UNDERSTANDING DYSLEXIA
Developments in Dyslexia How to spot, and empower Dyslexic Thinking in your child 2022 was a big year Dyslexic Thinking. for dyslexia. In April Forward-thinking LinkedIn, the world’s schools have been dyslexic thinking biggest careers doing this for decades, [dis-lek-sik thing-king] platform, added but they are the Dyslexic Thinking as exception not the rule. a skill, and it officially That’s why Made By noun entered the dictionary Dyslexia has partnered 1 a n approach to problem solving, assessing at www.dictionary.com with Microsoft to as a noun. Our schools develop FREE online information, and learning, often used by can no longer see training featuring people with dyslexia, that involves pattern dyslexia as a special dyslexia experts from recognition, spatial reasoning, lateral need to be ‘remediated’ world leading schools. thinking, and interpersonal communication. but must recognise it as The training will enable a pattern of strengths every teacher to spot, and challenges that need support and empower to be identified and supported…because in every dyslexic students and create an inclusive classroom school, around the world, there are 1 in 5 kids with where their Dyslexic Thinking can thrive. exactly the Dyslexic Thinking skills needed for the Earlier this month we announced that New York future of work. City public schools have trained EVERY teacher, all 100,000 of them, and now we’re calling on What is Dyslexia? others to follow their lead. Dyslexic minds process information differently, Our new ‘Learn Dyslexia’ campaign asks every creatively. They are naturally curious, highly teacher to ‘Take A Day for Dyslexia’ and skill up creative with an ability to unconventionally using our FREE online training. One single day is connect the dots and think laterally. Cyber all it takes to complete all three training levels. But Intelligence agency GCHQ actively recruits it’s enough to change a child’s life. You can find out dyslexics for their big picture thinking, innovative more and find links to our training at problem solving, and all known Dyslexic Thinking www.dictionary.com skills, which are the soft skills every employer is As parents – the best thing we can do is to Learn looking for. Dyslexia ourselves, by watching the training films But our research found that teachers have we will skill ourselves up to empower the limitless little or no understanding of Dyslexic Strengths, potential in our brilliant dyslexic children. and our education system actively discriminates And we can be the change too, by joining the against dyslexics with its focus on spelling, movement and asking our MPs, Mayors, or schools punctuation and grammar, and memorisation and to follow the example of NYC. rote learning. In an era of automation, where facts can be How to spot Dyslexic Thinking skills in kids Googled; spelling, punctuation and grammar An easy way to do this is to think about what your can be corrected at the touch of a button; it is child loves to do and would do for hours, if left to creativity, imagination and intuition that sets their own devices. Dyslexic kids become experts in us apart from the machines, and that’s Dyslexic the subjects they love because they are inquisitive Thinking. Made By Dyslexia’s Value of Dyslexia and curious and use lots of Dyslexic Thinking reports produced in partnership with EY found skills to find out all there is to know about it. This Dyslexic Thinking Skills map directly to the is often a great way to spot dyslexia in our kids World Economic Forum’s Skills for the Future. early. Just observe how they master a topic they love, but at the same time struggle to grasp simple Learn Dyslexia skills their peers find easy. This mismatch or ‘spiky Given the right training teachers can spot and profile’ is a key marker for dyslexia and can often support dyslexic learners and empower their be spotted at a very young age. 48 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | AU T U M N 2 02 2
