1 in 10 people is the official figure for people who are dyslexic. This is 10% of the population!
BUT….
When I think of an average class and back to when I was in the classroom, out of 30 children, there were always AT LEAST 6 who appeared to have a learning difference of some kind and would show at risk in a dyslexia screen. This is 1 in 5 and would be 20% of the population!
Why am I throwing this data out there? Because the other day I created a video in TIKTOK outlining hidden symptoms of dyslexia. It had a LOT of views… more than I could have imagined. I’ve learnt when a video gets LOTS of views it’s because the subject might be controversial. In this case the video was controversial because people commenting underneath felt I was describing 50 % of the population and I needed to stop giving people excuses to be lazy!!!
It made me realise HOW misunderstood dyslexia remains. How some people just don’t have empathy or patience or a want to learn more. Being ignorant and throwing hate is easier than accepting you might not know something or need to learn more, or approach something differently! In fairness, some of the things I described could be related to many learning differences, or health needs BUT the point is, for me and many others with dyslexia they are our daily reality. The more we share our experiences, raise awareness and educate each other the more we can all grow and create supportive environments.
Most dyslexics don’t need anything special, they just need people to understand where they are coming from and be greeted with kindness and empathy when they need something presented or to do something slightly differently.
Want to know more about dyslexia and its indicators and symptoms? Download my checklist by heading to the home page and completing the form.
PS – the statistic missed the Rees family, we break the mould… neurodiverse thinkers are us!