Many people think dyslexic people are boneheads. Dyslexia doesn't equal a lack of intelligence. Don't laugh at your mates when they have problems with reading! Maybe they'll become movie stars and you'll want tickets to their premieres.
Orlando Bloom on his dyslexia taken from the Orlando Bloom Files
Dyslexia affects the learning process in relation to reading, writing and speaking, such difficulties being disproportionate to the student’s other academic abilities. Dyslexia is indicated by a mismatch between an individual’s assessed ability and his/her attainments in literacy-related areas. Dyslexia may affect the development of the student’s ability to remember in sequence what is seen or heard, his/her ability to identify sounds in words and his/her ability to put things in order (e.g. information, letters, stories, numbers, the days of the week, the months of the year, etc); it may affect concentration, co-ordination, letter/numeral formation skills and the speed of reading and understanding. In addition students may have problems with directions, map-reading, recognising left and right, spelling, copying words and numbers from a book or a blackboard, recalling the names of words or objects and reading music.
Students’ learning difficulties arising from dyslexia are in a continuum that ranges from mild to severe. Students’ confidence and self-esteem are often affected and they appear to lack motivation. Dyslexia may co-exist with other special educational needs such as dyscalculia, dyspraxia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). It occurs across all socio-economic groups and affects people differently. Although dyslexia occurs across the lifespan it may be alleviated with appropriate intervention.