2. Dyslexia is very common
Ranges from mild to severe
1 in 10 is dyslexic and of those, 1 in 4 has
severe dyslexia
Often runs in the family

3. Dyslexia affects reading, writing and spelling
When reading, can’t match sounds to letter combinations
When writing, similar looking/ sounding letters are confused (e.g. p, b and d)
When spelling, can’t remember common letter patterns
BUT
Can cope well verbally – talking may be a strength
Here are some examples of things that some people with dyslexia can find difficult.

4. Important!
Everyone is different and dyslexia affects people in different ways. Not everyone with dyslexia will experience the same things.
Dyslexia is not a sign of low intelligence – some of the most successful business people are dyslexic.
Lord Allan Sugar

5. Red Blue Pink Yellow Green Purple Orange Yellow Pink Brown
Try naming the colours below to find out what it’s like for people with dyslexia. Say the colour not the word!
Red Blue Pink Yellow Green
Purple Orange Yellow Pink Brown
Purple Blue Red Yellow Red
Red Blue Pink Yellow Green
Purple Orange Brown Purple Blue
Blue Red Purple Blue
Blue Red Yellow Red Blue
Pink Yellow Green Purple Orange
Brown Purple Blue Blue Red
Exercise
Ask people to read out load the colours not the word.
So they should say:
Green, orange, blue, black, red and so on.
The idea of this exercise is to show what it’s like when your brain has to work extra hard – and it can be like this for people with dyslexia.

6. Common dyslexic issues
Poor short-term memory (names, numbers)
Problems with time keeping, managing
tasks, concentration and organisational skills
Difficulty following instructions or sequences
Children with dyslexia may be accused of not trying – but they are often very tired because of these extra difficulties.
Issues that often co-occur alongside dyslexia

7. Co-occurring visual issues
Symptoms of visual stress linked to other issues such as epilepsy, hypersensitivity to light or migraine are also common for people with dyslexia – e.g. the Rivers Effect below:

8. Not all people with dyslexia will experience visual distortions in text – but some may find text blurs or moves on the page:
Here’s another example. Remember that not everyone with dyslexia will experience this.

9. Audio-processing issues
Some people with dyslexia can’t recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even though the sounds themselves are clear – they may have:
difficulty understanding when listening
difficulties with concentration
delays in understanding/ responding to spoken language
Here is an example of visual difficulties that some people with dyslexia can experience.

10. But people with dyslexia also have many strengths…
They may:
be creative, out of the box thinkers
have good problem solving skills
have excellent ‘people’ skills

11. Well known people with dyslexia
A few well known faces with dyslexia.
Top row from left to right
Jamie Oliver – chef
Sir Steve Redgrave – Olympic gold medallist rower
Michelle Mone – entrepreneur
Bottom row from left to right
Keira Knightley – actor
Henry Winkler – The Fonz actor and author of Hank Zipzer books
Holly Willoughy – TV presenter
Richard Branson - entrepreneur

12. The world is more dyslexia friendly these days:
Greater awareness and understanding out there - at school and in the workplace
Computer technology and Apps
Coloured paper and overlays
More teacher training
People sharing their stories and experiences

13. Dyslexia Scotland A national Helpline for anyone to contactor
Training and resources for teachers
A range of free publications for parents, teachers, people with dyslexia, employers and more

14. Find out more at www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk
A network of volunteer-led branches across Scotland
An Adult Network for people to share experiences and ideas
A quarterly magazine for members including a special children’s edition each year
Find out more at
If you are from a branch, you might want to talk about your branch here.

15. Connect with us www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk @dyslexiascotlan
Connect with us
@dyslexiascotlan
A Life Less Ordinary