The Upside of Dyslexia

The Upside of Dyslexia

by ReadWorks

We live in a society where reading is very important-not just for school, but for survival. (Think street
signs, subway maps, medicine labels, and allergy labels on foods...) So life can be hard for people
with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects the way you see, hear, and express
language-and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is the most common learning
disability. However, learning to cope with dyslexia can also equip people with the kinds of survival
skills and personality traits that can help them to succeed later in life.

Says Emerson Dickman, president of the International Dyslexia Association in Baltimore: "Individuals
who have difficulty reading and writing tend to deploy other strengths. They rely on mentors, and as a
result, become very good at reading other people and delegating duties to them. They become adept
at using visual strengths to solve problems."

Take, for example, Richard Branson, the successful founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, who credits his
dyslexia as his "greatest strength." As he explains it, he "got bored easily" in school because he
couldn't read well, and teachers thought he was simply "lazy and not very clever." So he spent most
of his time visualizing all the things he would do when he left school. After launching his first business
at 16, he went on to start eight different companies and amass billions of dollars. "On one of my last
days at school, the headmaster said I would either end up in prison or become a millionaire," Branson
recalls. "That was quite a startling prediction, but in some respects he was right!"

According to Julie Logan, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Cass Business School in London,
Branson's story is far from unique: in a 2007 survey of U.S. entrepreneurs, she found that 35 percent
of them identified themselves as dyslexic.

"We found that dyslexics who succeed had overcome an awful lot in their lives by developing
compensatory skills," says Logan. "If you tell your friends and acquaintances that you plan to start a
business, you'll hear over and over, 'It won't work. It can't be done.' But dyslexics are extraordinarily
creative about maneuvering their way around problems."

Well-known journalist Anderson Cooper, who frequently visits battle-torn areas and conducts
interviews about tough subjects, knows this fact firsthand. Diagnosed as dyslexic as a child, he would
"see some letters backward," and relied on the help of a reading instructor to tackle challenging books
by authors like Joseph Conrad. "I don't think it's an accident that I became a war correspondent,"
Cooper says. "I'm interested in stories of survival: how some people make it through desperate times
and others don't."

The television and film world, with its focus on visuals and emotions, boasts a surprising number of
other dyslexic superstars. For example, Whoopi Goldberg, an Oscar-winning actress and comedian,
was diagnosed with dyslexia after suffering through her school years without being able to
understand the books she read.

"You can never change the effect that the words 'dumb' and 'stupid' have on young people," says
Goldberg. However, she says, "I knew I wasn't stupid, and I knew I wasn't dumb. My mother told me
that."
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 The Upside of Dyslexia

Now, Goldberg defines herself as a person who believes that "it is okay to feel differently than the
pack." When asked about what it takes to be successful, Goldberg says, "We're born with success. It
is only others who point out our failures and what they attribute to us as failure."

Clearly, the experiences dyslexic people can have in facing rejection, overcoming obstacles, and
thinking visually and creatively can serve them well throughout life, even if they still struggle to read.
And like Branson and Cooper, Goldberg discovered early on that she had these kinds of strengths;
she's been acting in plays since age seven.

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 ReadWorks Vocabulary - disability

disability dis · a · bil · i · ty

Definition
noun
1. a physical or mental condition that makes you not able to do something.

She can't climb stairs because of her disability.

He has a job in spite of his disability.

Advanced Definition
noun
1. the condition or state of incapacity, esp. as caused by an injury, congenital defect, illness, or
the like.

2. that which causes incapacity; handicap.

His hearing disability prevented his taking a teaching job.

3. the condition or an instance of being legally disqualified or ruled to be incapable.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:
1. Hawking suffers from a disease that affects his muscles. He is almost fully paralyzed and must
use a wheelchair. But his disability has not kept him from becoming one of the world's most
famous physicists. He was even featured as a character on The Simpsons!
2. In those days, many blind people became beggars or performers in sideshows. But Louis's
parents refused to allow their son's disability to get in the way of his studies or his life. Louis
attended school like his brothers and sisters, relying on his creativity, intelligence and drive to
overcome obstacles.
3. Because they marched, America became more free and more fair not just for African
Americans, but for women and Latinos, Asians and Native Americans; for Catholics, Jews, and
Muslims; for gays, for Americans with a disability. America changed for you and for me, and
the entire world drew strength from that example.

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Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved.
 ReadWorks Vocabulary - startle

startle star · tle

Advanced Definition
transitive verb
1. to cause to move suddenly or involuntarily.

2. to alarm unexpectedly; surprise.

intransitive verb
1. to become surprised or alarmed.

noun
1. a sudden start or mild shock.

I gave her a startle when I slammed the door.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:
1. Amra was searching for worms in her front yard. She was on her hands and knees when she heard the
whizzing crack. Startled, she shot her head up and scanned the scene.
2. Watson heard those words and was startled. They had come crackling across the earpiece of what the two
inventors had labeled the telephone. The experiment was successful. It was the first telephone call.
3. Startled onlookers watched as a veiled chameleon climbed up a tree branch and changed color. The
chameleon's ability to camouflage, or conceal itself by changing its appearance, helps the creature hide from
predators and curious museum-goers.
4. "RRRRrrrrRRRR!" he growled now to himself at the breakfast table, imagining his engine filling up with good
fuel and beginning to warm up. Though it startled his parents sometimes, they didn't mind him sitting there
and growling.
5. The setting sun set the sky on fire, which she was used to, but what came next startled her completely: stars!
Stars everywhere, and not at all like the few stars she could see in the New York City sky!
6. We at once went to the woods and hid. Soon after we had secreted ourselves a man came near by and
commenced splitting wood, or rails, which alarmed us. We then moved to another hidingplace in a thicket
near a farmer's barn, where we were soon startled again by a dog approaching and barking at us.
7. Startled, Dave bolted upright. "This night is about to get even weirder," he thought.
8. As I entered the little café on the north side of the street, not at all startled by the bell on the door, the
heavily-tattooed girl behind the counter smiled and turned to get my medium coffee, with room for milk.
9. Two weeks later, residents of Luzon discovered steam coming out of a giant volcano called Mount Pinatubo.
But when scientists inspected the volcano, they did not find any evidence the volcano would erupt. However,
on March 15, 1991, villagers on the northwestern side of the island were startled by another series of
earthquakes.

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Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved.
 ReadWorks Vocabulary - strength

strength strength
Definition
noun
1. the state or condition of being strong.

He had no strength after his illness.

Advanced Definition
noun
1. the state, quality, or condition of being strong.

2. the power of the mind; intellectual force.

3. moral character or resolve.

Her strength helped her through the crisis.

4. the power to resist wear, damage, injury, or the like.

5. a characteristic of a person or thing that stands out as good or useful; a good point.

Patience is one of her strengths.

The strength of the report is that it is comprehensible.

6. effectiveness.

the strength of her thesis

7. power that is the result of numbers, influence, or position.

The candidate has considerable strength within his party.

8. the level of concentration or saturation.

the strength of the solution

9. intensity.

a painting with great strength of color

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:
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Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved.
 ReadWorks Vocabulary - strength

1. This idea of protecting free speech helps strengthen our democracy.

2. In 1782, the bald eagle was made the national bird of the United States. The nation's founders
chose the bird because it symbolized freedom, strength, and courage.
3. Imahara also used scientific reasoning during MythBusters's duct tape show. In that episode,
he and his co-hosts tested the legendary strength of duct tape. They wondered whether it is
strong enough to withstand a cannon blast.
4. Cross-training should include activities that challenge the heart and lungs; increase the body's
flexibility; and strengthen the muscles. If you've been running or cycling, you need to add a
weight-training workout for strength and muscle definition.
5. Strength training is for everyone! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends that teens get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day and that at least
three of those days include activities that strengthen muscles and bones.
6. Rosa and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, as it has come to be known, sparked a series of non-
violent mass protests in support of civil rights. A revolution had begun, fueled by one woman's
strength and commitment to change. Sometimes that is all it takes.
7. "I did a lot of exercises that I felt improved my strength, like lunges, balancing activities, and
using weighted balls," Nicole says. "I really started to notice the difference in my strength
level." After eight months of physical therapy, she was back with the team and competing at full
force.
8. Space travel also weakens the skeleton. On Earth, every time you run or pick up a heavy
object, your bones experience tiny amounts of damage. Cells called osteocytes sense that
damage and send in cells to patch it like road crews fixing potholes. "The repaving
strengthens the bones," Roach writes. In space, astronauts don't experience that minute
damage.
9. For someone accustomed to being in a wheelchair, says Chitwood, sitting on a horse as it's led
around a ring creates the sensation of walking. Riding also builds confidence and core
strength, she says.

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Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved.
 The Upside of Dyslexia - Comprehension Questions

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What is the most common learning disability according to the American Academy of
Pediatrics?
A. dysgraphia
B. dyslexia
C. dyscalculia
D. dyspraxia

2. What does the author describe in the passage?

A. entrepreneurs who identify themselves as dyslexic
B. how Anderson Cooper became a war correspondent
C. celebrities who are coping with their dyslexia
D. how Richard Branson founded Virgin Atlantic Airways

3. Richard Branson was not very successful in school. What evidence from the passage
best supports this conclusion?
A. Branson's teachers thought he was lazy and not very smart.
B. Branson credits dyslexia as "his greatest strength."
C. Branson spent his time visualizing what he would do when he left school.
D. Branson launched his first business at sixteen and started eight companies.

4. Why might Whoopi Goldberg have been called "dumb" or "stupid"?

A. because she thought she could become a famous actress
B. because she was not as intelligent as her classmates
C. because she played the role of a teapot in her first play
D. because she could not understand the books she read

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A. how Whoopi Goldberg learned to live with dyslexia
B. how coping with dyslexia can help people succeed
C. how Anderson Cooper's dyslexia affected his career
D. why many people with dyslexia work in television and film

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 The Upside of Dyslexia - Comprehension Questions

6. Read the following sentences: "'We found that dyslexics who succeed had overcome
an awful lot in their lives by developing compensatory skills,' says Logan. 'If you tell
your friends and acquaintances that you plan to start a business, you'll hear over and
over, 'It won't work. It can't be done.' But dyslexics are extraordinarily creative about
maneuvering their way around problems.'"

As used in this sentence, what does the phrase "compensatory skills" most nearly
mean?

A. skills that are not necessary for life

B. skills that can only be gained from practice
C. skills that make up for a weakness
D. skills that are taught in textbooks

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Dyslexic people have trouble reading and understanding text, ________ they often
develop visual strengths to solve problems.

A. so
B. after
C. for example
D. otherwise

8. As a learning disability, what does dyslexia affect?

9. According to Dickman, what strengths do people with dyslexia tend to develop?

10. ."Clearly, the experiences dyslexic people can have in facing rejection, overcoming
obstacles, and thinking visually and creatively can serve them well throughout life, even
if they still struggle to read."

Explain how the obstacles and difficulties faced by people with dyslexia can actually
help them to succeed. Support your answer using information from the passage.

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