In an article entitled, “What Happened to the ‘Superior Abilities’ in Adults With Dyslexia and High IQs? A Behavioral and Neurological Illustration,” by Jeffrey W. Gilger and Olumide A. Olulade, they describe the differences between those with reading disabilities and those without them who are still described as geniuses. Throughout the article, they cite differences in cognition, test scores, and abilities. In the first few paragraphs, they explain how the “gold standard” of testing systems are not all that accurate. These tests are used to determine levels of function, grade placement, and the presence of disease in pathology. Methods commonly used in the past are standardized tests, the ACT or the SAT. It also mentions that those being tested can arrive at the correct answer, utilizing correct methods. However, it states that more accurate methods are, such as testing the abilities of a person’s brain while solving a spatial reasoning question, while in an MRI scanner and seeing if they have any skills in those areas.
One of the most important things to take note of is the fact that research into Reading disabled people is not very advanced. There is also the opinion that Gifted RD individuals are very different from those that are simply Reading disabled or Gifted alone. Gifted Reading Disabled individuals are often overlooked in the school system. Unfortunately, those that are gifted, but that struggle with reading are often unable to reach their full potential. Instead of focusing on their strengths and gifts, they tend to be steered in different directions, rather than getting special help for problems such as dyslexia. Though this helps, it does not always fix the problem or improve outcomes.
However, as it seems to be common, there are many famous or successful Reading Disabled people who are business leaders, artists, or scientists, that happen to be dyslexic. The specific professions they choose are often, art, mathematics, architecture, physics, and more. The Reading Disabled also lean toward high non verbal aptitudes. Nonetheless, studies show that the relation between high nonverbal aptitudes and Reading Disabilities is not always positive and is not majorly correlated with such a disability.
As for the methods for their study that led them to these conclusions, it is apparent that they decline to accept these things as facts. Basically, they used fourteen English-speaking participants with no past diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder. The Genius Reading Disabled group show significantly lower scores on reading, spelling and fluency tests, as compared to the Genius group. The results seem to show that those who are nonverbal Gifted Reading Disabled adults were not like those adults seen as similarly gifted on the measurement of both.
As for the brain itself, the Gifted Reading Disabled adults and the Gifted use basically the same area of the brain to complete tasks, though it can be interpreted differently if one were to look at the brain scans of such individuals. The study was on brain activity in individuals categorized as either simply Genius, or Genius Reading Disabled. When one looks at the image or scan of their brains, it shows that each individual shows the use of similar parts of the brain. However, they are not exactly the same. The Genius Reading Disabled shows that more of the brain is used to complete a “Spatial Visualization Task,” while the so-called Genius individual does not use as much of the brain.
This Academic Journal’s results seem to undoubtedly prove that dyslexia or reading disabled people can be extremely intelligent in certain areas, but that not all areas will be absolutely perfect. As for general conclusions about research up to this point, it is apparent that mental disorders do of course play a role and those that have them can still be successful, genius or not.
As for dyslexia on its own, it accounts for almost seventy of some one hundred sixty learning styles, not the classic seven or eight one may learn about in seventh grade CTE. In a TED talk by a man named Scott Sonnon, he chronicles much of his life from early childhood up to adolescence. He described how his parents would fight, his dad often beating his mother. The conclusion he came to after doing some research was that violence at an early age can cause dyslexia. He also explained his stay in a psychiatric institution and how traumatizing it was to be taught how to behave when he did not understand why. When he returned to school, he found many people bullied him and made fun of him as they had overheard a discussion between some teachers and the principal, a conversation that should have remained private. Once he discovered martial arts, he was able to learn and excel, propelling him towards a career. In the end, his point was that genius and intelligence are suppressed by current systems and attitudes and that he truly was intelligent but had to discover that himself.
Dyslexia is something that many are required to struggle through. However, it is not always a bad thing, there are many creative geniuses who were dyslexic. As for being reading disabled and genius, this often comes with major skill in spatial reasoning.
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