Common signs of dyslexia in adults

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Common signs of dyslexia in adults

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

Last updated:	June 12, 2008
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics, Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC