Learning with Dyslexia?

Question

I am Dyslexic, and comfortable with it etc. But I realized that learnt to spell new words by memorizing rather than sounding them out.

I found that interesting and most helpful,

But was wondering is this a common way of learning?

Do other dyslexics learn like this too?

And what other things have you noticed having dyslexia?

Im very interested as understanding it is a strength and you can use it in a positive way.

Answer 1

You have a very healthy attitude to your dyslexia which is good to see.

When my dyslexic son could not learn his times tables  he would add up the numbers in his head as he was reciting the table to disguise the fact that he could not memorise them.  

After realising this I talked to a mother of a grown up dyslexic, her son had grown up been to university and qualified as an engineer (he had never mastered his tables) I informed my son's school that I would no longer badger him to learn them.

There is a successful company of architects in America who go out of the way to employ dyslexic draughtsmen as the owner believes they are better at visualising the proposed building.

Answer 2

Dyslexia doesn't really tell you much about your learning issues. It simply is a medical word for having a learning disability related to reading. Since there are numerous disabilities related to reading, it is hard to know how to accommodate them. You already have made one by understanding that you have to memorize words rather than sounding them out.

This can come from a couple of different disabilities:

Auditory process disorder or receptive language disorder. In your case, using as many visual supplements as you can will be helpful. Here is a list of learning disabilities. See if any relate to you.

A learning disability is a neurological disorder. The person's brain is wired differently and though he or she may be as smart as anyone else, they have trouble with reading, writing, organizing and remembering.  Some of the recognized learning disabilities that affect reading (and other things) are deficits in the following:

Auditory Sequencing - Confusion with number sequences, lists or lists of directions. Hearing ninety-four instead of forty-nine.

Auditory Memory - Difficulty remembering what was heard, difficulty remembering important items from a lecture. Spells poorly.

Visual Sequencing - Problems in using a separate answer sheet. Loses place easily. Problems with reading. Reversing or misreading numbers of letters. Reading words incorrectly. Difficulty with equations.

Visual Memory - Difficulty remembering what was seen. Reading comprehension. Difficulty with math equations. Poor recall of information.

Dysgraphia - Inability to form letters correctly. students cannot read their own writing.

Visual Motor Integration - Mechanical problems in test taking. Difficulty copying from board or book. Spaces poorly. Poor written work. Unorganized.

Non-verbal learning disability is a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing problems with visual-spatial perception, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.

Auditory Figure Ground - Trouble hearing sounds over background noises.

Visual Figure Ground - Trouble seeing an image within competing background. Picking one line of print from another while reading.

Visual Discrimination - Seeing the difference between two similar objects

Spatial Orientation - Loses materials. Late to class. Difficulty with oral reading. Unorganized homework. Difficulty judging time.

Expressive Language - Difficulty expressing themselves. Difficulty with accessing stored information and turning it into language.

Receptive Language - Appears to be "not listening". Does not respond promptly to cues. Does not understand long sentences or 3 step directions.

As you can see, it is better to have a precise diagnosis so that modifications to the person's educational materials can be done correctly.

Answer 3

Yes, memorizing either the letters or shape of the word are common compensatory strategies for those that are dyslexic or have visual impairments.  This may work short term for a limited number of words.  These approaches fail with either large vocabularies or long-term retention.  Ultimately, we tend to use a combination of strategies that works well for us.  Practice helps everything.  Etymology, affixes and word families (gramatical groupings) can also reinforce and bring clarity to decoding, shaping, rote memorization spelling skills.