Here we are, in the middle of Dyslexia Awareness Month, during which our goals are to share resources and success stories.  If you or someone you know has battled dyslexia, then you likely could benefit from some optimism and positivity. Well then, allow me.

First, let me remind and assure you that the dyslexia community is not fighting alone. Scientists and researchers really are hard at work behind the scenes. That may not help us TODAY, but there are teams and teams of folks that care about reading struggles and their discoveries CAN be helpful mentally and emotionally now.

Consider some research: functional MRI’s of “ordinary readers” and “dyslexic readers” show COMPLETELY different brain activity while reading! How is that good news, you ask? It tells me something that I actually already knew – that dyslexic brains CAN learn how to read; they just have to do it differently. Non-dyslexic brains show activity in the left hemisphere, while dyslexic reader brains show activity on the right.  Now that’s doing things VERY differently.

In addition, there was a group in that study that had dyslexic brains, but were still struggling readers. They showed brain activity in the left hemisphere also.  What does this actually tell a person, like me, that is not a neurologist? I took it like this – people with dyslexia that kept trying reading strategies that work for non-dyslexic readers didn’t make much progress, while those that tried something different found success.

In the spirit of not just accepting differences but also celebrating them, let’s acknowledge something else about these findings. The dyslexic brains operating within the right hemisphere while reading showed much more strength and many more connections on that side than the non-dyslexic brain. Not only did they bravely blaze a new trail, they built a stronghold there.

Thank you to everyone that has battled dyslexia, whether personally or by supporting someone else. My “thank you” is not conditional upon “winning” the fight, but just taking part in it – having courage, know-how, and grit. It’s true, though, that winning the fight is delicious indeed. If you’d like to share that success story, please do.