In 2007, when Prince Harry — the younger son of Charles, prince of Wales, and the late Diana, princess of Wales, now duke of Sussex and sixth in line to the British throne — revealed that he is dyslexic suddenly the world took notice. Prince Harry, no stranger to controversy, created waves around the world by falling in love with and marrying a mixed race and divorced American actress/philanthropist, Meghan Markle — now the duchess of Sussex.

Since that 2007 announcement by such a senior member of the British Royal Family many other famous people who are dyslexic have come forward, and Prince Harry has been supporting public service campaigns to build awareness and support for dyslexia in the United Kingdom.

Dyslexia is a worldwide phenomenon and it shows up differently in different languages and cultures. Experts say dyslexia is genetic and not a disease or an identifiable physical condition and that it is a neurological learning disorder present at birth and cannot be prevented or cured, but can be managed with special instruction and support.

It affects people of all ethnic backgrounds and is not linked to a person’s general level of intelligence. Dr Susan Anderson, special education expert and author of the book Climbing Every Mountain: Barriers, Opportunities and Experiences of Jamaican Students with Disabilities in their Pursuit of Personal Excellence, has noted that the most prevalent learning disability in Jamaica is dyslexia.

It is estimated that one in 10 people have dyslexia and research has shown that while most people use the ‘verbal’ left side of their brain to understand words, dyslexic people use the ‘pictorial’ right side, making them slower to process and understand language. It can involve difficulties reading due to problems identifying speech and sounds related to letters and word decoding; spelling, writing and pronouncing words, and often reverse numbers when performing simple calculations and arithmetic. They may struggle with concentrating with background noise, planning and prioritising.

However, people with dyslexia are often highly intelligent, highly creative and logical, have great leadership and people management skills, adaptable, kind, intuitive, with vivid imaginations, and are very good at reading people. Unfortunately, many misinformed Jamaican parents, educators and employers see dyslexia as a disadvantage, thereby creating a stigma and negative attitude towards dyslexic children, students and employees.

While dyslexia impacts people in varying degrees and can lead to frustration and low self-esteem, early diagnosis of dyslexia and systematic intervention, with the right support, appropriate teaching methods, tools and the use of technology, can improve their academic progress, help save time, and overcome challenges to reach their goals.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/opinion/unlocking-dyslexia-in-jamaica_134154