Dyslexia

My wife is dyslexic, as is my son...it runs in the family. I'm not dyslexic; however, and since my son was diagnosed with dyslexia I have read anything I can get my hands on about the subject. I have learned it is a very intriguing quality.

As most people know, many famous, highly creative people are dyslexic. Names include Walt Disney, Charles Schwab, Cher, Albert Einstein, and David Merrill (the COO at Google who arguably has single handedly defined how we organize our selves in the 21st century. Go read his book..."Getting Organized in the Google Era".)I tease my family that we are now being organized by dyslexics! If you read on you may agree with me that this might be a very good development.

When my son was diagnosed dyslexic, I kept asking, "What is this anyway?" So he can't read? Why? Can we "correct" this "problem"? I put problem in quotes because where it is definitely a problem it is also not a problem...a book has even dealt with the idea that dyslexia is not a problem at all but a "gift". (The Gift of Dyslexia, by R.Davis)

What I have learned in my study, and living with my wife and son is that dyslexia is primarily a perception difference. Weather it is a "problem" or "gift" depends on context. A dyslexic does not perceive words the same way a non dyslexic perceives them. That sounds obvious. They perceive the letters in a way that they simply do not line up. However, as I kept researching, and observing my immediate dyslexic family members, I realized they do not seem to perceive ANYTHING the same way as a non dyslexic does. Why? They (dyslexics) simply are not linear thinkers. Reading is a strictly linear process. A dyslexic does not EVER think in a strictly linear way. Non-linear thinking applies to everything around them, reading (obviously), task management, learning, relating, time management, and even emotional integration.

Now, I am not an expert, or professional in this, I am just around it all the time, every day. This is what it looks like. Dyslexics struggle with reading because it is linear thinking (one word follows another...one letter follows the next, etc.) However, they do not struggle at all with visual, or auditory learning. My son studies martial arts. The coach admonishes the other kids to learn like my son because "he picks up on new forms so quickly". What he probably does not realize (and I'm not sure I could explain it, because his English is limited, and my Chinese is non existent) is that my son observes THROUGH a demonstration. The best way for me to explain this to my fellow linear thinkers is that he perceives in 3-D (loosely defined). He "sees" "through" the demonstration. It is perceived in several angles simultaneously. He processes everything he sees that way. He flips the visual around as it unfolds. It is a great asset in a visual observation, but a problem in linear (like reading) thinking. Don't take my word for it. The experts who wrote "The gift of Dyslexia" deal with this phenomenon in detail.

How do you perceive time? Most of the population perceives it as moving along at a certain rate. We linear thinkers (the majority of the population) can usually tell things are moving along...ie we are late, we are early...it is not that complicated, right? A dyslexic does not have the same experience with time. This drove me crazy for years after marrying a dyslexic, because I had not seen the studies which indicate a non linear thinker will not experience the passing of time like I do. "They just aren't paying attention!" I would claim...which makes perfect sense in my linear thinking. Have you ever had the experience when time seemed to move very fast or very slow? It is an occasional experience for me. However, it is the normative experience in a non linear thinker. (The linear thinkers of the world really have a problem with me stating this, but it has been studied, and documented...it's a bummer, I know... :-) Experiencing a "passing of time" is as occasional for a dyslexic as a "loosing track of time" is for a non-dyslexic like me. My son, who is dyslexic understands this about himself, and literally sets his phone alarm on school days, when to get up, then when to get breakfast, when to get his school books together, and get his brother (his ride) and leave. The alarm goes off 5 times every morning. I thought that was brilliant of him. He knows he will loose track if he does not do this. I have had coaches and youth group leaders call me angry because he was not "cooperating" with their schedule...(this is nonsense, he is very cooperative... always). I usually send them the research which addresses this issue, and respectfully ask that they work with him. Then I tell my son to pay more attention as well...(set that alarm! :-)

Well, I don't want anyone who has read this far (thank you, incidentally) to get any more bored than you probably are so I'll wrap this up with how a non-linear person relates to others...It is amazing...unless you stay in a linear mind set. Then it might just seem weird...

A non-linear thinker sees others more completely, and with far less prejudice...they almost seem entirely without prejudgement. They see "through" a person. They see more completely. They "get it" and don't even realize they do. What on earth am I talking about? I'll explain with a story...in another post.