October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. To raise awareness and dispel misconceptions about Dyslexia, we have compiled a list of facts and statistics about Dyslexia.
- It is estimated that 1 in 10 people have dyslexia
- Over 40 million American Adults are dyslexic - and only 2 million know it
- Dyslexia is not tied to IQ - Einstein was dyslexic and had an estimated IQ of 160
- Dyslexia in not just about getting letters or numbers mixed up or out of order
- 80% of people associate dyslexia with some form of retardation - this is not true
- Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability or disorder that includes poor word reading, word decoding, oral reading fluency and spelling
- Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels
- Dyslexia has nothing to do with not working hard enough
- 20% of school-aged children in the US are dyslexic
- With appropriate teaching methods, dyslexia can learn successfully
- Over 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic
- Dyslexia runs in families; parents with dyslexia are very likely to have children with dyslexia
- Dyslexics may struggle with organizational skills, planning and prioritizing, keeping time, concentrating with background noise.
- Dyslexis may excel at connecting ideas, thinking out of the box, 3D thinking, seeing the big picture
- People with dyslexia excel or even gifted in areas of art, computer science, design, drama, electronics, math, mechanics, music, physics, sales and sports
- Many famous people are dyslexic including: Orlando Bloom, Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Spielberg, Kiera Knightley. Albert Einstein and Patrick Dempsey
SOURCES: American Dyslexia Association, The International Dyslexia Association, The Dyslexia Center, The Dyslexia Foundation, The Child Mind Institute
Issues with toddler meltdowns or teenage drama? Teaching a child resiliance can help our kids to be happier, well-adjusted, thoughful, autonomous adults.
Years ago, I clipped and saved a valuable article from "Counselor's Corner", much of which I will reproduce here.
Characteristics of Resilient Children:
- Socially skillful
- Sense of control over their response to life
- Reflective approach to life (thinks and then acts)
- Goal-directed
- Curiosity and interest in education (often 'caught' reading!)
- Presence of inspirational individual / role model
- Ability to separate from destructive people and situations
- Take moderate risks
- Stress-inoculated (anticipated and prepared for crises)
- View crises as challenges, not catastrophes
Recommendations for Promoting Resilience:
- Encourage child to have friends by being one.
- Encourage autonomy and opportunities for responsible decision-making
- Encourage divergent thinking (have child plan more than one solution).
- Get child involved in long-term projects to promote goal-setting and delayed gratification
- Encourage interest in education and promote reading.
- Challenge, but never put-down child’s views.
- Provide a strong family support base, and encourage individual extra-curricular pursuits.
- Do not expect of encourage perfection.
- Teach the art of reframing problems as challenges.
- Be what you want the child to be: model resilience.
Sure hope this is helpful!
