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Common signs of dyslexia in adults

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By Debby Golonka, MPH

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Dyslexia is a learning disability that hinders the development of some language skills. Each person who has dyslexia is unique, with his or her own strengths and weaknesses.

Adults with dyslexia may:

  • Hide reading problems.
  • Spell poorly or rely on others to spell for them.
  • Avoid writing or not be able to write at all.
  • Be very competent in oral language.
  • Rely on memory rather than on reading information.
  • Have good "people" skills and be very good at "reading" people (intuitive).
  • Have spatial thinking skills. Examples of professionals who need spatial thinking abilities include engineers, architects, designers, artists and craftspeople, mathematicians, physicists, doctors (especially orthopedists, surgeons), and dentists.
  • Often work in a job that is well below their intellectual capacities.
  • Find it hard to plan and organize.
  • Be entrepreneurs, although lowered reading skills may result in difficulty maintaining a successful business.

Credits

Author Debby Golonka, MPH
Editor Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical Reviewer Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
Last Updated June 12, 2008
Last Updated: 06/12/2008