SD3 - Jun 2012

“Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.” – Thomas Edison

When talking about Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Steve Jobs and Britney Spears, what do you think of? Believe it or not, they are all dyslexics.

Photo: Venus Lai

Dyslexia is defined as the disability of learning, especially regarding the impairment in reading and comprehension competency. Lots of people may think dyslexia occurs because the sufferers are stupid. However, results from various researches have shown that their inefficiency of reading and comprehension is unrelated to neither their intelligence nor cognitive functioning. In fact, many intelligent and successful celebrities are dyslexics. There are far more examples other than those mentioned.

Sufferers often learn to speak late and fail to spell words correctly. Moreover, they may lack the proficiency in learning alphabets and words, retrieving the learnt words and linking the words and their meaning. Some of them even have difficulties in keeping words organized and time-oriented.

Living in a city which the importance of schooling has been overemphasized, parents are much concerned with the learning outcomes of their children. Some of the factors relate closely to the outcomes are language and reading ability. It is true that preschool learning can help preventing dyslexia. Frequent reading and speaking exercises are tools for treating this disorder.

Obstacles or Challenges?

After reading the article, I guess no one will disagree with the quote in the headline. Certainly Thomas Edison is not “well-equipped” for being an inventor, yet his effort made him successful. Believing your effort will finally pay off, it may help you to go through difficult times.

Venus Lai

References:
Rapcsak, S.Z., Beeson, P.M., Henry, M.L., Leyden, A., Kim, E., Rising, K., Andersen, S. & Cho, H. (2009). Phonological dyslexia and dysgraphia: Cognitive mechanisms and neural substrates. Cortex, 45, 575-591.
Schulte-Körne, G. (2010). The Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Dyslexia. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 107(41), 718-27.