Page 41 - EngineerIT August-September 2025

NEURODIVERSITY

Visual-spatial reasoning, creative problem- Valuing dyslexia
solving, and heightened awareness of their Embracing this broader understanding of dyslexia means seeing
surroundings are all skills that would have it for what it truly is: not a deficit, but a powerful testament to
been crucial in a prehistoric setting. In fact, the richness of human thought. Dyslexic brains aren’t broken—
a 2018 study published in the Proceedings of they bring strengths that have been vital throughout history and
the National Academy of Sciences suggests continue to be today. Creativity, problem-solving, and innovative
that the neurodiverse brain may have been thinking—these are the gifts that people with dyslexia offer to the
a key factor in early human innovation, as world. It’s time to move beyond viewing dyslexia as a reading
individuals with atypical cognitive processing problem and start appreciating the incredible strengths that come
were able to approach problems from entirely with it. After all, those strengths have been shaping our world for
different angles. thousands of years.

The written word: a new challenge
AUTHOR BIO:
Fast forward to the emergence of written
Nicola Killops is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity with over
language. Dyslexia, which had existed
20 years of experience in education. A former teacher and mother
long before, now presented a new hurdle.
of a gifted, twice-exceptional son, she brings both a personal
The transition to a written culture brought
and professional perspective to her writing. Nicola specialises in
expectations around reading and writing—
creating content that champions the strengths of neurodiverse
skills that are difficult for dyslexic brains to
individuals and challenges conventional approaches in education.
master. According to the Yale Center for
Her work reflects a deep commitment to fostering understanding
Dyslexia & Creativity, dyslexia affects 20%
and inclusion for all learners.
of the population, with varying degrees of
severity. For many, the struggle to decode
text can lead to frustration and mislabelling
as "lazy" or "unintelligent," but studies have
consistently shown that this is not the case.
Dyslexia is a neurobiological condition, not a
reflection of ability.
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Rethinking dyslexia
So why does this matter? Understanding
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word helps us see it for what it truly is—not
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a flaw, but a natural variation in how the
brain works. Dyslexia has always been part
of human cognitive diversity, long before the
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first book was written. In fact, some of the
world's most successful innovators, artists,
and entrepreneurs—like Albert Einstein, Agatha On-Line, double USB and SNMP
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Christie, and Richard Branson—have been
dyslexic, using their unique strengths to make
groundbreaking contributions to society.
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A 2020 study in Frontiers in Psychology Management Unit (BMU)
highlighted how people with dyslexia often
excel in non-verbal reasoning tasks, visual
memory, and creative thinking. These strengths Lithium Iron Battery LCD Display
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are not just useful—they are critical to human
progress. As Dr Maryanne Wolf, author of
Proust and the Squid, notes, “dyslexic brains
are often wired for creative problem-solving, Fast Recharge 3-Step invertor
empathy, and an ability to see connections that 4-6 Hours design
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others might miss.” These strengths have been
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shaping our world for millennia, even if society
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has only recently begun to recognise them.

41 | EngineerIT August/September 2025

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