Richard Branson and Made by Dyslexia have made an important and game-changing announcement. In an Instagram post, the British entrepreneur shared that a new drop-down option is now available to add to your LinkedIn profile: dyslexic thinking. Not only that, “dyslexic thinking” will be added to Dictionary.com as an official term.
The moves by these highly regarded people and organizations signal a huge change in the way dyslexia is viewed by the world. What was once considered a disability has now evolved into recognition that people with dyslexia think differently––a total redefinition of the term.
Made by Dyslexia’s 21st-century definition of dyslexia “is a genetic difference in an individual’s ability to learn and process information. As a result, dyslexic individuals have differing abilities, with strengths in creative, problem-solving and communication skills and challenges with spelling, reading and memorising facts.”
The Microsoft Education Center shares that “People with dyslexia can be highly creative, good problem-solvers, three-dimensional thinkers, innovators, and influencers—all valuable skills. While reading, writing, and spelling can prove to be difficult for people with dyslexia, they’re often fantastic storytellers and display strong verbal reasoning skills.”
In a video from Made By Dyslexia, educators from two of the world’s leading dyslexia schools share some huge insights into the joys of teaching young students.” One teacher reveals, “they ask ‘why’ constantly, which is fun in the classroom. They don’t just take information for what it is, they want to know why.”
“They tend to be innovators, entrepreneurs, the game changers in our world that disrupt industries,” shares Josh Clark, Head of the Schenck School in Atlanta. Dyslexic thinking is a skill, and a special one at that. It’s not a hindrance, but a leg up on critical thinking that people with dyslexia are gifted.
What was once thinly thought of as a disability where individuals see words backwards and be unable to read, has clearly involved into an understanding that dyslexics are some of the most innovative and creative thinkers on the planet. For kids just learning about their own journey with dyslexia, it doesn’t hurt to see faces like Sir Richard Branson, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly, some of the world’s most successful individuals who also are dyslexic thinkers, changing the world.
If you’d like to learn more about the changing space of dyslexic thinking, visit Made By Dyselxia, a global charity with resources for kids, parents, educators and more.
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