Recognizing Stealth Dyslexia in The Gifted
By Fernette Eide MD
Dr. Brock Eide and I coined the term “stealth dyslexia” in 2005 and introduced it in an article for the 2e Newsletter. It refers to students (often gifted) who could fly under the radar for detection because of compensatory strengths. We described the term in our first book, The Mislabeled Child:
"This pattern of difficulties is so common among the children we see in our clinic--especially among many of the most highly gifted--that we have given it its own name: stealth dyslexia." (p. 351).
Some gifted children may be able to compensate for poor decoding by strong listening comprehension and the ability to “fill-in” what is not completely decoded by reading. For many with stealth dyslexia, writing is much more difficult than reading comprehension, and if teachers or school psychologists don’t recognize the writing difficulties associated with dyslexia, the syndrome may be missed. Instead, written work that does not reflect the student’s high abilities may be assumed to be due to lack of effort, carelessness, or poor fine motor coordination.
Considerable negative consequences can result from failing to identify dyslexic gifted students in the classroom. Some may develop apathy and school avoidance, secondary psychological problems (such as depression or anxiety), or even disruptive behaviors. Exquisite potential may be lost.
In our book, The Dyslexic Advantage, we talk in detail about the four dyslexia MIND strengths that form the acronym M-I-N-D. The letters stand for Material Reasoning, Interconnected Reasoning, Narrative Reasoning, and Dynamic Reasoning. Strengths in material reasoning may present as visual-spatial strengths and hands-on learning. Interconnected reasoning involves strengths in analogical thinking and seeing how things are related to each other. Narrative reasoning is demonstrated in strengths in storytelling and episodic recall and visualization. Strengths in dynamic reasoning are characterized by reasoning under changeable conditions, recognizing themes and patterns, and making predictions about the future.
Psychologists who apprehend certain strength profiles can explain these patterns to students, their families, and teachers, empowering them to tailor learning based on their gifts. Many times, we have seen students completely turn around their educational paths once they were properly understood from their unique cognitive perspectives and given appropriate resources that allow them to succeed. Understanding strengths in learning and memory also helps individuals develop workarounds and strength-based strategies to be successful in school as well as in the real world.
Recently, advances in the science of dyslexia have led some scientists to propose that dyslexia is a cognitive specialization that gives individuals a bias toward exploration. This reconceptualization may account for the over-representation of dyslexic individuals among successful entrepreneurs, engineers, and designers.
Young people with dyslexia may face considerable social, emotional, and educational burdens during their schooling. Awareness of potential pitfalls as well as positive opportunities by school professionals can have powerful impacts on this common population of students.
Check out the video, "Because I'm Dyslexic," which explores the concept and has real life stories of dyslexia as a kind of giftedness. For more information, visit The Dyslexic Advantage to explore more information and resources. For more information about stealth dyslexia, click here.
Dr. Fernette Eide
Dr. Fernette Eide is co-author of The Dyslexic Advantage and The Mislabeled Child and is an international authority on dyslexia and learning differences. She is a Magna Cum Laude with highest departmental honors graduate of Harvard-Radcliffe College and the University of California-San Francisco, and has been a consultant to the President’s Council on Bioethics and visiting lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She directs all teacher and parent training, positive dyslexia awareness, and student talent programs in addition to being editor-in-chief for the Dyslexic Advantage newsletter and Premium magazine.
