We are so used to framing dyslexia as a learning disability. Even if we wish to focus on the individuals, we use terms like people with disabilities or people with additional needs (as opposed to disabled people). However, have we considered dyslexia as a strength and approach it from a position of strength? Orlando Bloom, a dyslexic person himself, famously said, “With dyslexia comes a great gift, which is the way that your mind can think creatively. If your kids can find that way of thinking, they will be very happy and successful in whatever field they choose to go into.”

The Sea of Strengths Model also highlights myriad strengths of people with dyslexia. They include problem solving, critical thinking and logical reasoning. Well-established platforms, the likes of LinkedIn and Dictionary.com, also recognise dyslexic thinking as a strength. Hence, it is high time that we change our mindset. Dyslexia should be framed as a learning difference. It is regarded as a gift by some dyslexics.

Therefore, since many dyslexics are visual learners, we should teach to their strengths. Take the word interesting for instance. I got an artistic student to replace the two e’s with dolphins, his favourite animal. 🐬 This helped him internalise that this word has two e’s. Encouraging dyslexics to use their strengths deviates attention from the fact that they find reading and spelling Herculean tasks.

Another thing we could do for students is to find role models for them and enlighten them about how others like them honed their coping mechanism. Orlando Bloom would learn his lines at night and then sleep on them. He apparently unlocked a method that worked well for him. This has a scientific basis to it. Research studies have shown that mugging something before sleep helps shift those pieces of information from our working memory to our long-term memory.

Another actress, Kara Tointon, found it useful to use green-tinted glasses to soften the look of the words on her scripts.

Similarly, we could do more to reduce the traffic jam of ideas and thoughts on their minds. Just now, I briefly explained about getting artistic students to draw pictures when they learn a word. Let me extend this idea by telling you about chunking, breaking up a word into manageable sections. For instance, there is an iron within environment. So, I literally draw an iron every time I get my students to spell this word.

This visual aspect is likewise leveraged when I get some students to draw the shape around a word. A particular student visualised that there was a submarine enveloping the word scrumptious. This was a vital visual cue to remembering the ti within the word. Sometimes, I also teach students how to sign the letters of American Sign Language. Hence, when they tap on finger spelling as a tool, some of them may find that they can remember the spelling of a word.

Additionally, I use different colours to highlight different parts of a word so that students find it easier to focus on the part that gives them trouble.

And how can I forget about mnemonics? Students may know how to spell said when they imagine silly ants in dresses in their minds.

Chunking, different colours, drawing the shape around a word, finger spelling, and mnemonics are useful ways to help students remember stuff. Once they retain stuff, we need to make sure that these things are etched in their minds. Getting students to recap three learning takeaways after lessons, using flashcards and drawing mind maps are helpful ways to ensure students retrieve certain information through automaticity.¹