1. Dyslexia is just one type of learning disability.
The term learning disability is a general category. It most often appears in reference to special education services or laws at the state and federal level regarding disabilities. There are a few specific learning disabilities; dyslexia is just one of them. While it is the most common, not everyone with a learning disability has dyslexia.
2. Not all dyslexics have the exact same difficulties.
A commonly held belief is that dyslexics see letters that are flipped or reversed, but only a small percentage of dyslexics experience the written word this way. Words may seem distorted in other ways. Words may seem blurry or spaced differently. For example, the phrase ‘I like to eat apples’ might look like ‘Ilike toeat apples’, or some other variation. Sometimes the spacing and clarity is fine, but a few characters frequently are difficult to tell apart, such as the vowels a, e, and o. However, it is important to understand that dyslexia is not a seeing problem, but a brain-processing problem. The eyes can see the words, but the brain is interrupting the information imperfectly.
3. Dyslexia can vary in severity.
There are people who have symptoms of dyslexia, but find that their symptoms are limited in scope. They can function in the classroom or workplace with little difficulty. Others experience the symptoms in such an extreme manner that personalized intensive intervention is required to help improve how the brain processes the written word. Some read well, but experience problems with spelling or writing. Many with dyslexia struggle with reading, spelling, and writing.
4. Dyslexia affects more than just English class.
Many dyslexics struggle in other subject areas besides English. Reading is a fundamental part of learning in most subject areas and not all textbooks are written in the same text size, font, or format. In math class, numbers and symbols may seem reversed, blurry, or appear to move. A number six and number nine may be difficult to tell apart and the horizontal minus symbol (-), for some, may look like the slanted division symbol (/). However, dyslexia does not affect the student’s ability to learn math concepts and their understanding of visual information is unaffected. It may require a little bit of extra work, but most dyslexics can be successful in math.
5. There is no connection between dyslexia and intelligence.
There is no evidence or reason to assume that an individual with dyslexia is unintelligent. In fact, this myth is probably one of the most damaging to a student of any age attending school with this specific learning disability. Individuals also do not outgrown dyslexia. It is a lifelong condition. Another common myth is that they are lazy or uninterested in doing well. This misunderstanding also influences the student’s ability to be successful in the classroom.