So, what's it really like being dyslexic?
People often ask me, “So, what’s it really like being dyslexic?”. I’d love to give them a dazzling, bite-sized answer, but the truth is, describing dyslexia is a bit like trying to herd caffeinated cats—trickier than you’d think!
The word ‘dyslexia’ itself literally means ‘difficulty with’ (dys) ‘words/language’ (lexia). So why does it sometimes feel like my brain also struggles with things like remembering where I put my keys, organising my life, or even figuring out what day of the week it is?
The “Box Model”
To help me make sense of some of this, I’ve evolved a picture, a model if you like (it’s a dyslexic thing!), of what’s going on inside my brain. I call it “The Box Model”. Is this ‘model’ scientific, peer-reviewed, or evidenced? Absolutely not, it’s not meant to be a scientific explanation – it’s just a picture that helps me make sense of things, and I’m sharing in the hope it might do the same for you. Feel free to call me crazy and move on.
Let’s take the part of our brain that actually does all of the processing, things like remembering stuff, looking for items in our memory, working things out, etc. and imagine that this part of our brain is made up of a bunch of pigeon-hole boxes.
Now, say the brain has maybe six or seven of these ‘processing boxes’. These ‘processing boxes’ are amazingly clever,but they do have a couple of important limitations…
- One box can only work on one thing at a time.
- Every box has its own speciality – it is an expert at something. That may be working with numbers, or visualisation, or holding on to information for a while. You get the idea…
A Real Life Scenario
Now let’s drop this model into a scenario; let’s say that we are in a face-to-face meeting with several colleagues and I need to take my own notes. Oh, and just before we go into the meeting a colleague bumps into me and asks if I would call them as soon as I’m finished. “Of course!”, I say.
In this situation there are quite a few things that my processing boxes need to do – and remember, each box can only do one thing at a time…
- One box has to listen to what’s being said.
- Another box has to analyse that and decide what is important enough to make a note of.
- Another box then has to decide what words to use to write this note.
- Another box then has to delve into my memory to recall what those words look like so that I can spell them correctly.
- Yet another box then has to send all the information through my nerves and muscles to my hands to actually make the marks on paper or tap out a keyboard.
- …and of course, another box has to hang on to that memory of my having to call my colleague back as soon as I’m finished.
…and this is without me taking any part in the meeting whatsoever. If I want to ask questions or contribute, more boxes will be needed.
If my six or seven processing boxes have a good range of skills, I can just about cope with one box for each of the above tasks. Although, I’d suggest that listening, taking notes, and taking an active part in the conversation would be a challenge for most people on the best of days!
The Dyslexic Difference
So, how is it different for me?
The difference with my dyslexic brain isn’t the number of processing boxes I might have – dyslexia isn’t a capability or an intelligence difference – but the fact that I probably don’t have any processing boxes that are experts at working with language or words (I still have the same number of boxes though, so I may have two or three experts in a different area).
This means that whenever there is a language or word based task, like what words should I use, or what does that word look like, I don’t have a box that can do it. My brain deals with this lack of expertise by throwing more boxes at that task. So instead of needing just one expert to figure out how a word is spelt, I may need two boxes to do it. Unfortunately, the result of this is that I run out of processing boxes very quickly – and especially if there are lots of word tasks that need doing.
This might mean that I don’t have enough processing boxes free to be able to write and listen at the same time, or I can, but my handwriting will be terrible…at some point in the process I will run out of processing boxes.
So, you see, although dyslexia is technically about a difference in the way we work with language, it can have a knock-on effect in all sorts of different areas.
Oh, and of course I forgot to call my colleague back after the meeting!
Dyslexia in Focus: Research, Practice & Perspectives
Workplace Coaching: A Dyslexia Coach’s Perspective
Autism and Dyslexia
About the author
Mark has worked in the field of neurodiversity for more than 12 years and has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in supporting not just people but also teams, managers, and organisations, from creating comprehensive programmes to individual training and coaching.
Prior experience in senior management and operational roles has given Mark an important understanding and awareness of both the needs of the organisation, managers, and of the individual employee.
Connect with Mark on LinkedIn.
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