I have Dyslexia, but it does not significantly affect my work. Although it can make reading lengthy documents more challenging, this is not very noticeable, as I frequently utilise text-to-speech to consume extensive content.
Dyslexia may lead me to overlook simple spelling errors, which could appear as a lack of attention or care in my work. However, the nature of Dyslexia is such that the more I concentrate on problem-solving or other intricate tasks, the more likely I am to make mistakes in areas like spelling.
Fortunately, the availability of spell-checking tools in design and development software largely mitigates this concern. I will also use AI-assisted tooling to help me produce content that meets professional standards.
One subtler aspect of my Dyslexia is the difficulty in focusing on two tasks simultaneously, even if one is relatively simple. For example, I find taking highly detailed notes during a meeting challenging while actively contributing to the meeting itself. I find note-taking invaluable and will constantly take simple notes of words, phrases, and questions I wish to ask. If detailed notes are needed, I prefer recording meetings instead of taking notes, ensuring active participation and precise record keeping. New AI services that can transcribe and summarise recorded conversations are an excellent tool for people with Dyslexia in a workspace environment.
Dyslexia (from the ancient Greek, 'Dys' meaning impaired and 'lexis' meaning word) is commonly understood to affect a person's ability to read, write, and spell. It can, unfortunately, be mischaracterised as a problem with intelligence, motivation or care in their work. Dyslexia is better understood as a neurological condition that affects the brain's ability to process certain types of information or perform tasks without conscious thought or effort.
Writing is a multifaceted process involving various simultaneous actions. As you write, you're not just formulating what you want to express; you're also contemplating the specific words, their spelling, the formation of each letter, and the rules of grammar. You might also be aware of the physical act of writing, like the feel of the pen, the paper, and keeping track of space on the page. Most people, however, don't consciously register these tasks, and they do not seem to occupy conscious thought, as they've been delegated to a part of the brain responsible for frequently performed tasks. This delegation allows these processes to happen automatically, freeing your conscious mind to focus on the content of your writing. This automation leads to consistent handwriting, as your hand has learned to replicate the motions associated with each word.
However, individuals with Dyslexia may not utilise this automatic part of the brain as efficiently and so need to consciously think about the formation of letters and the structure of words. As each letter and word is more deliberately drawn, they are less consistent, resulting in the common observation that people with Dyslexia have messy handwriting. A similar challenge applies to reading. For most, recognising and understanding each word is an automatic process requiring little effort. But for people with Dyslexia, this can be a more strenuous task that can quickly lead to fatigue due to the effort of maintaining the narrative whilst also solving the problem of manually recognising the words.
When a skill becomes automatic, it can be carried out quickly and efficiently, often without the person being aware of the individual steps involved. This automaticity is the reason, for example, that specific tasks learned through repetition remain effortful for those with Dyslexia, for example, handwriting and spelling.
To compensate for the lack of automatic processing, those with Dyslexia often have higher cognitive processing ability; as a Dyslexic, all things are cognitive processing tasks. This focus on cognitive processing tends to make those with Dyslexia better able to solve problems, especially more abstract problems, resulting in higher IQ scores as IQ tends to look for cognitive processing ability.
Neuroimaging studies have begun to reveal the underlying structural and functional differences in the brains of individuals with Dyslexia, leading to a deeper understanding of the condition. However, Dyslexia is highly heterogeneous, meaning it manifests differently in different individuals, making it a complex area of study. The following paper from 2022 is a good summary of the current model of Dyslexia.
Smith-Spark, J. H., & Gordon, R. (2022). Automaticity and Executive Abilities in Developmental Dyslexia: A Theoretical Review. Brain Sciences, 12(4), 446. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12040446