Empowering Writers with Dyslexia: Unlocking the Potential for Success

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects reading, often causing difficulty with identifying speech sounds and decoding words. However, it is not a reflection of a person’s intelligence. In fact, many individuals with dyslexia, including Albert Einstein (who had an estimated IQ of 160), have gone on to achieve great success. Dyslexia impacts about 17-20% of the population and plays a role in nearly 80% of special education students. Despite the challenges, dyslexia often comes with unique strengths, especially in creative fields like writing.

Acclaimed Authors with Dyslexia

It may surprise you to learn that some of the world’s most accomplished writers have struggled with dyslexia. Here are a few examples:

• John Irving: The National Book Award-winning author of The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany overcame reading difficulties to achieve critical and commercial success.
  
  
• Dav Pilkey: Creator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man, Pilkey’s books have captivated even reluctant readers.
  
  
• Phillip Schultz: Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Schultz’s work exemplifies the creative power that can emerge from learning differences.
  
  
• Avi: A Newbery Medalist, Avi mastered historical fiction despite early struggles with reading.

These authors demonstrate that dyslexia doesn’t limit creativity or success. In fact, it often brings forth innovative thinking and fresh perspectives.

Creativity and Ingenuity: The Strengths of Dyslexic Writers

The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity states that while dyslexia makes it difficult for individuals to read quickly and automatically, it doesn’t stifle creativity. In fact, dyslexic individuals often have highly original perspectives and a deep well of creativity that makes them excellent writers. They may struggle with spelling, punctuation, and organization, but they tend to surprise others with their unique insights and ideas.

The Role of Research-Based Instruction: 

The Orton-Gillingham Approach, developed in the 1930s, is the gold standard for teaching reading to dyslexic students. It is a multisensory, structured, and explicit method that engages auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning pathways. Empowering Writers incorporates many of these principles into its writing curriculum, helping students with dyslexia become confident writers.

How Empowering Writers Aligns with Orton-Gillingham:

• Multisensory Approach: Both Orton-Gillingham and Empowering Writers engage students through auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning. For example, Empowering Writers uses consistent vocabulary to introduce and define writing skills, models the writing process aloud, and incorporates student feedback.
  
  
• Scripted Lessons: Teachers can use scripted lessons that prompt auditory learning through verbal modeling and charting ideas, supporting visual and kinesthetic learning through activities like creating book covers or cut-and-paste exercises.
  
  
• Incremental, Step-by-Step Learning: Just as Orton-Gillingham breaks down reading tasks into manageable steps, Empowering Writers teaches writing in an incremental way, gradually building students' skills over time.
  
  

The Power of Cursive and Keyboarding

Cursive handwriting offers significant benefits to dyslexic students. Its continuous flow aids in encoding spelling through muscle memory and reduces common letter reversals (like b/d or u/n). The uniform start of cursive letters also reduces confusion, making it easier for students with dyslexia to write. If cursive isn’t an option, touch typing provides similar benefits, engaging motor memory and helping students avoid common writing errors.

Building General Knowledge and Critical Reading Skills

Dyslexic students can acquire broad general knowledge, which is crucial for reading comprehension. Empowering Writers lessons provide high-interest content to help students build a rich fund of knowledge. For instance, lessons like Read Like an Author and Strategic Reading teach students how to ask critical questions, understand text conventions, and effectively skim and scan texts. These lessons equip students with the tools they need to become proficient readers.

Conclusion: Unlocking the Potential of Dyslexic Writers

Dyslexia presents unique challenges, but with the right strategies, it can be a source of strength and creativity. Empowering Writers offers research-based methods that support dyslexic students in becoming confident writers and readers. By embracing multi-sensory, incremental, and engaging approaches, we can unlock the full potential of students with dyslexia, helping them thrive academically and creatively.