We all remember who the smart kids at school were. The kids that were good at writing, remembering facts and were at the top of the class. The kids that the teachers called smart, that won awards and passed all their exams.
Yet there are many ways for a child to be smart, to be good at things and achieve great things in their lives. If fixing broken things was a school exam, I would have got the highest grade in the class.
(I asked parents and carers of dyslexic children "Why are dyslexics so smart?". This article contains real quotes from answers to this question.)
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. Dyslexic kids may struggle to learn at school, finding reading and writing hard. Yet dyslexic children may have many other skills and be better at practical activities.
"I am an academic, I am university educated, however, my husband, who is dyslexic, is the smartest person I know. He can make and build things that are so unbelievably clever, despite having no formal qualifications. My daughter, also dyslexic, is smart in ways that I am not too. She has this all seeing eye and doesn't miss a detail!" Parent Comment
Being smart can come in many different forms, many parents/carers did not agree that dyslexics are academically smart, but they were good at other things.
"No this isn’t true. If you mean academically smart then my daughter is not smart. But she has many other wonderful skills that don’t seem to attract ‘smart’ labels. Instead she’s just wonderful, and being wonderful is better than smart" Parent Comment
All the cards are available as part of a "Mooki Cards". Complete with 56 cards and storage wallet.
Dyslexic children can have may different skills and be smart in different ways.
"My son blows my mind with his intelligence he thinks outside the box and I love that!"
Parents/carers believed their dyslexic kids had many strength. Below are the top 10 dyslexia strengths they spotted in their children.
1) Amazing memory of places
2) Can do things so neat
3) High emotional intelligence
4) Think outside of box
5) Great spatial awareness
6) Very creative, good at drawing
7) Sees things in a different way.
8) Good common sense
9) Gut instincts, very intuitive
10) Better at physical work
"Academically my daughter is very behind, but she picks things up quickly when it comes to puzzles, problem solving, she can verbally tell the most amazing stories and has a fabulous imagination just because she can't write what she thinks doesn't make". Parent comment
Dyslexia does not affect intelligence. A dyslexic child can have a big gap between their reading/writing ability and their intelligence level. This is sometimes how dyslexia is spotted.
"My brother was told he was dyslexic age 8. When diagnosed he was intellectually like a 12 yr old. Measuring everything else like English and maths, he is doing age 5 work." Real comment
"My son scored 98% intelligence and 1% reading, writing and fluency. Daughter scored 92% intelligence. Both autistic and dyslexic and both so different." Parent comment
To learn more read "Do Dyslexics Have A Higher IQ?". To understand why dyslexic kids may have higher levels of intelligence then people without dyslexia.
Dyslexic children can struggle to learn at school and this can effect their self-esteem.
"How often do people assume that just because you can’t spell it means you are stupid? ALL the time. And they poke fun at people for spelling things wrong". Real comment
Yet dyslexic people are more likely to become successful adults and achieve great things.
Did you know?
To learn more about successful dyslexic people see "Top 100 Famous People With Dyslexia".
So what is it what makes dyslexic children more likely to grow-up and become self-made millionaires. What skills do they have that has helped them overcome learning difficulties caused by dyslexia. See real comments from parent, experts below:
1) "I like to think my daughter is smart because she learned at a young age things most people only learn when they're older. Perseverance, hard work, dedication are all engrained into her at the age of 12!"
2) "Some find their own coping strategies and ways of overcoming obstacles, which other kids might not be accustomed to doing, and which is a very useful thing to have, and can be used in other areas of learning (and life in general!)"
3) "Personality features are important too like likelihood to persevere and risk taking. Some very successful dyslexic personalities have done well because they have taken risks that others might not be willing to do (and they may have cooccurring ADHD)".
Dyslexic children have so many skill, are intelligent yet still struggle at school. This is because school is heavily focus on teaching skills in areas that dyslexic kids are weaker. Such as reading, writing and remembering facts. To learn more see "Right and Left Brain Thinking".
Dyslexic children need to be taught in a dyslexic friendly way, by using multi-sensory learning. They learn best by being able to see pictures, by hearing stories and making models. Yet schools focus on teaching things such as spelling and lists of facts. Dyslexic kids struggle because of how and what they are being taught, rather then because they are not smart.
"We're all capable of being smart, if we have the tools to meet our needs" Parent Comment
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