Angela Fawcett, vice president of the British Dyslexia Association, has emphasised the need to look at the particular strengths of persons with dyslexia.
Addressing the press ahead of a workshop with the Madras Dyslexia Association, Prof. Fawcett, an international researcher in dyslexia and other development disabilities, said that often children or adults with dyslexia had strengths that might not necessarily show up in school: insight and intuition, creative ability, ability to see the big picture and good social skills. But many tended to lose confidence due to years of failing before being diagnosed, she explained.
Employment support
She said that while they needed support in employment — employers must make allowances and adjust expectations — there was a lot that they could contribute with their particular strengths if they could craft an environment suitable to them.
Prof. Fawcett gave examples of men employed in the United Kingdom who had difficulties when their job roles changed or had to interact with more people in the company. But with some support, they were able to excel in their jobs.
Speaking about early diagnosis, Prof. Fawcett said that in a number of schools in Wales, where children were given a screening test at the age of four and half or five years and those at risk identified, support lessons once a week ensured that they did not face difficulties in class.
This intervention package, she said, created a profile of each child with strengths and weaknesses and no specific training was required to give support — it was something that could easily be incorporated at State schools, she said. “There needs to be greater awareness about dyslexia,” she said, adding that it needed to be seen not just as a weakness but as a strength.
She said bringing in stories of personalities who had achieved great success with dyslexia would go a long way in inspiring others.
