Adult Dyslexia –What You Need to Know About Learning Disability in Adults

Learning disability is a disorder in comprehending or using spoken or written language. Adult dyslexia is one form of learning disability in adults manifested in an individual in their difficulty in information processing. Dyslexics often have difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, performing mathematical calculations, remembering sequences, following given instructions, taking notes, organizing and time keeping. These are just some of the difficulties experienced by dyslexic people but the degree or severity of difficulties may vary from person to person.

Being dyslexic doesn’t mean they are stupid or dumb. Learning disability in adults is a condition that does not interfere with one’s ability to think intelligently or to understand complicated ideas. In fact, there are geniuses who have dyslexia.  Albert Einstein and Alexander Graham Bell are only two of the famous people included in the list of famous dyslexics.  Their minds work differently but  that does not mean that they are lesser of a person than those who are not dyslexic.

There is no cure for learning disability in adults or adult dyslexia but early detection is important because it is a treatable condition. Dyslexics can learn strategies on how to cope and live with their difficulties to make their lives better and fulfilling. Although they have difficulties in reading and writing they have the gifts and abilities to excel on things that average people cannot excel. Many dyslexics are creative or have special talent on art, music, engineering, graphics, electronics, mechanical and other fields. Many dyslexics were able to excel in their chosen field like medicine, law, engineering etc. Dyslexics can often accomplish complicated tasks but have difficulties on simple tasks like reading, spelling, taking instructions, organizing things and time keeping.

Of course dyslexics need to learn to live with people without dyslexia and cope with their difficulties. Although they have positive gifts, it is important to address the negative side of dyslexia to help them cope with their difficulties. Unfortunately many adult dyslexics are unaware that they are suffering from dyslexia or they haven’t had a proper diagnosis. They know that they have difficulties in reading and writing but they do not know it is dyslexia. When they are unbelievably good on complicated things like physics or science, they just believe they have the knack for it. Some dyslexics hide their difficulties and avoid jobs that may expose their learning disability that is why their problems are not properly addressed.

If you think you have learning disability in adults, it is important to get diagnosed and take the necessary screenings because there are treatments and strategies to help you cope with your difficulties. Dyslexia is not a disease or an impairment that someone should get embarrassed about. It is a condition that needs to be understood and addressed properly. 

Adult with Dyslexia- Ways to Tell If Someone Has Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects millions of people.  The sad reality is that there are cases that they do not know that they have it. They are just being told lazy, slow learner, incompetent and even stupid but the truth is dyslexia is affecting their lives and it has nothing to do with their intelligence.  There are ways to tell if someone has dyslexia and it is important that the affected person and the people around him or her knows about it.

Being aware that you have dyslexia is extremely important for you to know how to deal with it.  Adult dyslexia can cause problems in the workplace and to your personal life. It can affect your efficiency at work and may jeopardize your job that is why it is important to know if you are dyslexic for you to know how to cope and live with dyslexia.

One of the ways to tell if someone has dyslexia is that he or she is encountering difficulties at work. Although dyslexic people have the intellectual qualifications for the job, they may commit mistakes that can put their jobs at risk.  They often have trouble remembering appointments and have poor timekeeping resulting to missed deadlines or meetings. They often have mistakes in taking down telephone numbers and notes. They misread or misspelled words even if they already checked their work.  They also have trouble in dealing with sequences and taking instructions.  They find themselves disorganized and often misplaced files and things.  The sad part is that they often do not know why they are always making mistakes, inefficient and forgetting things. Not understanding why they have these behaviors can cost them their jobs.

Due to the problems at work, people with dyslexia often become defensive if their loved ones want to discuss their problems at work.  They often prefer to deal with their learning disability or inefficiency alone and when they failed to deal with their inefficiencies alone, they get frustrated and distant. They think that they are a failure so they sulk at home with their frustrations or feelings of being a failure and shut their loved ones out affecting their relationships.

Dyslexia if not diagnosed as early as possible can affect a person’s life. It can affect the self-esteem of a person that may lead to frustrations and other negative feelings. It is important for dyslexic people to know that they can cope with dyslexia and they can live normally with the proper guidance and help.  But before seeking help, a comprehensive dyslexia screening test is important. Although there are ways to tell if someone has dyslexia, an adult dyslexia test is necessary.