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Key points
- Far from being a disorder or deficit, dyslexia is a unique cognitive style with its own strengths.
- Evidence drawn from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and education supports this new perspective.
- Seeing dyslexia in terms of its strengths rather than drawbacks can transform education and combat stigma.
Until recently, I’d thought of dyslexia as merely a deficit in reading or spelling, perhaps caused by a neurological deficit. Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, the world’s preeminent researchers on the subject, recently revised their groundbreaking book which argues that dyslexia is actually a unique cognitive style with its own advantages. I talked with Brock and Fernette about this new paradigm and its implications for education and stigma.
Brock Eide MD is CEO of Neurolearning SPC, which produces testing and informational support materials for individuals with dyslexia. Fernette Eide MD is CEO of DyslexicAdvantage.org, a 501c3 corporation.
Justin Garson: You reject the view that dyslexia is a cognitive or brain dysfunction marked by difficulties in reading or writing. In a word, how should we think of it instead?
Brock and Fernette Eide: Rather than being fundamentally disordered or defective, dyslexic minds show reading and spelling challenges because they are optimized to excel at a set of functions that is rather different than the norm. Among other skills, dyslexic minds are tuned more toward:
- Global rather than detail-oriented processing
- Distant rather than local associations
- Conscious and intentional rather than automatic processing
- Diffuse rather than focused attention
Dr. Helen Taylor has proposed that these skills can be viewed as a form of "cognitive specialization" which helps dyslexics excel in exploring the environment for new resources and opportunities, to the benefit of society as a whole. We think there's a lot to be said for that view.
JG: Could you describe some of the key pieces of evidence for this new view?
BE and FE: In The Dyslexic Advantage we explore three types of evidence. The first is brain-level structural studies that show, for example, that both the pattern of brain cortical folding and the arrangement of the functional units of gray matter neurons called “minicolumns” are arranged in ways that favor more distant rather than local neuronal connections.
The second is cognitive-level studies, which demonstrate that dyslexic individuals perform differently not just on tasks related to reading, but on an enormous number of cognitive tasks, some of which are related to superior abilities.
Just as one example, two recent meta-analyses have shown that dyslexic adults outperform nondyslexics on tests of divergent creativity, the ability to come up with novel, varied solutions to problems. We think these abilities are supported by the distinctive brain pathways we just mentioned.
The third is at the level of real-world benefits, where we cite evidence suggesting a significant over-representation of dyslexic students in training programs in fields like art and design and engineering, and in professions such as entrepreneurship, all of which rely heavily on creativity and problem solving.
JG: How does your view challenge our current educational paradigm?
BE and FE: Among other things, it directly challenges the view that dyslexic individuals should be viewed as disabled rather than specialized. We in no way challenge – and in fact strongly encourage – a more widespread recognition of the fact that dyslexic students require specialized and often more intensive intervention. These disadvantages, however, are also accompanied by cognitive strengths that can and should be utilized and developed in the course of education.
JG: About 60% of the second edition of your book is new material. What are some of the most important updates?
BE and FE: Some of the most exciting updates deal with the wealth of new material suggesting that the four talent patterns we described in the first edition as the MIND strengths all actually arise from a common set of neural systems that engage episodic memory. In fact, these systems cooperate to create a kind of mental laboratory or “theater of the mind” where mental simulations can take place and create the kinds of imaginative skills we described as MIND strengths.
JG: What are some of your most important suggestions for parents of dyslexic children?
BE and FE: Parents should learn to view their dyslexic child's struggles in the context of this larger picture. Don't just focus on the struggles. Learn to understand the aspects of memory and learning that dyslexic minds do well, and how to use these throughout the school curriculum. Understand the cognitive strengths and the late-blooming nature of certain aspects of dyslexic cognition.
For example, because dyslexic students tend to be slower to “automate” skills – that is, to perform skills without having to think about the steps involved in performing them – they tend to use conscious memory to perform many complex tasks like reading and writing. Understanding how the different aspects of memory work to support learning is crucial. This is much more true in early childhood than after adolescence, when working memory expands.
In short: take the long view, look for growing interests and talents, and remember that dyslexic minds learn best through experience so provide plenty of new and varied experiences for your child.
JG: If there’s one message you’d like to convey to people who’ve been diagnosed with dyslexia, what is it?
BE and FE: We can't top the Delphic Oracle: Know thyself. Your dyslexic mind isn't trying but failing to be normal. It's pursuing a different form of excellence. Learn what that is, and how to cultivate it, understand it, employ it, and enjoy it.
