia to be so |
| unconsciously most dyslexics have come up with | | | | confident in talking could well be down to their thought |
| solutions to the challenges that they face in having to | | | | processes being in picture form. I wonder if this makes |
| read and write. A person who is good at problem | | | | it easier for a person with dyslexia to communicate |
| solving in one area of their life will most often be a | | | | with more clarity and simplicity than their non-dyslexic |
| great problem solver in many areas of their lives. | | | | peers? |
| Visual and Spatial Awareness | | | | |