The Dyslexic Statistic

Dyslexia is a common neurodiversity that is ever or omnipresent across all cultures, ages, and societies. Worldwide statistics emphasise than one in ten people will have dyslexia.1 Upon reading and hearing this, many individuals can be surprised on how widespread and abundant this neurodiversity can be. This can be the case as some dyslexics are highly willing to openly share their experiences, whereas others are extremely competent at disguising their dyslexic traits or may not wish to openly discuss these with others. Due to its commonality across the globe, pursuing knowledge and understanding of dyslexia is highly important. 

In a class of thirty students, an office of thirty workers or a shop with thirty customers statistically at least three of those individuals in each setting will have some form of dyslexia. Expanding this on a much larger scale, in a world of approximately 7.8 billion people roughly at least 780 million (780,000,000) could be dyslexic. That truly is a massive number of potential dyslexics and neurodivergents. So high in fact that the human brain can struggle to comprehend such a number.  Some dyslexics are identified early on within their lives. Whereas others may be much older or even live a full life with no formal or official diagnosis. Amongst these individuals, the impacts, effects, and severity of dyslexia can vary greatly. All dyslexics are their own unique individual who excel and triumph or struggle at differing tasks and skills. Yet, what unites all dyslexics is an ability to think, process, and learn differently to others/non-dyslexics. Creativity, imagination, and ‘thinking outside the box’ are classic examples of where many dyslexics’ strengths lay.

Despite its commonality and the potentially huge numbers of dyslexics worldwide, this does not mean that dyslexia is not important. Much to the contrary, as such a large portion of the global population could be dyslexic, dyslexia is a highly important phenomenon in modern-day society. In a nutshell, dyslexia is important and significant because it exists within people’s daily lives. It affects and impacts not just the dyslexic person themselves, but can also influence the people around them. Vitally this can include their families, partners, friends, teachers, and even employers. For example, teachers and employers may need to be aware of their dyslexic pupils or employees and what reasonable adjustments they may need in the classroom or workplace. Parents/carers may work hard to identify and apply for support in education for their dyslexic child. Wives, husbands, and spouses may need to offer support and assistance with certain tasks in the home environment. In this way, dyslexia not only just exists but also becomes part of people’s lives. 

To sum up, as dyslexia is common, widespread and abundant in society, and thus highly important, having the knowledge, understanding, and empathy to support a dyslexic loved one is an excellent and vital trait to possess in the modern world.

References

  1. See NHS, Dyslexia Overview, reporting that 1 in 10 people in the UK have some degree of dyslexia. Estimates of the prevalence of dyslexia vary from about 5% to 20%, depending in part on how dyslexia is defined. “A staggering 5 to 15 percent of Americans—14.5 to 43.5 million children and adults—have dyslexia.” Dyslexia: What Brain Research Reveals About Reading, LD Online. “Dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population”. Dyslexia FAQ, Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. “as many as 15–20% of the population as a whole—have some of the symptoms of dyslexia.” Dyslexia Basics, International Dyslexia Association